We will be around South Georgia for a few more days. The weather has been bad. Consequently our schedule is very dynamic. An other ship, which was to depart Porto Williams, had to cancel its crossing of the drake passage. Since we have already crossed, we will hang out in South Georgia until conditions improve. 

 

South Georgia Island. The weather changes quickly. One minute it’s pleasant and sunny. Moments later there are 50 mph winds. 

We are now somewhere between the Falklands and the South Sandwich Islands

Dinner outdoors and a fantastic sunset. 

 

We are having a day at sea. This has given me some time to catch up on posts.

The day before we started the last leg of our trip, we visited the Sanctuary on San Cristóbal Hill. The Sanctuary has a large statue of the Virgin Mary which overlooks the city.

Travel day for us. We flew from Santiago to Punta Arenas, the southernmost city in the continental Americas.

The title of "southernmost city" is much coveted as it attracts tourists. From what I see…

Punta Arenas is the southernmost city on the South American continent.

Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world, but is on an island.

Puerto Williams has a population of 3000 and one bank. Residents of Arenas and Ushuaia like to say it’s not a real city. 

Saturday night dinner and drinks at Chpe Libre followed by a wander around a night market.

The restaurant menu highlights Pisco which is Chile’s national liquor. Pisco tastes like vodka with a hint of citrus. I enjoyed Pisco Sours which are very much like a vodka sour. 

The night market was very crowded which concerned some of our travel group. Crowds don’t scare me, so I went right in. I didn’t encounter pick pockets or muggers. Having said that, I’m six and a half feet tall. I experience crowds very different than someone who is five foot four. People naturally give me space. 

Friday. We went east to tour the Andean foothills. 

Lunch at Casa Blonco. The building had  wonderful organic, story book architecture. Food was great.

Chile seems to be much less bilingual than Mexico. In Mexico everyone seems to know a bit of English. Enough for commerce and directions. Not so with Chile. We have been to many places where the staff only speaks Spanish. Fortunately, we usually speak enough to get by… until someone has a fancy custom order at the restaurant. 

Chile has fantastic wine. We stopped at Haras De Pirque for a tasting and to enjoy the view.
 

We spent Friday in Valparaiso, a port city near Santiago. A century ago, Valparaiso was the major port for this part of the world. Its fortunes shifted as the Panama Canal and intercontinental jets moved traffic and travelers away. Today it's still a large port for Chile. We spent some time watching buses from China get hoisted off a ship.

Valparaiso is also known for street art.

My husband and I have been coordinating to contain one of our travel partners. Now, this man is a very experienced world traveler. He knows what he's doing and can make great plans. He is also very ADHD about it. Any decision he doesn't make is churned until he gets what he wants. Plans can change at the last moment based on his vibes. We can put up with that a little bit as he does have great taste and instincts. Sometimes we just want him to sit on his hands.

 Dumping a few photos. More to write up later