Puerto Natales is a small city on the edge of the Seno Ultima Esperanza (last hope sound). It is surrounded by enormous chains of snow covered mountains including the Cordillera Riesco and Cordillera Sarmiento. Many of the houses are sheathed with sheet metal painted different colors. Although Puerto Natales is a gateway town to Torres del Paine National Park it does not feel like a tourist town. There is a statue of a coal miner, a tribute to the cities past labor history. The statue's pose looks like a plastic green American soldier.
The waterfront was spectacular with the mountains creating a circular chain behind the deep blue water. A perfect picture postcard. One night on the way
to the center of town to eat, walking beside the sheet metalled residential houses he saw a very angry burly young man walk up to the window of a non-descript
bungalow and smash the window with his fist. Immediately eight or ten scantily clad robust afro Chilean women came pouring out of the front door yelling and
pointing at him. One woman immediately gave chase. The young man was already around the corner. A pedestrian left the sidewalk and went into the street to
avoid the young man. Had the glass breaker had been denied entrance because of his boorish behavior, drunkeness, jealous love, or simple ugliness.
