Punta Arenas, Chile

After four days cruising at sea around Cape Horn, the Beagle Channel and the fjords of Chile, passengers aboard the Viking Sun were on the edge of going "stir crazy."  Nothing, not even rain, could stop our 900 shipmates from eagerly setting foot on terra firma in Punta Arenas!

Located on the north side of the Strait of Magellan, this Patagonian city began as a penal colony in 1848.   It was Chile's way of  "colonizing" the territory and establishing sovereignty over the region.  Today there are 100,000 inhabitants living here making it the largest, most-southerly city in the world.

We walked along a promenade adjacent to the strait named after Magellan, who in 1520 was the first European to sail through here.  Punta Arenas has a large celebration scheduled in 2020 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of that event.

Preparing for the celebration, murals have been painted on the warehouses located along the promenade.  They reflect the city's boom era during the late 1800s.   Maritime traffic was at an all time high then because of the gold rush and sheep farming.  After the Panama Canal opened in 1914, maritime traffic diminished.

We passed a monument honoring the the crew and passengers of the schooner Ancud.  In 1843, the schooner sailed from Ancud, Chile carrying 7-months of supplies with the mission of establishing a colony in the Strait of Magellan.  On board were 23 crew (20 men, 2 women, 1 child) of which about half stayed in the Magallanes region and established a permanent settlement.

We continued our 3-mile trek (in the rain) to a hilltop which provided a spectacular vista of the city.  Sandy soil conditions prevent structures taller than two stories throughout most of the city.  The colorful houses reflect the heritage of the city's widely diverse immigrant population.  (During the 19th-century boom period, immigrants were heavily recruited from Croatia, Germany, England, Italy, and other European  countries.)

In the center of Plaza de Armas (city square) is a large monument commemorating Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese explorer that sailed for Spain and discovered this region in 1520.

Sacred Heart Cathedral, built in 1892, is located on one side of the square.  More than half of the region's population is Catholic. 

A (gourmet) hotdog food truck set up shop on another side of the square.  Behind the truck are several neoclassical mansions, once the homes of the city's wealthy, Sara Braun, José Menéndez, José Nogueira and others that made their fortunes in cattle, sheep, banking and trading during the late 19th century.

Returning to the ship we are reminded that the Magallanes region of Chile is the gateway to the antarctic.

During our sail out at sunset, we pass another giant glacier high in the Andes mountains.

Nautical Term of the Day - Let the Cat Out of the Bag

In the Royal Navy, the punishment prescribed for most serious crimes was flogging.  This was administered by the bosun's mate using a whip called a "cat o' nine tails."  The "cat" was kept in a leather bag and it was considered bad news when the "cat was let out of the bag."