Santiago, Punta Arenas and Penguins

Sue, Roger and Susie, among some large wooden statues in the museum

After our overnight flight to Santiago, we met up with Roger and Susie and headed into the city to shake off the long flight. Here Sue, Roger and Susie are heading towards the Pre-Columbian art museum.

Knotted string, for accounting or record keeping. This display is nearly 6 ft tall.

A very colorful Pre-Columbina blanket

On to Mercado Central

Lots of fish for sale at the market

Mercado Central interior.

After a filling late lunch/early dinner at Mercado Central, we returned to our hotel, which has a very interesting central atrium (airport Holiday Inn).

After a good night's sleep in Santiago, we took a flight on to Punta Arenas Here you see the massive, out of place, Dreams Hotel and Casino.

Susie, Sue, and Roger, as we walked along the waterfront in Punta Arenas. PA is 53° 9' south latitude, so never too warm.

One of a number of interesting murals along the Punta Arenas waterfront

Imperial Cormorants, lined up to welcome a cruise ship into the Punta Arenas harbor.

Colorful buildings near the harbor

Detail of the pioneer stature

A monumental statue along the waterfront, celebrating the pioneer history of Patagonia

Another juxtaposition of Hotel Dreams del Estrecho with the more traditional architectture of Punta Arenas

Our hotel in Punta Arenas, Hotel Cabo de Cuernos. Nice, but noisy on a Saturday night. Lots of partiers in the park across the street.

Next day, after some confusion with the scheduling, we went by boat to view penguins in the Strait of Magellan. The boat is a modified zodiac.

Lots of cormorants enjoying the show from above

First stop was Isla Marta, home to a large colony of sea lions. You might not be surprised that it was quite loud, and smelled a bit rank!