Punta Arenas - Gateway to Patagonia

When we got back to the airport in Puerto Natales, the crew was still in town so we waited about 20 minutes for them. As a result, it was 6:35 by the time we got to the pier though the last tender was to have left at 6:00. Betsy got a cell call and was told that, rather than go through the formalities, the bus was to drive us directly onto the pier and directly to the tender. The tender crew had already stowed much of the gear by the time we arrived at the ship and, by the time I got to the room Linda, who had spent the day in Punta Arenas, had already gotten a call from the Purser asking whether I was aboard.

Lin was already dressed for dinner when I arrived. I got dressed quickly and we went to the Wheelhouse but the Romantic Treo was there and they aren't especially good to dance to so we went to the Explorer’s Lounge to dance to Deep Blue. After dinner we went to the Wheelhouse to dance to Tito Cruz but we were tired and the floor was jammed so we quit early.

Because of my tour package, I personally saw nothing of Punta Arenas other than through the window of the bus. What I saw was not particularly attractive but that may be unfair since it was such a small sample. I  did see a lot of graffiti even on homes but, again, that may have simply a matter of the route and should not necessarily be seen as typical.  Because of its exposure near the tip of the continent, Punta Arenas is famous for fierce winds.  While we were there, however, the wind was moderate at its worst and quite light some of the time.