Puerto Natales slows down on Sunday. Many of the shops are closed or have truncated hours. There’s not as much traffic, as most of the visitors have gone to the national park. That had been our plan also, but after discovering that the park was a 70 mile drive from Puerto Natales we decided to take the day off and book a hotel in Torres del Paine for the following day.

Our day off was sunny and warm, with the temperature almost 60 degrees. The wind blew as usual. We walked to the water and saw a large catamaran returning from a tour. We stopped for a cappuccino and then saw a group of young women going into the frigid water for a swim.

We had hoped to eat at Santolla, allegedly the best restaurant in town, but it’s closed on Sunday. As we walked past and peered inside a man standing outside told us it was closed. He was the owner and chef, and he was with his grandson. He gave us a few recommendations for dinner.

We walked to the town square, a nice little park where people could walk or sit, and local musicians played. A group of drummers were enthusiastically pounding away without great skill.

For dinner we went to Bahia Mansa, a seafood restaurant recommended by the owner of Santolla and had a delicious meal of seafood paella. The most interesting dish was sea bass cheeks cooked pil-pil style, which means boiled in olive oil with garlic and spices. It was served in a hot cast iron dish, with the oil bubbling over the fish. Delicious! We then met the chef, Rene Espinoza who was pleased that his competition had recommended Bahia Mansa.

It was still daylight at 10 PM when we left the restaurant, but after the short walk to our hotel we were tired and ready for bed. Tomorrow we’ll drive to the park.