South American Tour: Punta Arenas, Chile and Montevideo, Uruguay

Friday, January 29, 1965 Punta Arenas, Chile

This would be our last day of heading south and we would also leave Chile before the night was over. The sun was shinning brightly when we got up. Then it became cloudy and rain squalls appeared and stopped. The wind blew a gale Winter had returned for a day. We were cruising between the 52 and 54 degree parallels approximately the same distance south of the equator as Calgary, Lake Louise and Banff is North of it. At 11 am we rounded the point in the Estrecho de Magallaneo which is the southern most point of the continental Western Hemisphere. There are many islands south of this and of course the large island of Tierra del Fuego (30,000 sq miles)

Everyone took pictures of the southern point and the ship came up with a long blast of the foghorn as it turned from southeasterly to northerly direction.  Now the Strait became very wide and quite rough. At two PM we came into Punta Arenas, the southernness city on the main continent. It is 1432 miles from Valparaiso the population is about 47,000. One third of Chile lies south of Puerto Montt but its land and climates is such that it can be put to little use. Less than 1% of Chile's population live in this area. It is one of the rainiest and stormest regions on earth -- 200 inches of rain fall on some of it. But it is beautiful to behold.

We went ashore shortly after landing I wore a top coat and Millie a heavy cloth one. When facing into the wind it was quite raw. The town is a freeport but there are many bargains, German films is three times the price of the same made in the U.S. We spent our last escudos, pesos, and centavos for local liquors and got eight quarts for $10 American.  We returned to ship for dinner. At 8:30 PM unloading was completed and at nine, still light, the ship backed away from the wharf. Next Montevideo, Uruguay -- 1300 Nautical miles away.

Saturday-Monday January 30-February 1st, 1965 Enroute to Montevideo, Uruguay

Our destination is 1300 miles away, without a stop, out of sight of land. The sea is slightly rough and the weather cloudy with quite a bit of wind. Sunday night we had the Captain's Dinner, preceded with hors d'Oeuvers and cocktails at five and a special dinner with the Scandinavian national drink. Monday was spent sorting our clothes and accessories following several days at Montevideo we sail across the and up the Rio de la Plata (170 miles) to Buenas Aires where we leave the ship for 10-14 days. We have to pack what we leave on ship as our cabins are to be redecorated. Monday Night we saw a satellite travelling northwest over the ship.

Tuesday, February 2nd, 1965 Montevideo, Uruguay

Montevideo was sighted around noon. Entry from the Atlantic Ocean is tricky altho the Plata River is at least 100 miles wide at this point. It was mid afternoon before we docked and another 1/2 hour for clearance. We took a taxi with the Finnertys to the center of town. Walking around we ran into the Nelsons, Montes, Hazel Lewis and Marian Pearl. We also saw Dorothy Wilson, all passengers on our ship. We did not see a negro. Our guide books tell us that there are very few in the entire country.

It was a delightful day with temperature of 77 but a stiff breeze. The city is located at 34 degrees south latitude and its midsummer here. Los Angeles is 34 degrees north latitude. We returned to the ship for dinner. I put on a heavier suit and Millie took a coat. We returned to town the wind was still blowing.  Millie bought a coat of baby antelope skin. We found the win too disagreeable to walk so we taxied back to ship. Oh yes! We received letters today from Mary Lou and Bill, Betty and Roy Walleson, Avis and Roger and Millie's Aunt Jenny.