14 DAYS IN QUARINTINE

We arrived in Punta Arenas Chile the Morning of April 6, 2022. Our 767-200ER that we had to ourselves did not taxi up to the airport terminal to a normal jetway. We pulled past an area of the tarmac that was surrounded by grass and gravel. In the gravel patch next to where we stopped were a mobile jet staircase and two passenger airport shuttle vans. Along with this some SUVs with Airport security members. It was more like a scene from the movies where the actors get off at some private airstrip and meet some shady government agents. But this was all legit and meant to maintain our quarantine status.

We were taken through a customs area that was open only to us and went through a normal Chilean screening as well as a health certification check to make sure we had our vaccines up to date. We were then given our checked bags and escorted to a private tour bus that would take us to our next 14 days of quarantine - Puerto Natales Chile - the Gateway to Patagonia.
We were driven 3 hours north from Punta Arenas Chile to the town of Puerto Natales. Puerto Natales is a small city of 18,900 people ( census ). It is a city in Chilean Patagonia.

Puerto Natales is also the capital of both the commune of Natales and the province of Última Esperanza, one of the four provinces that make up the Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena Region in the southernmost part of Chile. The first European to visit the area where the city is located was Juan Ladrillero, a Spanish explorer who was looking for the Strait of Magellan's western passage in 1557. The city was later settled by European immigrants, primarily Germans, and British, including English, Welsh, Scots, Croats, Greeks, Italians, and Spaniards. It was then settled by Chilean people, with a substantial number coming from the island of Chiloé, all attracted by the sheep breeding industry. The city was formally founded under the government of Ramón Barros Luco on May 31, 1911. Nowadays, one of its most important industries is tourism although the cattle and aquaculture industries are also significant.(Wikipedia) The Bus dropped us off just north of town at the Hotel Borde Glaciar. Here the 12 of us were given single rooms with a great view of the water backed by the mountains of Patagonia. If only we could go hiking and climbing! We are required to stay in our rooms. Food is brought to our door three times a day. We have the 3rd floor all to us but are banned from going to the lower floors or lobby to avoid contact while we are under quarantine. We are able to go outside on specific areas of the hotel grounds 3 times a day for about an hour each session. This allows us to get some fresh air and check out the local wildlife. We are currently on day 8 out of 14 of our quarantine.