Calafate & Perito Moreno glacier

Tuesday 26th January. 

After breakfast I checked out at 11.00 and had another walk round town, stopping off to get some cash and change it into Argentine pesos; same name but different value, approx. 20 to the UK pound. Then relaxed over a crepe strudel and hot chocolate in the Creperie near the hotel. At least here they presented me with a real cup of hot chocolate and not a DIY version. Stretched out my hot chocolate until 1330 when I picked up my bag from the hotel and trundled it to the bus station; no wind today but it was definitely uphill. Got on the bus at 1420 and it left on time at 1430. Glad I got my ticket yesterday since it was full. Young American guy from New York sitting next to me. Journey over more empty Patagonian grassland with just a few grazing cows until we stopped at Chilean immigration where it took about 40 minutes to process everybody. Chilean immigration was where the smooth asphalt road finished. From there it was gravel up to and beyond Argentine immigration which must be one of the most isolated border posts anywhere, basically a wooden hut with just two counters “In” and “Out”. All very simple but only one guy doing the work so it was about another 40 minutes before we set off along the gravel road which continued for about 20km until we hit the Argentine main road RN 40.

Somewhere I saw a sign showing “El Calafate 200 km”, 200 km of Patagonian emptiness, a few cows, a flock of sheep being driven by three gauchos, a few guanacos and rheas. That was it; no towns, no villages, nada! Not the most exciting bus ride in the world. Eventually we pulled into El Calafate bus station from where I found my way to Posada Larsen. This time Google maps worked despite the fact that Google had me booked into somewhere else. Posada Larsen is a bit more remote than I had expected, up a gravel road, but I received a very enthusiastic and warm welcome and the room is fine. It has a great view over the lake and it even has a kettle! After dumping my stuff, set out for dinner. El Calafate is a pure tourist town so plenty of places to eat. Settled on a pizza and pasta place, “La Lechuza” where I had a spinach ravioli and a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. As always there was a plate of bread and dip to accompany it.

Posada Larsen

View from Posada Larsen

Calafate Berrries, from which the town is named

On the bus, almost all the passengers were backpackers with just a couple of local passengers. Tourists seem to divide into three main groups, backpackers who dominate in terms of numbers and about half of whom are serious trekkers, people on organised tours who, I suspect, are the mainstay of the larger hotels and a significant number of people in cars, who I am guessing are mainly from Chile and Argentina although they could be from further afield in hire cars. Two smaller segments are the middle-aged bikers and some independent souls in camper vans, a few of which have been transported from Germany and Switzerland. The Dutch biker I met told me it cost him €1000 to bring his bike one way so I hate to think how much a camper van costs. I guess it comes by sea rather than by air.

Wednesday 27th January

Fairly basic breakfast and pick up shortly after eight for my trip to the Perito Moreno glacier. Much bigger bus than the previous tours and much older participants, several large groups being picked up from big hotels. It's a bright sunny day, so even the grassy plains look quite pretty. Once we get towards the mountains it is spectacular and the glacier looks just like the photos in the tour promotions. After a brief halt to take photos from a distance we stopped at the main centre from where there are a series of walkways down to "balconies" which allow a closer view. Absolutely amazing but it didn't seem very active today. I had heard of huge chunks of ice collapsing at regular intervals but not today. A few small bits did come away with a bit of a noise and a splash but despite the huge visible cracks that made the ice face look quite unstable, the big pieces remained resolutely attached. The "small" bits probably weighed a few tons but they were insignificant relative to the glacier itself and were about as exciting as watching the ice come off my fridge when I defrosted it. Why don't modern fridges need defrosting? After being mesmerised by a passive glacier for an hour or so we joined a catamaran to get a view from up close. Still the glacier didn't put on a performance for us but it was when we saw a party of people trekking on the glacier that it was possible to get an idea of its massive scale. Back to El Calafate for a coffee and a brownie.

First View of the Glacier

View from the Lowest "Balcony"

Catamaran to get closer

Enough Ice for a few G&Ts

Only Realise how BIG it is when you see the Little Trekkers

Calafate is a tourist town, pure and simple. Dozens of restaurants, tour agencies and "artisanal" shops. Tours are much better promoted here; I saw a flyer for a cruise departing from Punta Arenas, which I definitely didn't see in Punta Arenas. After looking at the option of going to El Chalten for one night, I decided to extend my stay here for two more days and take a one day tour to El Chalten and the nearby Viedma lake on Friday or Saturday.

