∙ Time in port: We were supposed to be here for 12 hours, but will be spending the night due to bad weather in the Pacific. ([Unplanned] Overnight No. 3 on our trip.)
∙ A day in Patagonia -- with its ordinarily chilly, windswept landscapes -- but it was "summer" here (its equivalent of August)
∙ Our tour to the Club Andino (Andean Club) was rescheduled from the morning to the afternoon. When we went to meet our group at 1:15 pm, no one was at the meeting place. We were told we had to take the “tender” (shuttle boat) and meet them dockside, but that we’d get there on time, and they’d let them know we were coming (another couple was with us too). We were already cold just standing near where we board the tender. The weather was cold, windy, rainy and overcast – yuk! Warm, layered clothes, gloves and hats were definitely necessary!
∙ When we got to shore, we were told our group left 10 minutes before we arrived. Great! The four of us had to pay $30 for a cab to drive us to the ski area to join our group. The bus that we were supposed to be on was pulling out just moments before us. Obviously, no one told them we were coming, and we would have made it had they just waited a couple more minutes. (And this was a HAL tour!)
∙ The Andean Club is one of the few ski areas in the world with a view of the ocean
∙ We rode the ski lift app. 1,500 yards up the mountain. Snow began to fall and melt on my jeans, making them wet. Winds swept over us, making it even colder. By the time we reached the summit, there were near blizzard conditions: our lift was blowing sideways in the wind, we couldn’t see hardly anything and had to cover our faces to avoid turning into popsicles! We were starting to think this was a really bad idea!
∙ From the top, we were supposed to be able to see the Strait of Magellan and the city of Punta Arenas in the distance, but the weather was too bad to see anything at first.
∙ We hiked downhill mostly over mud and slush, while the weather played Sybil! My feet were wet and got so cold that I couldn’t feel my toes for a while. It got warmer at times, as we made our way down the mountain, only to start raining or snowing again. At one point, we saw some sunshine and views of the town and Strait below. But the swirling snows began again as we made our way back to the lodge.
∙ We got to “thaw” in the lodge for a little while, where hot chocolate was served.
∙ Upon our return to town, we found a casino within walking distance of the port and spent some time there. That was pretty fun! I started with $200 US and ended up with 197,000 Chilean Pesos. I think that’s about $378 US. Then we found a nice local restaurant, where we could eat (non-ship food) – yeah! I was dying to soak in the Jacuzzi when we returned, but we got there at 10:10 pm, and it closed at 10 pm – they made us get out!
∙ THOUGHTS/IMPRESSIONS
∙ “Chile” was true to its name!
∙ I hiked the Andes Mountains! Don’t think I’ll do it again!
∙ But really – what’s the deal with everything shutting down at 10 p.m.? I thought I was on vacation!
∙ THE TRIP FROM USHUAIA TO PUNTA ARENAS
∙ PUNTA ARENAS
This is the SECOND time that you complained about Chili! Did you not get your cheese and onions here either? Grandma Virginia and I just finished watching the Superbowl , Giants won, and are now catching up with your blog! We really enjoy that you are doing this for everyone! Quite educational and humorous......I think you can have a standup comedy routine by the time you finish this trip! Be safe with your travels and God bless! We have had rain here, no snow for us, and the sun began to shine! Love Ya, we send our love and good to hear from you.....Grandma Virginia
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