Punta Arenas

I’m moving around like the Tin Man this morning, and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why. The great news, is that I get to fold my stiff joints into a bus seat for the three hour journey back to Punta Arenas. So after a quick breakfast, we pack up our things, say goodbye to Puerto Natales, and head off to the bus station.

Punta Arenas is the economic hub of the region, having benefitted significantly from oil and gas exploration. There are more people, more cars, and a faster pace to life that we’ll need to adjust to over the next few days.

Priority number one is securing a tour to Isla Magdalena, an island in the middle of the Straits of Magellan that is home to some 60,000 pairs of penguins. My trusty traveling companion morphs into a giddy, 5-year old girl around penguins, so this is a bucket list item for her. The next available slot is 2 days away so, with nothing else on the agenda, we stake out a spot at the pier, hoping to snap up any free seats from no shows. It’s not meant to be however, and after watching the boat pull away with a full load, we decide to lay low for the rest of the day.