In the evening went out to Don Diego de la Noche,  a bar that sells food, and which gets a good write up in Wikitravel. All the more upmarket restaurants looked full! Ordered a lamb casserole and a glass of Malbec. As usual, I got a huge chunk of bread and, this time a taramasalata dip, to keep me from starvation until the proper food arrived. Probably made a mistake sitting at the table nearest the microphone since the guitarist/singer started before my casserole arrived. No idea what he was singing about, lost love, lost money, lost something? He gave the impression of a being a young man who suffers for his music. Put me in mind of Jake Thackeray, anybody remember him, but I don’t think he was intending to be humorous. When the waitress passed me a red envelope I realised I was expected to pay for the entertainment. The lamb pie was OK but nothing special; typical pub grub. The place didn't get any livelier by the time I left, nearly 11 so I headed back to Posada Larsen, looking into Borges & Alvarez Libro Bar along the way, also recommended by either Trip Advisor or Wikitravel, but that was fairly dead too. 

Last day in Puerto Natales

Monday 25th January

Sea front at Puerto Natales:
Derelict Pier

Lazy day. Breakfast followed by going to the offices of Bus Sur to get a ticket for the bus to El Calafate tomorrow. Managed to get a seat on the bus leaving at 1430 which is far more civilised than the 0700 departure offered by the other two companies I tried yesterday. Then had a walk around the town stopping off for a visit to the local museum right next door to the hotel. Although small, it was very well laid out with excellent information in both Spanish and English, well the English was excellent; can't make a judgement on the Spanish version. Approx. half the museum was devoted to the Indigenous people of the region who, like those further south, had been driven to extinction by a combination of loss of land, loss of animals to hunt, conflict with settlers,  disease and alcohol. The last man of one group died in 2008. The other half of the museum was devoted to the settlers, of mixed European origin, German, English, Romanian etc. I was quite surprised at the extent of the English influence. In Tierra del Fuego, Croatians had been a very influential group. 

Black Necked Swans in the Sea

Black Necked Swan with "Ugly Ducklings"

Unexpected connections: Cleethorpes

Unexpected connections: Stourbridge

Chile is the only country I have visited which  takes tsunamis seriously; in Valparaiso, Punta Arenas and here in Puerto Natales there are signs posting evacuation routes all along the coast and signs further inland showing safe areas, more than 30 m above sea level.

Booked hotel in El Calafate, and a tour to Perito Moreno glacier since I will probably arrive too late in El Calafate to do it face to face. It’s all so easy with an internet connection!

In the evening had early dinner at the "Afrigonia" restaurant nearby which gets a good write up in Wiki travel. The food was excellent but not noticeably African and came to about 21 000 for main course, glass of Carmenere wine and coffee, so not cheap. So far I am not having much success finding good, cheap food.

Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine

Saturday 23rd January

Had my only breakfast at Hostal Blunes this morning; didn't miss too much yesterday. It was the usual bread, cheese, ham, jam with some fruit juice and instant coffee. I had always imagined that Chile, being a Latin country, would have a strong coffee culture but the default seems to be a Nescafe powder that I don't think we have seen in Britain for 30 years!

It’s a damp grey day. Checked out at 11, picked up my laundry and got to the bus station with almost an hour to wait. Quite a small bus, seating about 20, and full; I thought the seat next to me was the only empty one, until a minute before we set off, when it was occupied by another huge fat guy! Luckily I remembered to put the arm rest down earlier so at least the blubber spilt out over the aisle and not over me. Departed at 1235. Once we left the urban area the landscape was the same as yesterday, an endless expanse of grass and scrubby little bushes, none of them over a foot high. We did pass some lakes, guanacos and herds of sheep, including one being driven along the side of the road by traditional looking "sheepboys"?  They look like cowboys out of Westerns, not shepherds out of nativity scenes. Realise the proper term is "gaucho".

