Tuesday morning we arrived at the city of Punta Arenas, Chile. Chile is divided into 16 regions with further divisions into 56 provinces. Punta Arenas is the capitol of the southernmost region. Known for rainy and often stormy weather, with temperatures in the 50’s ( and this is their summer season) we prepared for a cool, wet day. Instead, we were gifted with a beautiful day of sunshine and low 60’s. There was a fierce wind, especially along the coastline, but what a gorgeous day!
We booked an excursion for this location that took us through the city to local sites including the Maggiorino Borgatello Salesian Museum started and run by Salesian Missionaries. It contains historical, biological, and ecological information about the area. The highlight was a visit to a site overlooking the Strait of Magellan that is privately owned and contains a full-size replica of the Nao Victoria, the only ship of the five in Magellan’s voyage that made it all the way around the globe and returned to Spain. Funded by King Charles I of Spain, Magellan was looking for a trade route with the Moluccas or Spice Islands, in Indonesia. He left Spain in 1519, sailed west across the Atlantic and found what later became known as the Strait of Magellan, where they were the first known Europeans to reach the Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately, there were illnesses and shipwrecks and mutinies that reduced their ships and crew, and during a stop in the Philippines Magellan was killed by a poisoned arrow while attempting to aid a tribe with whom they had formed an alliance. Magellan only made it 3/4 of the way around, but what was left of the expedition (1 ship and 18 crew) reached the Moluccas and returned to Spain in 1522, proving that the world could be circled by sea – and that it was much bigger than was known. What struck me the most was how these men traveled with absolutely no knowledge of what was before them. And they were in what we would now call tiny ships. I just hope they got to see the penguins.
The following day was February 14, Valentine’s Day. That’s a special day for me personally, because on that day as a young child I made the decision to become a follower of Jesus Christ. I didn’t know a lot of theology, but I knew I was a sinner, that Jesus had died for my sins, and I trusted Him for His gift of forgiveness and eternal salvation. Now, knowing a little more theology, and a lot more about sin and forgiveness, I have also learned of His grace and presence and steadfast love and faithfulness that never falters, no matter what I do. I’ve learned that my place in Heaven is assured because of who He is and what He has done – not because of my “good works”, and that my life here is best lived in the transformative power of Scripture that renews us day by day and protects us from the evil one who would so like to destroy us. I say “learned”, it seems that I have to “relearn” these lessons over and over. Whether I am surrounded by His beautiful creation in nature or in the midst of turmoil and human fear, He is the same; the rock on which we can stand fast, the peace speaker, the only one who can give us life.
So on this day, we got to experience more of His presence in the midst of more of His creation, as we cruised the Chilean Fjords. By definition, Fjords are long, deep, narrow sea inlets between cliffs or steep slopes, created by glaciers. We were traveling through the Summer Pass and the Sarmiento Channel into a branch known as the Asia Fjord on our way to the Brujo Glacier. In the morning the clouds and fog laid low on the cliffsides, sometimes obscuring the view, sometimes opening up to give us a glimpse of their beauty.
At one point, the Silver Seas ship we had seen in Antartica came out of the mist like a ghost ship.
Mid-day, we were able to see trees on the hillsides, and waterfalls in abundance, even while still surrounded by a few growlers (remember Peggy’s earlier iceberg lesson?) and small bits of ice. In many cases, instead of blue or white, the ice was clear.
We could tell when we were nearing the glacier by the increased bits of blue ice in the water. It is difficult to get a sense of the enormity of a glacier from pictures. El Brujo is a mile wide and more, but narrows down to about 6/10 of a mile where it meets the sea and is roughly 165 feet tall at that same point.
After leaving the glacier we had dinner in the Main Dining Room. Tonight’s menu included some upscale items, so Genny had the Escargots Bourguignon and Grilled Lamb Chops with Smoked Eggplant, and Crème Brûleé. I had the Pineapple Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail and Shrimp, Andouille, & Grits, and the Valentine Heart.
Afterwards we enjoyed a little more scenery to end the day.
Thanks again for traveling with us. Happy Valentine’s Day!