Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas

A couple lazy days recovering in Puerto Natales found us drinking coffee and cerveza, Nandu is good for both. We enjoyed a few delicious meals at Baguales brewery and Mesita Grande pizza. Looked around for interesting souvenirs but nothing jumped out, I don't think the wooden indian was for sale... I guess I have more stuff than I need already...

We spent one night at Los Glaciors hotel, decent value, good room.... Enjoyed a chat with a couple of Australian ladies.... They sold their home country well as a place to visit. We returned to Keoken for two nights and enjoyed the hospitality of Rodrigo Munoz and family... Highly recommended...

Puerto Natales Canines

Puerto Natales Trash Bin

Its interesting that all the towns in Patagonia, both Chile and Argentina, have many apparently homeless dogs running loose, saw a pack of 10 in Puerto Natales, they dont seem agressive and Rodrigo told us there is an ongoing debate as to getting rid of them... the dogs seem to have the hearts of the population... luckier than Canmore rabbits..

Punta Arenas Electrical maze

We took the bus Fernandez ($16000cl return each) to Punta Arenas on February 4 hoping to see the Penguins at Isla Magdalena. We toured the downtown square area in the wind and bit of rain, had a decent pizza, fritas and a pint of schop (draft) mmmmm.... Their overhead electrical infrastructure is a complicated sight to behold. The winds were very strong and the penguin trip was cancelled, the penguins will have wait to meet us another time...

Punta Arenas and Strait of Magellan from Ilaia sunroom

We stayed at Hotel Ilaia in Punta Arenas, this place is fabulous, very nice rooms, wifi, laptops and a rooftop sunroom to hang around in and watch the giant white caps on the Strait of Magellan. Oh and the breakfast.... delicious chipatas with avocado/cheese/jam, freshly squeezed jugo naranja... And a hug from the operator on the way out the door....very nice... Good service does still exist....

Back to Puerto Natales on a 3 hour bus ride and then a 7 hour wait for the bus back to El Calafate... The return journey to El Calafate is just as painful as the reverse. A couple hours waiting in line to exit Chile and enter Argentina.... Makes no sense.... The driver when not consuming snacks or chatting with passengers, found the time to stop the bus and get out for a cigarette, about an hour before Calafate.... The rules appear to be very flexible here....

Got into El Calafate after midnight, 6+ hours for less than 350 kms. on good paved roads... No cabs at bus depot, no obvious phone to call one from, no numbers posted. Walked downtown to where I knew from previous visit, the taxi dispatch was located. Lots of fun carrying 70 pounds of lugage. Finally got a taxi there, f**king taxi business... Run only for convenience of taxi owners/drivers... A world wide phenomenon....

We enjoyed our hotel room at Cantera for a total of 7 hours, seemed nice and the freshly squeezed Jugu Naranja was a close second to Ilaia... and then on to airport and onto Bariloche....