The weather brightened up for a while and then started raining seriously. Not much to see out of the window so listened to some music. Two hours into the journey there was slight change in landscape, trees! Not huge, majestic ones but rather pathetic and wizened specimens with silvery grey trunks and branches.  Many looked half dead and covered with pale green cotton wool. Later I learnt that the trees had been deliberately burnt to provide more grazing land and that the “cotton wool” is a lichen. Some signs of crops being grown and occasionally saw some cows. At 2.45 some blue sky was visible along with hills, and in the far distance, mountains with patches of snow. About this time the big guy decided to move up to the front and chat to the driver. No idea why but it suited me fine. The scenery definitely improved as we got closer to Puerto Natales and pretty much on time we arrived at the bus station. 

Google maps works brilliantly most of the time but occasionally goes completely haywire. I could see where I was with a little blue dot and I could see "Hotel Bellavista 23-26 January" shown as a yellow star just a few blocks away. Easy, I thought. First problem was the howling gale; I had been expecting Punta Arenas to be windy but it was nothing compared to this. My bag on wheels had completely different ideas about where it wanted to go, and they were all downwind! But then I got to the yellow star and thought "this doesn't look like the place I booked". I looked at the booking details "Hotel Aquaterra"! So why did Google decide I was staying at Bellavista? I haven’t a clue! I should have checked, but it is so tempting to follow that yellow star! Puerto Natales isn't huge but it was the best part of 800 metres to where I wanted to be, luckily downhill with a following gale. The hotel is quite upmarket and very central, although the room is fairly basic. After sorting myself out, I set off to explore the town, which is quite pretty, particularly round the main square, although other parts have a bit of a “wild west“ look about them.

Pretty Town Square

This little locomotive in the town square, built in Bristol, was used to ferry workers along a 4km stretch of railway to a big meat packing company on the outskirts of town.

The Church in the Town Square

Boats in the Harbour

Traditional Style House

Touch of the Wild West? 

I found plenty of tour agencies and booked a tour to Torres del Paine, the National Park which puts Puerto Natales on the tourist map, for tomorrow. Then walked down to the seafront which has great views across to the mountains, provided you can stand up in the wind. Now my itinerary was fairly fixed I wanted to book the boat trip from here to Puerto Montt. The ship only leaves once a week so the plan is to go to Calafate after here and then come back to get the ship leaving on 2nd Feb. According to the map, the Navimag office is close to the hotel but all I could find was an agency that looked very closed. So went back to the hotel to book it on line. The website worked OK and has the advantage of an English version. But when I click "CC type cabin to share" it won't let me. Which is a bit of a blow since the only option it offers is a BB cabin, not shared, which costs far more, an arm and a leg more! But I'm probably never going to be here again so eventually I bit the bullet and clicked "buy". 

Later in the evening I went out to the Ultima Esperanza (Last Hope) restaurant which looked suitably busy and gets a good write up in Wikitravel where I ordered the lamb, which is what Patagonia is famous for, and got half a sheep! But it was good, if rather more than I had expected. Back to the room and finally filled in and submitted the BA delayed luggage claim form. 

Half a Sheep! 

Sunday 24th January

Buffet breakfast at 7.00, a reasonable selection of bread, ham, cheese, fruit etc. Real coffee, very strong but not particularly good. Waited in the pleasant lounge area until the bus arrived about 0845; I was the last pick up again. We set off in rain and, although we had a few dry, sunny spells, that set the tone for the day. Stopped at several viewpoints but the tops of the mountains were hidden in cloud. We had more success on the wildlife front, seeing a large herd of guanacos, which didn't seem at all bothered by our presence, and a flock of rea. Nathalie, our guide explained that both are completely wild and protected. Later we saw a grey fox but it looked much like the ones that frequent suburban areas in England, except for the colour.

Wide Open Spaces

Guanacos

Saw the cascades on the Paine River which were impressive and on the way back came across two guanacos sharing an intimate moment in the middle of the road. Not at all put off by a busload of tourists, they just continued as we took photos through the windscreen of the bus. Eventually, since they showed no signs of giving up, the driver managed to squeeze past them. 

Cascade on the Paine River

Love among the Guanacos

We stopped for lunch next to Pehoe Lake which would have had a great view except for the drizzle. I had a sandwich and a cup of press-the-button-and-get-a-cappuccino coffee at an extortionate price of 2000 pesos. 

Pehoe Lake

Lichen, not cotton wool

This is the view I had hoped to see. OK maybe not the Gauchos.

Reality! 

