Given the late arrival last night we opted to leave Punta Arenas around 1pm for the 2 hour journey up to Puerto Natales. Our friends arrived at Punta Arenas airport around 2pm so we were on much the same schedule.
Mid afternoon we arrived at the Singular, Patogonia, our home for the next few days. The Singular was billed as one of the great hotels, not just of this region, but in the World. It did not disappoint. However, upon arrival, it’s a little disconcerting because, from the outside the hotel looks like a converted factory.
In fact, it used to be an abatoir. However, the designers have skillfully converted it into one of the most luxurious hotels, definitely my favorite of our entire journey.
We all arrived about the same time. Mark & Mauree Jane had independently booked to stay there for the same time as the rest of us plus they would also be with us during our stay at our next stop, Torres Del Paine. So we had 10 of us - Mark, Mauree Jane, Kevin, Lisa, Per, Astrid, Mark & Paula. Since we hadn’t seen some of these folks for a couple of years it felt like a reunion with hugs and kisses all round.
The Singular gave us a first taste of how things operate in Patagonia. The hotels organize activities for the following day so we all signed up for various activities before enjoying a great dinner at the hotel restaurant. We already knew the weather would be more forgiving that the Antarctic but not by much. It would be slightly warmer, but cool. It would be definitely windier and, at some point it would rain. Felt familiar to me.