| On the morning of our departure from Torres del Paine, I
was shown this nesting Ibis in some trees near the Hosteria. Thank you
Gladys. |
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Looking around a cemetery in the rain. Not what one
usually does on holiday, but the cemetery in Punta Arenas is a history lesson
waiting to be told. |
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| The cemetery was established in
1894, north of the town centre, on Av. Bulnes. Its massive ornamental
gateway was donated by the wealthy businesswoman Sara Braun, in 1919.
There are handsome grounds, adorned with many neatly trimmed evergreen
trees. Mausoleums and grave sites now fill the land space, and new
burials are placed in niches (there is also a modern, private, lawn-type
cemetery further out of town). Separate
Protestant burial in Chile began with O'Higgins in the early days of the
Republic, respecting the religious freedom of the British community in
Valparaiso. Later, "Cementerios de Disidentes" arose in other towns and
cities with a significant non-Catholic community. In Punta Arenas, the
so-called British Section is actually somewhat of a misnomer,
because several other nationalities are represented, including German,
French, Norwegian and Chilean. The picture is further complicated by
family tomb-stones which record parents of two different nationalities,
as well as their Chilean-born offspring. |
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The ornate memorials reflect the wealth of their
'inhabitants' and their families. Punta Arenas was a very busy place until
the Panama Canal stole much of the sea bound traffic from the Magellan
Straits. |
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Southern South America, famous for it's huge sheep
estancias, delivered tons and tons of wool.
Punta Arenas was dominated those days by two families - the Menendez' and
the Braun's. |
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Mavis examines Punta Arenas's metal shepherd
statue with a barely suppressed yawn. |
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Even in the steady rain, the dwellings of
the suburbs are bright and cheerful. |
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A totem pole tells us that we are almost 14000 kilometres
from home. It's early summer and raining. Mmm, bit like home. |
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A few hours later and we land in Puerto Montt in the
Chilean Lake district. We are warned that it rains for some 300 days a year
here. Well, our own lake district has a not dissimilar reputation.
I saw this sign at the airport. I have my own theory as to
what this means. Something about not polluting the pasta perhaps. |
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We arrive at our hotel towards dusk at
Puerto Varas. The clouds on the horizon hide the elusive Osorno Volcano. |
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In the morning after, it's raining. Not a total surprise
so we set out to explore on foot. |
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Looking towards our waterfront hotel (red
roofed) in Puerto Varas. |
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Looking back towards our hotel and the town. It's a
gentle, peaceful place (not in high summer, though!) with a Germanic styled
church in the distance. |
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Taken later in the day. Shame about all the wires which
spoiled the lower part of the shot. |