After lunch we drove to Grey Lake to see the mini icebergs that have calved from the Grey glacier. From the car park we could see them looking like blue plastic toys, far too blue to be real! I was chatting to a couple, Venezuelan woman and Italian man, who I was amazed to find have been living in Singapore for 15 years! We walked across a little suspension bridge, with a limit of 6 people at any one time, in gentle, light rain. From there we set off along the beach of coarse grey sand which extended into a spit across the lake. It was then that the full force of the gale hit us. It nearly blew us off our feet into the lake and the light rain turned into high-speed face-stinging sleet! We got half way along the spit and, realising we weren't going to get any better view of the blue icebergs, decided to turn back. By the time we got back to the relative shelter of the car park we were all soaked. 

Blue Icebergs from the Grey Glacier

It's windy!

Seriously Windy!

While waiting for us in the car park, our driver and Nathalie, our guide, had taken pity on a bedraggled group of trekkers and offered them a lift back to Puerto Natales, so as a result of the re-shuffle I got the seat next to the driver again. Before coming to Torres del Paine, the idea of trekking had rather appealed, and if I had been much fitter I might have given it a try. The scenery is magnificent and I am sure you can see far more from the trails than you can from the roads. Unlike in Tierra del Fuego, here I can see the attraction. But considering how unpleasant the weather can turn in the middle of summer and seeing the look of misery and dejection on the trekkers' faces, I am very happy to get into a dry bus knowing that I can look forward to a hot shower and a warm bed for the night. Another member of our group was a woman from Hong Kong who told me she had come here almost by accident during a holiday in Australia. She had been trekking and camping in many exciting places including Mount Kilimanjaro but said she had never been so cold and scared as on that windblown spit in the lake. I don't think she has ever gone camping in Scotland.

The last stop on our tour was a huge cave mainly famous for the remains of a massive, extinct, sloth-like creature, the mylodon, that were found here. The cave was formed by water erosion of soft sandstone beneath a harder rock, unlike most caves which have formed in limestone. It had the great virtue of sheltering us from both rain and wind. 

The Milodon Cave.
You only realise how big it is when you see the people on the path

Nathalie, Our  Guide

From there we drove back to Puerto Natales where I stopped off for a hot chocolate and rhubarb pie in a little cafe called Books and Coffee. Not very impressed; the pie was mostly pastry and the filling didn't taste of rhubarb or anything else except sugar. The hot chocolate was DIY, a cup of hot milk and a tin of hot chocolate powder! As a result I didn't feel hungry until quite late when many places were closing. One of the pizza places looked busy so I ordered a Hawaiian pizza and a beer. The beer was fine but the pizza was on a base of white soft bread, nothing like a proper pizza base. Looking at the kitchen I realised that the lack of a pizza oven should have been a give-away. Noticed that everyone else was eating huge sandwiches. Lots of serious looking trekkers here so I guess they need the carbohydrates. 

Punta Arenas: Not quite the End of the World

Tuesday 19th January

Up early and 1/2 hour walk to the bus station where I  was in time to get the 0716 bus to Santiago Pajaritos terminal, only 3000 pesos. Another dull, grey morning but it feels warm. The bus left the terminal at 0720 and driving slowly through the city, we passed several trolley buses; never did get to use one. About two hour journey back to the outskirts of Santiago, arriving at Pajaritos terminal where I boarded the airport bus  which left almost immediately and so I was at the airport about 0930 thinking I could have had another hour in bed! The self-service machine printed my boarding pass with no hassle but then I had to queue for almost an hour to drop off my bag. Don't know why it was taking so long; six to eight counters were open and for me it took only a minute for the check-in clerk to receive my bag and issue a baggage ticket. After that it was time for a coffee and some cake with plenty of time before boarding the A320 for the three hour flight to Punta Arenas. Maybe I should have got a window seat to appreciate the views. Touched down at 3.15. Bright blue sky and sunshine!

