Patagonia: Torres del Paine Expedition Dispatch

October 25, 2015 – Our Trip Begins in the City of Punta Arenas

Today was our first full day in Punta Arenas. We had a briefing this morning to go through our program and shortly after, we tackled a sightseeing tour around town.

First stop was the main plaza a few blocks from our hotel. This plaza is where the Statue of Hernando of Magallanes is located. A common tradition in Punta Arenas is to touch the statue foot before embarking on an adventure, though we were not able to do this because there was a school exhibition taking place.

We then made our way to the Mirador Cerro de La Cruz for a panoramic view of the city. Further out on the horizon were beautiful snow covered mountains.

Next goal was a visit to Hotel Nogueira to learn more about Shackleton’s expedition. He used the hotel and especially its bar as centre operations to plan and raise funds for the rescue of his boat.

Next to the hotel Nogueira is the Military Museum which we also visited. A very busy day! Time to rest up for tomorrow.

– Osvaldo Cortez