I think there is a quote from Michael Palin that he used to think that Scunthorpe was the pits of the earth until he came to P. Arenas. Well I have to say that I agree with him. Maybe I was spolt from all the wonderful experiences I had had prior to our arrival here.
Mandy & I were not too quick off the mark in terms of getting up, but then again, we hadn't got any definite plans for today. We checked out breakfast in the B&B and decided to head out and find a cafe instead. It was a relatively cool day as we shuffle around to find a cafe that does a decent breakfast. Doesn't take too long to find one around the corner from our Hostel. It is a locals place where we have crepes. Still get caught out that people smoke in restaurants/cafes, although some have segregated areas. We then go for a wander around the centre of the city, not that it is much more than a town in reality. There are a few nice colonial style buildings around the central square, many originally built as town residences for local landowners. There is a tourist market in the central square, selling woollen goods, lapis jewelery and some tat. Suffice to say nothing really grabs my attention. Don't get me wrong, happy to buy something different/original and a bit unique, but none of that here. We are surrounded by a lot of older tourists, who have evidently come in on a cruise ship.
After leaving the square, we wander down to the docks. Pass an interesting statue of Bernado O'Higgins, who is a bit of a hero in these parts. Looks a bit like Napoleon i.e. short of stature. Wikipedia states "As noted in his certificate of baptism, he was the illegitimate son of Ambrosio O'Higgins", Marquis of Osorno, a Spanish officer born in County Sligo in Ireland, who became governor of Chile and later viceroy of Peru". Evidently Bernado wasn't too in with his dad as he helped overthrow the Spanish in Chile and was the 1st head of an independent Chile.
The area around the docks wasn't particularly attractive. There were a couple of cruise ships harboured in the bay with small boats ferrying passengers too and fro. They were then getting aboard buses to be taken the mile into the main square! I try to be openminded about cruises, but it is a concept that I just can't accept. It is not as though the people interact with the locals at all, well only with the stall holders in the market!
We walk past the docks to an area that looks to be going through some regeneration. There are workers in bright fluorescent orange bibs working away on a new pavement and road. There are a couple of old jetties that are decaying, and their only use is as a perch for the flocks of guls and cormorants.
We are joined by a lovely looking spaniel who unfortunately has a damaged back leg. He (could have been a she but I didn't check) Anyway, he was picking up stones and wanted me to through them so he could bring them back. Now this game is fine when you are just with the dog, but it becomes a distraction when I am trying to get photos of the birds landing. Normally I would have got the photos I wanted fairly quickly, but using a basic camera that I am not that familiar with means it is a long drawn out affair. After a while the poor dog gets bored and goes to keep Mandy company, who is sat reading, then he heads off down the beach. 
We walk down, past a house that is brightly painted. When I mean painted, not only are the walls a nice set of colours, but someone has also painted in a street, and some windows and doors. I assume that this was supported by the local council as someone has subsequently come along and sprayed their tag line over it. They wouldn't have done it if it was a Banksy image.
Get to the end of the shore, where a small river stops you from going further. There is a small shrine which at first glnce has a small statue of Christ inside it. On closer inspection it turns out to be an ancient Chinese nobleman! Weird.....
We walk back slowly to our hostel, through a few non-descript streets. We just chill out in our room until we go for a bite for late lunch at a cool looking place across the road, which was recommended to us by the waitress in the cafe. http://www.laluna.cl/ Have a beer and the recommedned fish dish, which is like a fish stew covered in a rich cheese topping. Heavy is an understatement, but it was delicious. And yes it is on O'Higgins as is our hostel.
We then go to see what other highlights this place holds. The honest answer is none! We go for a walk along the main drag, a real mix of shops, inc the ever present Northface. These shops seem to be everywhere and aren't cheap, just seem out of place alonside the mobile shops, food stalls and phramacies. There is an amazing looking chocolate shop, that sells hot chocolate but apart from that there isn't much else to shout about. So it is back to the hostel and freshen up before going out to dinner. We finally get to eat at the restaurant that had been recommended to us. All the staff are smartly dressed. As we haven't booked a table, we are escorted to a small table against the back wall. Crisp white tablecloth, pristine cutlery and spotless glasses imply a sense of attention to detail. We start off with Pisco Sours, which go down very well. They go down so well that we order up more and do without any wine. The meal is very tasty, but do feel somewhat ignored at certain points, maybe because we are not dressed as smartly as most of the other clientele. By the time we leave, the place is packed and the noise level has risen significantly. Still haven't gotten used to eating after 10pm, which is the norm over here.
It's a relatively early night as we have a early start to get to the airport in the morning. Someone has commented about how much time I have spent eating and drinking on this trip. In P. Arenas, I have to say that the restaurants/cafes we tried all served lovely food, shame there isn't much else that is positive to say about the place.
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