Taxi from the airport to Hotel Localet cost 10 000 but the woman taxi driver assured me with plenty of smiles that it was a good rate,  plus I didn't have many options. It was quite a distance so I don't begrudge her the fare. Very different landscape from the one I left; it is fairly flat with low hills and the natural vegetation appears to consist of coarse yellowish grass and grey-green scrubby bushes. No trees! On the road from the airport we passed many small dwellings, some industrial and commercial buildings,  all separated by large expanses of empty space. As we came into the town we passed through residential areas, some modern estates of identical little boxes packed in fairly tightly and areas of older mostly one storey small houses.   Hotel Localet is fairly small but very comfortable, as indeed it should be considering the price. Naturally it calls itself "boutique". After sorting myself out, getting a little map from the receptionist  and making sure the WiFi works,  I set out along Avenida Colon which seems to be one of the principle avenues, towards the sea front. Most of the town is laid on a grid which is filled mainly with low rise buildings, at least along Avenida Colon. Eventually I reached the sea front which is definitely low key, no trendy cafes, bars or restaurants, but there is  another impressive monument of heroic men, this time in a boat. Makes a  change from them being on horses! 

Sea front at Punta Arenas

Heroic Men in a Boat

And, miracle of miracles, there was a tourist information place next to the monument. Of the two young women at the desk, one spoke excellent English, gave me a better map, showed me where I could find the town centre and also a place to book a tour to an island where there are lots of penguins. It gets No. 1 rating on Trip Advisor. Walked a few blocks to Turismo Compo where they were happy to book me a trip to the Penguin island leaving tomorrow afternoon at 3pm. Found the town centre which is much smarter, cleaner and more up-market than the one in Valparaiso. 

One of several mansions built by wealthy people in Punta Arenas

Again there are lots of independent shops including ones to sell you everything you need to go trekking across Tierra del Fuego. Some of the other travel agencies are offering one day tours to Tierra del Fuego but when I look at the "highlights"  they don't excite me. As far as I can tell, the scenery is bleak rather than spectacular and I have no desire to go kayaking in cold water. Plan is to see how the trip to the Penguin Island goes tomorrow and make a decision then. By now I was feeling distinctly hungry and fancied something more substantial than what was on offer at the many tea shops. Settled for a pizza at the Quatro Stagione, sorry, Cuattro Estaciones,  pizza place. After exploring a bit more of the town centre I eventually found what seems to be the one supermarket in town, among dozens of pharmacies, and bought a couple of bits and pieces. Then set off back along Avenida Colon to the hotel. Walking back I realised the town isn't as flat as I thought; definitely uphill!

Wednesday 20th January

Didn't get up until after 8 this morning. Good breakfast of breads, cold cuts, freshly cooked scrambled egg, yoghurt and fruit. Back into town and looked round the port area but not much to see. It's another warm sunny day.  Then visited the Museo Regional de Magallanes which is housed in one of several nineteenth century mansions built by wealthy citizens. Most of its wealth came from sheep and being a coaling station for steam ships passing through the Magellan Straits. I had expected it to tell the history of the region, which the back part does, but the front part shows the rooms of the house which have been preserved or restored to their original condition. As in Irkutsk and Texas, those settlers who had the resources re-created European civilisation in the remote places they had come to. Here in Punta Arenas most of the furniture came from Maples in London! I even saw a cast iron drain cover from London from when Britain was the workshop of the world. The house part of the museum was crowded with large tour groups at least one which comprised Japanese tourists; I think from a cruise. The historical part told the story of the discovery and development of this region but since it was all in Spanish think I will learn more from Wikipedia. From there walked out to the cemetery which boasts many ornate tombs housing the remains of the wealthy families.

Study: Furniture from Maples

Ornate Tomb in Cemetery

Ornate Tomb in Cemetery

Clock in the Port Area

Stopped off in one of the cafes for a coffee and apple strudel before getting a collective taxi, "collectivo" to Tres Puentes from where the Penguin island boat leaves. The collectivos run along numbered routes much like buses so I needed No. 15, which only cost me 450 pesos. Having read that they can be full, I had left myself plenty of time so arrived at the ferry terminal with nearly an hour to spare. There is a Chilean naval base next to the ferry terminal; whenever I see the word “armada” I think of Plymouth Ho and Francis Drake.    The ship was a small car ferry with two passenger cabins, both totally enclosed.  The only option outside was to sit or stand on the narrow walkway round the upper cabin. I found a window seat in the upper cabin and ventured outside a couple of times but nothing much to see apart from sea. The ship is definitely not built for sightseeing cruises, probably about 200 passengers. Visions of future generations in a few thousand years digging up scraps of evidence and concluding that there was a penguin worshipping cult in the early 21st century. After about a couple of hours we reached the island, no dock, the ship just came up to the stony beach lowered the vehicle ramp and extended it with a couple of metal gangways so we could get onto the beach without getting our feet wet. And, yes, there were penguins, thousands of them. All looking incredibly cute, particularly the young fluffy ones. They are not at all afraid of the hundred plus tourists who have descended on them and wander right up to within a foot or so of us. We have instructions not to cross beyond the rope that defines the path and to keep a distance of one metre but the penguins don't always follow the rules. Have to confess to being totally enthralled by them and took dozens of photos. 

