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Back into Civilization

By Mike Beris - 2008-12-25

The sight was almost too much to take in all at once: after days of hills, sheep fields, and more hills, the town of Porvenir finally appeared before us. We descended the last hill. Colorful rooftops spotted the hillside opposite Bahia Porvenir, the bay at her base. Time for some much-needed comforts of civilization.

Porvenir has about 5500 residents, many of whom are decendents of Croatian and Chiloen colonists who came to this edge of Tierra del Fuego during a gold rush around the turn of the last century. Sheep farming was another main draw, and the money made from the surrounding Estancias financed the construction of the town.

Upon closer inspection, one can see that rust is a common color amongst the blues, pinks, yellows, and greens on the walls and roofs. By American standards, things look run-down. Building materials follow the trend we noticed in other small towns (lots of currogated metal and tin), but the architecture shows influence of the settlers’ Baltic heritage.

We are here in the summer, which is good for us, because the winters are especially long and bleak. The winter nights last almost 24 hours, and with winds sometimes reaching 75 mph, it’s not surprising that the people seem to be soaking up all the summer they can get. As we sit at our window-side table, waiting what seems like an eternity for our waiter to bring our food, we see families, affectionate couples, groups of teens, out strolling in the late-evening sun. It is around 8:30, and they have about 2 and a half hours left of sunlit weekend to enjoy.

The Club Croata is a popular restaurant in town, (and as we later learned, the priciest), especially amongst the tourists who pass through. That’s about all they do here, since Porvenir is the last stop before a ferry ride to the larger and more modern Punta Arenas. We have about 36 hours to kill before the next ferry crosses, perhaps so distant to ensure people like us spend enough time and money here. The proprietor appreciates our company, and after a fun night in the bar, offers us the building in back, kind of an enclosed pavilion, for the next two nights.

A line of cars drives up and down the neat grid of streets, with balloons streaming and horns beeping. Santa Claus! Kids line the roadways, picking up the candy he throws to them, as a nearby store blares familiar Christmas tunes with a modern Latin flare. We’re getting used to the stray dogs wandering around, and have even adopted a puppy we’ve named Surly that was playing outside.

These road-weary cyclists are grateful for the comforts Porvenir offers, but wait with anticipation for tomorrow’s ferry ride that will bring more excitement, and the promise of a friend to stay with in the next town over.