
Morning at leisure with an afternoon tour of the small city which included 2 panoramic views (of course.) of the Straight of Magellan, the port and the harbor. We also toured the Regional Museum Salesiano which included a replica of the Cave of Hands from Patagonian Chile. The museum also had exhibits on the original inhabitants (the Telehuelche Indians) and a section dedicated to oil which the country no longer has. All of their oil has been used up and they now import all of it from Argentina. We also went to the city cemetery which is heavily forested and landscaped. It has huge mausoleums to the original wealthy families of the area. It is considered the most beautiful cemetery in Chile. We also visited a memorial statue dedicated to the Telehuelche Indians in the main square, Plaza de Armas. It is said if you touch the foot on the statue, you will return to Punta Arenas. The unusual thing about this town is that all of the roofs are made of metal to more easily repel the snow of winter. The roofs are all painted bright colors so they do not rust quickly. This place also has incredibly strong winds. Our guide told us that the wind was 100 kilometers per hour the day we arrived here. That is not an unusual speed. It can reach as high as 120km. It makes Chicago wind look rather tame.

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