The Ferry

Not ours: Visiting Cruise Ship, possible source for Japanese Tourists

Don't think this one is going anywhere

Lots of Penguins

Adult Penguin

Cute Little Baby One

Another Cute Little Baby One

 More Penguins

Didn't bother visiting the lighthouse since I have seen plenty.  After an hour gazing at penguins; I learnt that they are the Magellanic species, we were ushered back onto the ship for the journey back. Got a collectivo back to the centre and had dinner at La Luna restaurant which was packed. Had to wait a while for a table which I shared with a retired Dutch professor touring S America on his motorbike. Hake in shrimp sauce and a locally brewed Shackleton beer.

Thursday 21st January

Fairly lazy morning before checking out at midday and 1/2 hour walk to Hostal Residenciel Bulnes, all downhill. Dull grey day today but not cold. Bulnes is another small hotel, far more modest than Lacolet but looks OK. Doesn't claim to be boutique! After settling in, I made my way into the centre where I booked my bus ticket to Puerto Natales on Saturday, after which I was ready for a cup of coffee and a cake at the Sir Francis Drake cafe. Looked at several travel agencies for a tour tomorrow. I have come to the conclusion that I will kick myself less if I spend time and money on a boring tour than if I don't and everyone I meet says "you went to Punta Arenas and didn't visit Tierra del Fuego!"

Tour agencies here don't go out of their way to sell anything. In Vietnam there would be dozens of agencies, mostly called "Sinh Cafe", with big posters, itineraries and prices; here just a little card with a few words and possibly a generic poster of a penguin! Asked in the agency I bought my penguin tour from but they didn't have anything and the woman referred me to another agency three blocks away. Yes, they did have a tour to Tierra del Fuego, which includes more penguins. Think they are a different species! So I booked it.

Visit the Museo Regional Salesiano Maggiorino Borgatello which has several rooms focusing on different aspects of the region, fauna, original inhabitants, missionary activities, colonisation and immigration, and finally a room dedicated to oil and gas extraction, clearly sponsored by one or more oil and gas companies. Except for the last section all the information was translated into English, possibly by an early beta version of Google Translate. 

Somewhat Lost in Translation

Maybe God didn't want the cross there?
But 3200 high staying-power bolts should give him pause for thought!

Always amazed when public institutes fail to get a native English speaker to check and correct the draft. Sure there must be people in the town who would be happy to do it for free. The museum is a bit old fashioned, lots of stuffed animals, but quite informative. Sadly but not surprisingly most of the original inhabitants died out as a result of loss of land, disease, persecution and alcohol. Dropped off some laundry after which it was time for another coffee, this time at La Mona Crespa Cafe.

Back in my room, tried to update the blog but internet connection was poor and photos won't upload. Left it trying as I went out for dinner. Looked at the two places near the hotel, Mister Snack at the side of the racecourse and Bulnes bar but the first was rather grim while the second was a bar only and didn't serve any food except pizza. So headed back to O'Higgins and went to La Puerto Viejo Seafood and Grill where I had an excellent fillet steak and probably the best creamed spinach I have ever tasted with an Austral Calafate beer. Perfect! The waiters all wear black trousers, shirts and berets with red neckerchiefs; think they are supposed to look like gauchos but for some unknown reason they trigger memories of Citizen Smith and the Tooting Liberation Front.  Maybe the neurons in my brain have got crossed with Allo Allo! Finished off with an Espresso coffee since they have run out of milk! Like La Luna the place is obviously popular with tourists. One table near me was populated by seven bikers, the affluent mid-life ones as distinct from Hell's Angels.

