luck of Magellan
No xtreme travel departing Antarctica = 2 BONUS days in Chile. And…because we’re marathoners, a BONUS 26.2 tomorrow – my second in South America (hopefully, Brazilian parasite-free). FREE marathon! Sign me up!
Lazy Friday. Slept ‘til 8am (bus return from Torres del Paine post-midnite), double Breakfast (no ‘black pot’ in Punta Arenas), shower/an hour of tele (that’s my limit).
MUSEUM DAY. Enjoyed everything Sara Braun. Only later did I read she brutalized the local indigenous – even maintained a collection of ears. Yikes!
Two great houses, colonial gowns, striking looks, 19th century palatial furniture. Cemetery last week? Commissioned by the same lady. Maybe Punta’s Scarlett O’ Hara just a victim of fake media. Probably not – but I did dig the tour.
One of Braun’s homes doubled as the Magallanes Cultural Museum. Few minutes of steady Pictionary but eventually gained entry (smock covers required o’er my shoes/unexpected skating experience sliding ‘cross the polished floors).
Bones, maps, old pictures & ADVENTURER relics! Some seeking gold, others dreamed of Antarctica – a Shackleton LOVE FEST. Whatta treasure, HIGHLY recommended ❤️
Group lunch, another Mercado visit AND a haircut. No Spanish, no problem. Happy little dog in the salon window, good omen. Elementary French (our only ‘poco poco’ in common) & a year-old selfie on my iPhone. Mission accomplished. Check, done.
Hotel lobby bib pick-up. Sporting ‘Bib 1’ again – my one short week as an elite runner. LOL>
Unintentionally sat with 5 runners (while RD-waiting to bump tomorrow’s distance/marathon to 50k). Listened to the group’s Triple 8 pitch. January 2020. 8 marathons, 8 continents, 8 days (includes Zeelandia). God help me, info outta my head please.
Boardwalk running 30+ miles in Chile! Two ultras, two continents, two brass BESOs same week. Challenge met 😊
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- Punta’s Sara Braun
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- 19th-century CHARM
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- STRIKING looks
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- Magallanes Cultural Museum
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- ADVENTURER relics 🙂
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- who was he? haunting, super compelling photo
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- Shackleton LOVE FEST
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- no Spanish, no problem
After a crazy night of questionable life choices, woke to a BANG.
rap, RAP, Rap. Hotel door. Up, spinning, WALL, bed. Where am I?! rap, RAP, Rap. Focus. Diego de Almagro. Punta Arenas. I’ve got this. Back in Chile.
Conversation: Bus is leaving in 15 minutes. I don’t feel well, think I’m skipping today’s trip. You can sleep on the bus. Ugh. Ok, ok. 15 minutes. I’ll be there.
Change of clothes. Sip of juice. Teeth brushed. On the bus.
Conversation: How do you feel? Green 🤢
Bus stop. AMAZING what 3 hours sleep can do. Splashed water on my face. NEW day. Puerto Natales, border town between Chile & Argentina. COKE Sabor purchase. Thanks Katya. Would’ve LIFE MISSED Torres del Paine without ya. Road trip!
Landscape reminiscent of HOME.
Prairie grasses, MASSIVE PEAKS jutting STRAIGHT UP — an oil painting of colour. Turquoise water, snow-capped peaks. Colorado HOME…well, almost. Except for the guanacos, Chile’s native llama variety 🦙
Murky grey Laguna Amarga, 10 minutes more. Silt-fed glacier water. 180-degree turn.
pull over, PULL OVER. GUANACOS. Native, unafraid, running wild amongst us. On the lake? FLAMINGOS. FOREVER memory/life imprint. Photo FLOOD. I was here.
Parque Nacional Torres del Paine. Entrance selfie, day pass purchased, passport stamped. Each bus stop progressive/building on the last/memory upon memory. Another peak, more glacier-fed waters. Salto Grando trail, Mirador los Cuernos. Thunderous waterfall, wind whipping off the MONSTER WALL above. YES, YES, YES!
GROUP pic time. Complete strangers a week ago. Different countries/language/age. Marathon brothers/sisters, ALL Antarctica adventurers. I heart my new RUN FAMILY.
Day trip in South America’s Andes Mountains.
HOME from HOME, my mountain soul fed ❤️
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- first LOOK
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- South America’s ANDES
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- turquoise BLUE
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- Laguna Amarga
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- GUANACO 🦙
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- Chilean llama
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- FLAMINGO
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- FOREVER memory
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- Parque Nacional
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- Cerro Paine Grande
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- Salto Grande
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- Cuernos del Paine (Norte, Principal, Este & Fortaleza)
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- breezy STRONG
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- adventurer RUN FAMILY
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- mountain soul fed ❤️
Torres del Paine
Happy SUNSHINY day, our last on Antarctica.
Day START? a LOVE of LIFE Antarctic dip. Just the feet – but yikes! Let’s ya know you’re ALIVE! Gotta/hafta/MUST DO. Icy, FRIGID, C-O-L-D!
Plenty o’ time for a grounds walk of both Chilean & Russian Research Stations.
Chilean Station: Chapel visit (Santa María Reina de la Paz), asked/learned ‘bout Brown Skuas (dirty-brown sea gull cousin/feed on penguin chicks/bunch during my run).
Russian Station: Eyed the Island’s beautiful Orthodox Church from afar. Some got an inside tour, some not – hurry, hurry up, wait. My circle stayed trapped at a makeshift Russian gift store (room inside a modular container). Handful of maps & bobbles, cash only – I bought a $20 lid. On vacation/no regret. Antarctica purchase.
Day Highlight: walkabout at a nearby penguin colony. Russian air boat, Russian driver. Life jacket readied. Greeted by a resident chinstrap when boarding. Bird swam up, waddled inland amongst us (as if on queue), value add/all part of the show. HA!
So much LIFE, too little TIME. Day ago I ran 30+ miles.
Legs remembered 🙂 Gracefully fell in & later back outta our rubber raft. No skillz, no moves. Up, over, THUD, REPEAT. LOL> Balance nada. Good laughs.
Boat ride – AWESOME. Penguin walkabout – AMAZING.
Gentoo Penguins: Beaks brightly colored, bigger than either Magellanic or chinstrap varieties. LOVE LOVED. Luckily, arrived day after the BIG MASSACRE. Leopard SEAL NatGeo style kill. Penguin flippers still littered the beach. Surviving adults collectively tended a nest of 7 adolescents (assume, most newly orphaned). Circle of life.
Boat return, another graceless plop on shore, hurry up & wait.
Da plane, da plane.
62 runners now FAMILY. Jokes, stories – GREAT ENERGY. ANTARCTICA LOVE PARADE continued Chilean late nite. Dinner, more laughs. Nearby bar. Some really poor life choices, whole lotta memories.
Goodbye White Continent. 2019, I was there.
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- LOVE of LIFE dip
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- icy Arctic CELEBRATION
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- Russian Orthodox
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- Población: 29
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- Antarctic SUNSHINE 🌞
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- PENGUIN excursion
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- curious Chinstrap
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- Gentoo penguins
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- adolescent NEST
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- colony SURVIVOR
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- 🐧❤️
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- da Plane, da Plane
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- White Continent goodbye
Antarctica CAMP (Day 2)
