[Hyacinth Bucket]

January 17th, we arrive in Punta Arenas, Chile is the southernmost city in the world—that is, according to the Chileans! Pretty amazing, when you think about it, here I am at the southernmost city in the world. I guess you could say “I have arrived.” Today is a lovely, though chilly day. The local MacDonald’s sports a sign reading: “Southmost MacDonald’s in the world!” (not “southernmost” . . .).

We hire one of the taxis—there are many available for hire—that are looking for passengers to take on a tour. We went to see the penguins at the Otway Sound Penguin Reserve. The ride was a pleasant one, the landscape primarily tall grasses in a sandy soil. Here and there you see a boat that once sailed these seas. It looked sad as it lay on the sandy beach on its side. I thought “Here lies a sea worthy vessel that once sailed these harsh waters.” I started to daydream what life must have been like when this vessel was seaworthy and the men and women who sailed it. My thoughts became more intriguing as I wondered if it had been a pirate ship.

As we approached the preserve it looks more like a preserve for buses and people in red jackets. The people walking to view the penguins reminded us of the line of people who walked up the steps of the Great Wall in China. When we were in China many people that day who were climbing the wall wore red jackets.

First we walked on a gravel path and then on a boardwalk. Walking was fairly easy. As we walked we scanned everywhere to see the penguins. We had read a report stating there were approximately 4,000 penguins here. We finally spotted our first penguin—an exciting moment in my life. There they are in the wild and not even giving notice to the numerous people staring at them and taking hundreds of pictures of them. A Kodak moment!

We can spot the baby penguins easily; they still have there brown baby fur on them. The parents preened them and we spot some that are feeding the chicks. These penguins live in burrows and as you walk by you can see them pop there heads out of the burrows. Some of the penguins are sleeping in there burrows with there heads sticking out.

We got to the first major viewing station and we saw the penguins interacting with each other in a large group. I had hoped that we would see some of the penguins playing in the surf; they were all waddling on the beach. I could have watched the penguins all day.
They were so cute I wanted to take one home.

When we returned to the town, one of our colleagues went to the Andean Club for a trekking experience there. The rest of us returned to town and explored Punta Arenas.

That evening we go into the library and look at a map of the world. It is intimidating to look at the map and see how far we are from home, how remote this area is (we can see Tierra del Fuego from here, just having come through Patagonia) and how close we are to Antarctica.

Here is our colleague’s report about his trek: In Punta Arenas he went to Club Andino to do a trek on his own. A taxi took him to the club and agreed that he would be picked up in three hours. He signed into the Club ledger and followed the trek that was provided for him by the local club member. This trek was on a skiing mountain. He reports that he was surprised to see that he was trekking in a birch tree forest with hanging moss. He could not get over how beautiful the area was. He walked through mos- covered hills and saw an abundance of birds, the peregrine falcon beingthe primary bird. He had never seen so many at one time and was surprised how close he was able to get to them before they flew off.

He passed old coal mines that are no longer in use and whose entrances were boarded up. At the top of the mountain were low-growing evergreens three to six feet tall. These evergreens were mature; their growth was stunted. He had a fantastic view of the surrounding area, the bay, and the ocean.

He could not get over how peaceful it was. He did not want to leave and wished he had his tent with him so that he could stay there for a few days. There was a soft breeze that added to the wondrous feeling he was experiencing. The sky was blue with the sun shining at times and then slowly would become overcast. The overcast sky added a special beauty and mystical quality to the area.

At the end of the hike he went back through the birch forest and took the time to stop and become part of nature. He watched the various birds fly, heard them calling to each other, and he took the time to enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature and realized man could not outdo Mother Nature, no matter how much he tried.

The trek was challenging as he went up the summit. He had a sense of contentment when he reached the summit and found the trek worth his effort. Going down he reported that the path was not slippery though steep at times, but when he went through the moss-covered areas it was slipper. Most people take a ski lift one way and trek the other way. He was glad that he had trekked both ways.

January 18th was a very exciting day when we cruised around Cape Horn. On the way to the cape we pass Ushuaia, Chile. We will be going to Ushuaia, Argentina after we go around the cape. We have heard numerous reports about the waters around the cape. Prior to going on this cruise I had heard and/or read about waves being 20 feet and higher.

