Yesterday one of the trip coordinators decided that we should go to Fort Bulness, a historic monument in Punta Arenas. I personally wasn't that excited because it sounded like another museum with lots of Spanish descriptions that I couldn't understand. The monument was about 30 minutes away so Anna, Claire, Lynn, Juan and I boarded our bus to drive to Fort Bulnes. Conny, a Chilean teacher, and Edgardo, a researcher from Concepción, join the expedition as well. The drive there was almost entirely on the coast and we saw lots of boats and birds. We noticed some fins in the distance and then saw a dolphin leap into the air! I cant say I was expecting to see dolphins this far south.
A Breaching Peale's Dolphin
The scenery on the drive was spectacular, with the mountains in the background and the ocean in the foreground. Maybe this "museum" would be better than I thought. Well I was right because when we arrived I learned that it really wasn't a museum but a replica of the original Punta Arenas colony. An English speaking guide walked us around the fort and gave us some background on the site. In the 1840's the president of chile built this fort as a way to further his colonization. The buildings were constructed using mainly logs and dirt. Some were made using sod patches as well. T
Some of the buildings at Fuerte Bulnes had walls made of sod, like this one. A wood frame provided the structure, and the sod the insulation.
The president wanted to form a town but the harsh weather of the area prevented the colonizers from living a stable life. Later the government decided to found Punta Arenas, in a more protected area 30 miles north. The fort was eventually burned down, but in 1940 the government decided to rebuild the fort and use it as a historic monument.
Fort Bulnes, Established 1843
After the tour we had around two hours to hike around and enjoy the spectacular views.
Walking through the trails I was reminded by how different Wisconsin was than Chile. The landscape alone constantly reminds me of how far away from home we really are. Mountains here jut out of the hilly countryside and reach unimaginable heights, forests are filled with trees completely new to me. Never before have I been to a place like Chile, and I don't think I'll ever see another place like it.
A hike around the fort allowed us to enjoy views of the Estrecho de Magallanes and its surroundings.