A quirk of fate has us standing at the harbor in Punta Arenas, Chile, at midnight on New Year’s Eve. As fireworks explode over the Straits of Magellan, we welcome it in together with thousands of townspeople of all ages, bopping to the foot-tapping music of a Chilean rock group … at the ends of the earth!

The largest southern-most city of South America, Punta Arenas (named Sandy Point in the 17th century by its founder, the Englishman, J. Byron) sits on the edge of the windswept Patagonian pampas across the waters from the great frozen continent of Antarctica. Used as a penal colony by the Government of Chile in the mid-1800s, it soon lured thousands of immigrants from England, Scotland, Germany, Croatia and elsewhere, with dreams of finding gold or hopes of finding employment in the burgeoning sheep industry.

Until the construction of the Panama Canal in 1914, its strategic position on the only navigable route around Cape Horn made Punta Arenas an important coaling station for steamships sailing between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It was also a center for explorers following in the footsteps of Ferdinand Magellan (the first man to sail  from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans through the straits named after him), Sir Francis Drake (whose ship the “Golden Hind” may or may not have sailed through the passage that bears his name) and Charles Darwin (whose ship the “Beagle” gave its name to the Beagle Channel). Foremost amongst these explorers was Ernest Shackleton, the hero of Antarctic Exploration, who lived in Punta Arenas in 1916 while attempting to rescue his men. They were marooned on their ship off Elephant Island in the Antarctic when it became trapped in pack ice. It was at the Punta Arenas Naval Institute that Shackleton announced his plans to explore Antarctica.

The Plaza de Armas with its imposing statue of Hernando de Magellanes (Ferdinando Magellan) serves as the center of the city. Look closely at the monument and you will notice the statue of another man with a shiny toe, touched by thousands of visitors. This is Ona, a native inhabitant of the area. According to legend, if you rub his toe, you will return to Patagonia. Around the edges of the tree-lined square stand the most important buildings of Punta Arenas, built during the 19th and early 20th centuries. They include the governor’s palace, the residence of Jose Braun Menendez (one of the most successful pioneers in the region) and the “Palace” of Sara Braun. Look closely and you can glimpse a statue of Sara peering out the window of the turret overlooking the square.

Sara Braun is a legendary figure in Punta Arenas. Of Latvian descent, she married a Portuguese businessman (José Nogueria), one of the founders of the Sociedad Exploradora de Tierra del Fuego and one of the area’s most successful sheep/cattle ranchers. When he died of TB at an early age, Sara Braun took up the helm of the company and together with her brother, José, effectively epitomized Patagonia’s history.

The Braun house, built by a French architect with material and furniture shipped from Europe, is one of Punta Arenas’ most imposing structures with its two-storied facade, wrought ironwork and winter garden greenhouse. Today it is both a museum and a hotel (the José Nogueira Hotel, with its bar, the Shackleton).

Many parts of the city are built of corrugated iron, painted in vivid colors. It reminds us very much of Siberia, which this part of the world resembles in many ways. There are multiple nooks and crannies to explore, marked with the Blue plaque of the Circuito Turistico Antartico, outlining the historical importance of buildings and people.

Punta Arenas was an unexpected stop on our journey.  Suffice to say that sometimes quirks of fate lead you to serendipitous discoveries that you would not have wanted to miss for the world.

IF YOU GO
There are daily direct flights on LAN from Santiago to Punta Arenas. SKY Airlines also flies o Punta Arenas via Puerto Montt and other smaller towns. There are frequent buses from Ushuaia, Argentina, about 11 hours away
The Hotel Rey Don Felipe (965 Armando Sanhueza, Punta Arenas) is a very friendly, family run hotel.
Our favorite restaurant is Sotitos (1138 O’Higgins St, Punta Arenas; 56-61-243-565). This is the place to try king crab, scallops with parmesan, eel cooked in a variety of ways or lamb.

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