Day 4 - A day of penguins- Sunday, 2/26/23

Our last day in Punta Arenas brought us our first planned excursion. We were to travel by boat to Magdalena Island to see the largest penguin population (60,000) in South America. This nature sanctuary is a small island located in the middle of the Strait of Magellan.

Notice I said we ‘were’ to travel to this island of Penguins, inferring it was not a done deal. The expectation was set by our trip organizers (our husbands) that 40% of the time the boats to the island did not go due to high winds. In my mind, I was picturing a small boat rocking away in Antarctic weather conditions. The 60% launch rate did not help this perception.

I should probably provide a little background on why we started our Patagonia hiking trip in Punta Arenas. Our core trip adventure was to hike the W Trek in Patagonia. The guided hike with accommodations was a seven-day booking through EcoCamp Excursions. We had two choices to get to our EcoCamp destination: 1) Fly into Puerto Natales which was 2 hours away from camp and a smaller city or 2) Fly into Punta Arenas which was 5 hours away, but larger with more activities, such as the penguins. We just had to choose one of these two places and EcoCamp would pick us up Monday morning. We chose Punta Arenas.

Our travel organizers (again, the husbands) got us to Punta Arenas on Friday to provide plenty of travel wiggle room to meet our Monday departure. The penguins were booked for Sunday (maybe). It should be noted that other than our packing discussion, Kristi and I didn’t do much (any) of the planning. I saw Punta Arenas as just a stop to get us to Patagonia. When it was questionable on whether we would get out of Durango on time due to the weather, my mom asked me if I was worried. I didn’t give it a second thought in my response.

“As long as we get there before Monday, we are good. This first stop is basically like visiting Antarctica.”

I had low expectations which resulted in my pre-judgment being completely wrong. We actually saw more blue sky and sunshine in those few days in Punta Arenas than our seven days in Patagonia (foreshadow).

Sunday morning was cloudy, but with little wind. There was no question about the boat making the trip to the island. And it was a huge boat, not the SS Minnow as I envisioned. It was a catamaran with full accommodations and guides who explained all aspects of the national monument that protected these Magellanic penguins. It was a smooth hour-and-a-half voyage to Isla Magdalena.

The day was overcast and the wind harsh. Following the designated hiking path we made our way around the island to view the penguin population. It was a sight to see but not as many penguins as I expected. They appeared relatively clean and healthy and provided cute entertainment. They didn’t even seem to even notice us. What really caught my eye was the barrenness of the island and the fact that three rangers lived in a little hut there for nine months out of the year. There were also bird carcasses scattered all over the ground.

After taking in our final views of the island habitat and with the boat awaiting, we boarded for our voyage back. The young guides enthusiastically walked around fielding questions about what we saw. Although we asked many very good questions, I do have to share two really bad questions.

Question: “So how do the penguins kill the birds? There are so many dead carcasses lining the beach.” (note, not my question although I did bring it up earlier on the island)

Answer: “The penguins eat fish. The big birds eat smaller birds.” (the guide sizes us up, wondering if this is a joke as there were also many predatory birds on the island)

Question: “I didn’t know penguins could fly?” (that was me and technically not a question, but at least a comment made only to my husband)

This inaccurate observation came up as the guides were explaining the penguin migration. Perhaps it was all the talk of birds eating birds that led to my confusion or the fact that animal migration in the Midwest only includes flying. Regardless, a bad insight and a WKRP moment. The key fact that we found out on migration was that half of the population had already migrated, thus why the island was a little penguin sparse. Ultimately it was a great experience that I likely will not have an opportunity to do again.

Our afternoon moved into lunch with coffee as the rain started coming down. Garrett and I shared a dish that consisted of a mix of grilled meats on top of french fries and then topped with cold pickled vegetables, a boiled egg, tomato, and avocado. We never would have imagined mixing these foods together. Foreigners to America probably feel the same when served our casserole-type dishes.

A little naptime and a hot bath at the hotel followed as the light rain continued. Kristi and I discussed getting hair washings done as there would be no blow dryers or heated rooms for a week. Laughably we also discussed dry shampoo which ultimately never left our bags. The upcoming Patagonia hiking week was not a time for cuteness, but warmth.

Finishing the night with a nice dinner and a walk around downtown, we knew to take in all the heat, internet, and hot showers while we still could. Our lodging in Punta Arenas was a cute boutique hotel with all of the cozy modern luxuries.

Settling in for the night, I checked my phone for messages and notifications. A text from a friend came through, asking about our trip so far. She knew it was two years in the making.

“Is it amazing as you thought it would be so far?”

I didn’t quite know how to answer since I didn’t really know what to expect coming into it. It definitely had been a great first few days that exceeded my expectations. But what would next week bring? Where I had low expectations of Punta Arenas, I really had no expectations of Patagonia. I heard wind and rain but wished for sunshine. I thought I was athletically ready for the hike but was I really prepared?

As I enjoyed my final night of a warm bed and hotel comforts, I came to the conclusion that a state of no expectations vs great or low expectations was a good place to be.

Magdalena Island