We have arrived!

Yep. After months of planning and many hours shuttling, waiting in airports, flying, and riding in taxis, we have descended on very sunny and windy Punta Arenas, Chile. It's spring here and the lupine, dandelions, peonies, and tulips are blooming and flourishing.

The trip down was long, but uneventful. Finding cash was a bit of a challenge since several of the ATMs I tried didn't converse in English. But with assistance and good cheer from our taxi driver, I was ultimately successful. I took out $100,000 Chilean pesos, which at today's exchange rate is $149.00 US dollars.

Our home for the next three nights is very small and primitive, and located in an area of town I'd describe as "urban rustic". We felt it was misrepresented on the Airbnb website, but realize you get what you pay for...and we're choosing not to dwell on its limitations. And our host, Leonor has been more than helpful, staying in touch during our travel and offering a flurry of tips on restaurants and sight seeing locations.

We walked along the Straight of Magellan (reminds me of the Columbia River) briefly where Julie posed with one of many ship sculptures along the water's edge. And now, after dinner, we're ready to pass out...and Julie's beat me to it. It's five hours later here than in Oregon, so it's very much our bedtime. But it's 10:00 p.m. and the sun is still out!

A few pics for your perusal:Read more