Between Porvenir and Punta Arenas we’ve had a series of rest days where we have been waiting for a good weather window while getting a few chores done. We also had the pleasure of a penguin tour! After almost a week of not riding we are getting antsy. And by we I mean Daisy and Jason, not A and H. They seem perfectly happy to spend the day playing video games without a care in the world.
We spent four nights in Porvenir, which we found to be a charming small town. Everyone seems to pass right by on their way to points further south (or north) and at most spends a quick meal or a single night here. We enjoyed eating at a local restaurant for lunch and having sandwiches for dinner. We visited the town museum and learned about some of the local history – from the four main tribes of native folks (who were sadly all killed or died of disease), to a local gold rush in the 1880s.
On our way out of town we took a quick detour to the Laguna de Los Cisnes Natural Monument. Once there we saw fossilized stromatolites. These are mounds of crusty cyanobacteria that represent an ancient life form from early in Earth’s history, billions of years ago. They are distinct mounds made of layers of bacteria that produced oxygen. Many looked like misshapen doughnuts, and broken spots showed holes inside the ‘dough.’ It is an amazing piece of living history which is only found in a few places on Earth. However, all that amazing information and understanding came from the internet, as there was not a single informational sign or label at the lake – simply a wooden boardwalk.
We felt a real sense of accomplishment on the ferry, as we left Tierra del Fuego and crossed the Strait of Magellan. We arrived in Punta Arenas almost exactly 11 years after our first visit, which was the beginning of our Philtrons Pedal North journey to Colombia. Last time we were here we took a bus ride to see penguins, but those penguins no longer visit that area. This time we took a boat tour to Isla Magdalena to see a larger colony of Magellanic Penguins. We were lucky that it was not a windy day and the water was calm. However, that didn’t stop first A and then H from vomiting during the 80 minute ride to the island. Luckily they felt better afterward and were ready to do the 1-hour walk on the island.
We walked past hundreds, or thousands, of penguins, and enjoyed seeing them walk, swim, sunbathe, and honk their heads off. I noticed that some of the chicks were quite plump by this point – and looked larger than their parents! Human visitors are required to remain 2 meters back from the penguins. The penguins had no fear or qualms about walking towards or between us visitors, resulting in us having to stop and move backwards to get out of the way and give them space. The penguin population on the island is estimated at 60,000 breeding pairs. There are also (way too) many Kelp Gulls on the island, which produced additional noise and, well, bird poop.
Walking through a town is always an adventure and Punta Arenas is no exception. Within a block from our small apartment we can walk past an abandoned lot/building, a small convenience store, a hostel, and a fancy house that looks like it could be from Boulder, CO. The Plaza de Armas has these amazing, large trees. They are the same kind that we’ve occasionally seen out in the countryside in a very wind-swept form. In this case they have grown up strong and wide with the wind protection afforded by the buildings. A bunch of the parks also have what we’ve been calling “gumdrop trees.” We got a good laugh at how some of them have bad hair-cuts.
We are excited to get back on the road heading north! I wonder how much of the route ahead will evoke memories from a decade ago.
