The time I spent in Punta Arenas flew by. Granted it was only a total of 4 days, but I felt as soon as I adjusted to being in a new country it was already time to leave. As I make my way down to Antarctica, the vessel I would call my home for the next 4+ days is the Nathaniel B. Palmer. A striking yellow and orange ship that I’ve been eyeing up form my hotel room the past few days. I’ve never been on a cruise before or spent even a night on a ship so I am pretty excited to see how that goes.
I loved getting to know some of the nooks and crannies of the city from the street art to the welcoming people and hearty meals. There is also a large population of free roaming pups that are unique to the culture and are often cared for and integrated into the community. Which meant I saw plenty of cute doggies throughout the city. For the most part, they all seemed very happy and social. Including some that would just chill outside the mall and get pets by security and passerby’s. My favorite pup friend was this sweetie that was taking himself for a chill stroll around the block.
I mean look at that cute fluffy face – I just wanted to take him home and love him up! But alas, he would probably be much happier in his home and free to do as he pleases.
As my time was ticking down, there was one thing I had to do…
When I received my information packet about traveling down to Antarctica, there was something that stood out to me. One bullet point under tips for Punta Arenas said “remember to go to the square and rub the toe of the statue to have good luck crossing the Drake Passage.”
As a lover of all things weird and wonderful, I was instantly sold.
I didn’t need anymore context. I was touching that toe.
And so I did!
Legend has it if you rub the toe of the Patagonian figure, it ensures safe passage through the Drake. The statue is located in the central square and is so popular the original patina has been rubbed smooth leaving a beautiful shine, bug in only his toe.
This is important as the Drake Passage is considered one of the most treacherous voyage a ship can make. So I needed all the luck that toe could give me!