We were quite fortunate as the waves were not bad. We went up to the 11th deck to observe the terrain and see the flag and house on the cape. The biting wind was quite fierce as we walked to the bow of the ship. For the first time in my life I could understand what it must be like for people caught in a hurricane. I could walk only at about a 45 degree angle because the winds were so strong. The weather was overcast and raining at times, but this did not bother many of the other passengers who were on this deck. You could have observed going around the cape in the warmth and comfort of the Horizon Lounge.

After going past numerous craggy and barren islands, we finally saw the cape in front of us, in all of its glory. The flag was flying high in the wind; we could see the house and lighthouse. Fellow passengers were very excited; we have come to a place we have all studied about, and here we are. We no longer cared about the weather; we were going around the cape. A cheer rose and we all smiled at each other. One would think we had just climbed the highest mountain in the world. What is more amazing is the number of sea birds that we see. The strong winds do not seem to bother them at all.

We looked and watched in bewilderment, and slowly the passengers left the protective covering that was on the bow of the ship and braved the fierce winds. We could all say that we sailed around the cape and at the same time experienced firsthand how winds of 45 plus mph can affect our ability to walk upright.

As we walked down the steps to the next deck, I heard a couple laughing in the jacuzzi. They went around the horn drinking champagne and cheering everyone who went to the higher deck. In retrospect, perhaps they had the right idea. When I spoke with them later they had decided years ago that if they ever went around the cape, this is what they would do. They had wonderful smiles on their faces and looked at each other in a special way; they had fulfilled one of their dreams.

The dinnertime topic of conversation was going around the cape. We shared pictures we had taken and our experiences. Amazing, we all went around the same cape, yet how different some people’s perspectives were. Those who had a sailing background had a better understanding of what skills were needed to accomplish this.

I also wondered how the original explorers were able to do it and survive to talk about their adventure. I have a new respect for what they accomplished; perhaps a better word would be awe. Their boats were smaller than ours, made out of wood, no stabilizers or engines as strong as a cruise ship. How did they round the cape? What were they feeling? Did they think about other sailors who did not make it? Then I reminded myself of the races that also go around the cape today. There seems to be general agreement that sailing around the cape on a cruise ship is perfect for us.

We have just rounded Cape Horn and tomorrow we go to the end of the earth—Terra del Fuego, Ushuaia, Argentina—another place we have all studied, whose name brings up many thoughts. Will we fall off the earth, what is beyond the end of the world?

January 19th, a beautiful day when we arrive in port Ushuaia. The weather is cool with the wind blowing but the sun shining, and the sky is blue with clouds scattered here and there. It reminded me of times when I have been in the Seattle area. It is quite lush here due to the rain.

Many people fly into this city to take a cruise to Antarctica. There are many shops selling clothing appropriate to take that journey, along with travel agencies selling these cruises. After reading up about the town I decided to explore, the many shops, fine leather goods, and hand-made items. Then we visited the local museums. My colleagues and I decided to go our separate ways today. Our trekker hiked to the top of the local ski slope, past the tree line and to the beginning of the glacier above the town.

We go to the museum of the Native peoples. All the museums here are small by comparison to museums in major cities, about the size of a historical home. The museum was well laid out with each room devoted to one aspect of the subject matter. The historians are not sure where the original inhabitants came from, and various routes where they may have come from are presented.

How they survived in this inhospitable climate in quite remarkable. We learned that they did not wear any type of clothing due to the rainy cold weather. If they wore clothing it would get wet, never dry, and cause chafing. They put seal oil all over their bodies as a protection against the elements. The women knew how to swim while the men did not. They relied on the waters for most of their food. The woman fished and collected shell fish. When they went hunting for seals and penguins, the men harpooned them from their boats and the woman paddled and steered the boats.

One of our colleagues went to the Tierra del Fuego museum and reports that he wished he had gone to the museum that we went to. Tierra del Fuego National Park is quite beautiful, known for its breathtaking scenery, lakes, and animals. Years ago prisoners were taken by train to do work in the park. Now this same train takes visitors inside the park and staff is dressed in prison garb to greet them.

We got very friendly with the person working in the museum; she was there with her daughter. One of the things she informed us about was a local market that was near the pier where local artist sold their crafts. We walked to the market and there were about 30 local artist displaying their hand-made items.

We were looking for pictures of the area to hang on our walls. The pictures we liked the best were not for sale. They were painted on the back of the walls of each stall. We took pictures of them. There was a penguin nursing a bad cold in vivid colors and another picture we really liked were a group of penguins walking down the hill to meet the tourist.