Friday 22 January

Up early for expected pick-up for my Tierra del Fuego tour between 0730 and 0800. Too early for me to have breakfast which doesn't start until 0800. Waited outside so there was no chance they would miss me, no hardship since it is another bright sunny morning. 0810 no pick-up. Tried phoning the office but no answer. Tried again after another ten minutes and got someone who didn't speak any English. I couldn't make out what he was saying. By 0830 I decided to give up and have some breakfast. Just at that moment there was a call at the door and the driver was there. The plus side of being picked up last and over half an hour late was that I got the comfy seat at the front. We were on our way back to Tres Puentes from where we took another car ferry but this time a more comfortable one, similar to those in Europe but on a smaller scale. Most of the notices on the ship were in Spanish, English and Greek so it probably ferried between the Greek islands sometime in its life. Having missed out on breakfast I got a seat at the bar and found an uninspiring menu; looked like it would be another ham and cheese sandwich. I have never been to a cafe or bar before where they give you a numbered ticket and you can only order when your number is called! In my Spanish class I remember thinking "what is the point of learning to say all the numbers beyond about 20. Am I ever going to play bingo in Spanish?"  But now I had to put it into practice so that I could call out for “ochenta y uno”!

My toasted ham sandwich and coffee were about the standard I expected but I felt a bit more human after them. First stop after disembarking was Porvenir the main town of Chilean Tierra del Fuego. Not a lot to see; it has a population of only a few thousand, but we did visit the museum in which, apart from the old typewriters calculating machines and cameras that seem to turn up in small museums all over the world as people donate the contents of their attics, there were some displays on the indigenous people, who if I understand correctly were wiped out between 1880 and 1980. Need to check the details since everything was in Spanish. Desperately sad that they survived thousands of years, in a harsh environment, into the age of photography only to perish in a few decades.

Found more of the dismal story at

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selknam_Genocide

There was also a display on the small gold rush that took place in the early 20th century.

From Porvenir, we drove about 100 km along a gravel road to the King Penguin Park where we paid 12000 pesos each for the privilege of watching, from a distance, in a howling wind,  three groups of king penguins possibly incubating their eggs, or maybe standing their gossiping for all I know. They may look impressive with their yellow collars but they don't provide much entertainment! Bit of a let-down after Wednesday. Those Magellanic penguins know how to put on a show!

Can't get so close to the Penguins this time

And all they do is stand there incubating their eggs!

After everyone had taken their fill of penguin photos we got back on the bus for a short ride to a sheep farm. What a lot of sheep! Got to see some having their heads shaved. Not understanding the Spanish I don't understand the point of just shearing their heads. Looks like they were being given an inoculation at the same time so perhaps it just so that they can identify the inoculated ones. They all look alike to me. 

Sheep Farm

A Remote Place

Sheep

Sheep Shearing

I had been hoping that a lunch stop might be included but it wasn't to be. This would never happen on an Asian tour!! On the plus side, neither did we get taken to a craft centre or jewellery shop. Another long drive, this time mostly  on a fairly decent concrete road,  over the same, fairly flat, landscape of clump yellowish coarse grass and scrubby bushes to Cerro Sombrero a small settlement that seems to have been created in the middle of nowhere in the 1950's and 60's.According to Wikipedia “ It was founded in 1958 as a residential and services centre for the national Petroleum Company (ENAP) in Tierra del Fuego.” Some of the buildings have a surprisingly "Soviet" look to them, an impression reinforced by the statue of a heroic worker in the town square. The place looks bleak on a sunny day, imagine living here in winter! 

Cerro Sombrero Cinema

Cerro Sombrero General Store and Post Office

Forgot to mention that we did pass several herds of guanacos (apparently only the domesticated ones are  lamas)  while driving. From Cerro Sombrero it was another 1/2 hour drive, 41 km, to a ferry terminal at Bahia Azul. This was just a short hop car ferry but the queuing system seemed disorganised since all the vehicles were queued up to go onto one jetty but then someone decided to use another one so everyone had to do a U-turn. At the other end we had a 170 km drive back to Punta Arenas arriving just before dark at about 9.45.

Found a pizza and pasta place close to La Luna in O'Higgins where I tried Fettuccini Patagonia, mostly tomato and little bits of lamb, with a beer and a coffee.

So was my Tierra del Fuego tour worth it? I am glad I went, if only to see the empty vastness of the place but there isn’t really that much to see. Luckily we had great weather; it wouldn't have been much fun in the rain. I can't imagine why people like L, who was on my Spanish course, would want to go trekking there. Walk all day and you can see the same boring landscape as you saw 30 km back!