Punta Arenas, Chile 2/24/20

We docked about 7 am in this beautiful city at the end of the Continent for an excursion “Highlights of Punta Arenas” with our local guide, Gonzalo. Gonzalo was perhaps the best guide we have had to date. A proud native of this region, University Professor of Geography and Ecological studies, father of two whose English was easily understood. By the end of the tour we were also very well informed regarding the politics and history of this part of the world. Gonzalo informed us that in Chile voting is a requirement, not a privilege. If one does not vote in an election, the authorities will find you and penalize you for not voting voluntarily. Sometime next month there will be a vote as to whether to rewrite their Constitution in its entirety. This, according to Gonzalo, is the real reason for all the protests and defacing of government property and statues. While he agreed with the other guides and Dr. Sherry, our on board lecturer, that it is the students who are doing the protesting, they are being manipulated by foreigners. In his words, “What do students know? They haven’t lived enough to have formed these opinions. Definitely foreign influence.” While he did mention that the majority of Chilean exports go to China and China is buying less, the economy is hurting, his main concern was that the Chilean “social security” is bankrupt and those who have paid into the system for years (think it started in the late 70s) are now of an age to start drawing on those payments but are only getting about 30% of what they had been told they would receive. He was the second guide to mention concern for the retirees, or would be retirees. Any of this sound familiar? When asked if he thought there would be a change for the better, he shook his head and said “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” It was abundantly clear that he had no wish for Chile to become another Venazula. He further said that the current constitution was written by “the Chicago boys” in mid 1970 after the ousting of a communist regime. They were called this because they were picked by the ousting party to go to Chicago and study our economic and social systems and thus base their new governmental system on ours. The only problem I could discern that he had with this was that it made no provision for change – no constitutional amendments. I, in my own little bubble in Horseshoe Bay, was totally oblivious to Chilean problems. We have seen no protesters. We have also seen NO government property without red spray paint marring it. Pity. The statue of Magellan in the town square was no exception. Nor were the lavish homes of the founders of this city which are and now museums or government offices unscathed. The city was built around a beautiful tree lined park with colorful flowers in abundance and the Magellan statue in the center of the city block. Legend has it that if one wishes to return to Punta Arenas, he or she must rub the big toe of one of the figures on the statue. Gonzalo was of the opinion that was a death wish. No amount of disinfectant spray could sanitize that toe for him to touch it. I took his advice. Not that this isn’t a beautiful place worth visiting and revisiting, before one can revisit one must survive.

Remember, this is summer here. The sky was a perfectly beautiful crystal clear blue with bright sunshine and cumulus clouds as we made our way to the Seaside Marine Museum. Oh, I failed to mention that gale-force winds prevailed throughout the day. Nevertheless, I braved the wind to explore the length, depth and breadth of a full-sized replica of one of the five ships in which the Straits of Magellan were discovered. Fantastic experience! Fortunately for them, people were smaller in the 1500’s. Each of his ships carried between 45 to 50 men. The captain’s quarters were relatively luxurious as he had a bed and a table and chair with a bit of space in which to move around. Perhaps the whole thing was 5 X 8′. Like the mountain goat I seem to have become lately, I crawled and climbed everywhere I could from down in the hole where presumably the other 44 to 49 men slept to the upper deck or captain’s quarters. Didn’t try to scale the mast – aforementioned wind a definite factor. This wind, per Gonzalo, gets so strong in winter that ropes are tied around the sidewalks to prevent people from being blown totally off course.

Seems it is once again mealtime. To be continued. . .