An Incomplete Guide to Punta Arenas

Considering the budget, I took a bus from Rio Gallegos in Argentina to this city, and then a plane to Santiago (flying from El Calafate to Santiago requires a layover in Buenos Aires, which is longer and more expensive. This bus-to-plane route, although longer, is a new experience for those on a budget, allowing one to enjoy the scenery along the way, and the overall bus experience in Argentina is quite good). Hotel prices are generally moderate to high. Before coming here, I didn't know much about this city. The time zone here is different from Santiago's, it's the same as Easter Island's (13 hours difference from China). We had a mix-up with booking an Uber because our phone's time zone didn't adjust automatically. For some reason, the iPhone wasn't working. Everyone can manually change the time zone. We booked a B&B by the sea, which is a small wooden cabin in the landlord's backyard, a 3-minute walk from the beach and a 30-minute walk from the bus station and city center (a 7-8 minute taxi ride). After arriving at the B&B and arranging an Uber for the airport the next day, we planned to walk along the beach to the city center to exchange some money at cambio, and buy some food at the supermarket. We were lucky to see seals at the beach, the same one surfacing several times. At first, we thought it was a dolphin. There were cargo ships and the waves were quite big. There were many seabirds. The beach has a walkway where people jog, play basketball, and cycle. We saw landmarks with the name Punta Arenas and a commemoration of the 500 years since its discovery from 1520-2020. Along the way, there are many statues, including one of Magellan. This is the capital of the Magellan province and was the most important port before the opening of the Panama Canal. There are abandoned cargo tracks washed away by the waves. There are upscale hotels by the beach, which might also be a good vacation spot. On the streets, Asian faces are rare, but we still encountered a Japanese couple. We later googled that as of 2023, the population here is only 140,000, with an almost equal male-to-female ratio. There are several cambios in the city center, and the exchange rates for Argentine pesos are pretty much the same. We chose one that seemed friendly and exchanged some Argentine pesos, and they even gave us two honey candies. Nearby, there are many souvenir shops with similar prices (pins for 3000p, postcards for 600-800p, fridge magnets for 2500-3500p, jewelry for 25000p and above). There's a shop called CLERC with unique and cute items. We bought two things there: a pin symbolizing the men of the northern region of Tierra del Fuego and their socks, which are really cute! At 7000p a pair, we couldn't resist buying one. The cafés in the city are also decorated in a retro style. So far, the architectural style of South American cities seems very European (I've only seen Argentina's), and they all have their own characteristics. We just wandered around, and there were also homeless people directly asking passersby for money. We passed several churches, government buildings, and parks (the park areas showed wifi, but we didn't try). The overall feeling was very pleasant. We also passed a Chinese restaurant called "New Era". We didn't go in to eat, but it looked like a buffet style, similar to Ushuaia. Friends with time can try it out. We barely saw any places that accept UnionPay cards. There's a chain supermarket called Unimarc, which was quite crowded, possibly because it was during the time people get off work or school. The selection is comprehensive, and the prices of all categories are generally lower than in Argentina. We bought some Chilean milk, tomatoes, ham, etc. Eggs are sold outside the supermarket, not inside. The cashier doesn't speak English, but if you understand the common Spanish used at checkout, it's not a problem. However, the accent is indeed a bit different from Argentina's. Next to the checkout is a lottery. On the way back to the B&B, we saw a beautifully fiery sunset and the moon in the pink sky. It was cloudy when we arrived in the afternoon, so the fiery sunset was a bit unexpected. It was so beautiful.