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Thursday, november 23'rd
Leaving Rio Gallegos at 1 pm with "El Pinguino"
(buscompagny) for Punta Arenas - Chile.
First the is two hours of driving on argentinian dirt-road,
then one hour to pass the border for Chile. I just wonder how much time could have been
used, if there were more than the one bus for the whole hour....Finally 2½ hours drive in
Chile - on concrete-roads, and dirt-roads. So you are kind of shaken, when you arriva at Punta Arenas at 6.30 pm. But the
bustrip is funnier than the plane - and cheaper as well. You get to see something on the
road, but in these parts of the world it does seem a little unfriendly - very dry - very
windy - very desertlike - just some small shrubbery now and then.
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In Punta Arenas I find the first budget-hotel
recommended by Lonely Planet.
Hotel Monte Carlo is the name (sticking to the french....). Plenty of rooms at the hotel -
I get a family-room the size of my own apartment back home. Changing money. It is starting to get a bit complicated. I'm walking around
with danish kroner, dutch guilders, US-dollars, argentina peso and now also chilean peso.
And of course my VISA-card - just in case....
Out for some food. Have a nice chat with some local
cab-driver. Take a walk - and back to the hotel. |
Friday, november 24'th
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Today I get to see a bit more of Punta Arenas. Nice little
town - you can see most things in one day.
At 4 pm it's penguin-time. I take a minibus to
Seno Otway, where the penguins show off for a pretty small audience. I like these guys.
They are very shy -and very curious - at the same time. Take your time watching them, and
their curiosity will make the better of them - and they will get closer - at least until
the german tourists shows up. Just a thin rope is between you and the penguins.The closest I get when I'm a little away from the other people. Suddenly a
pinguin crawls up from a cave just 1 meter in front of me - takes a shit - and goes back
to the cave again. Is he trying to tell me something? |
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Back in Punta Arenas at 8 pm. Take a shower to get the dirt
washed out - it's very windy down here - and the pinguins were staying at the beach, so
you do get dirty.
And for the first time this trip there is no soccer-match on
the telly this evening.
To Puerto Natales
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