From the center to the edge

We left Newark, NJ at 3pm on Saturday. After laying over in Dallas and then Santiago we finally arrived in Punta Arenas on Sunday at 2pm. On Saturday, Chile started daylight savings and moved one hour ahead of our native NYC timezone. The result was a lot of stress from Jimmy – our Chilean people herder – as he tried to expedite us (Zib, me, and about 7 other scientists on our flight) through customs and onto our next flight. Jimmy was able to use his local swagger to walk us to the front of the visa and then domestic Chilean travel lines so that we made our connecting flight. Two and half hours after departing Santiago, and flying over the crest of the Andes into Patagonia, we landed in Punta Arenas. Offhand, there are a few key observations. One, Chile is nothing like its less-developed neighbors to the north (Peru and Ecuador). Two, stray dogs roam the town so it doesn’t feel too disconnected from its neighbors. And, this place has the aura of being at the end of civilization. The town sits atop windswept hills that gently roll into the channel. Did I mention the brisk wind? Yes, this wind makes takeoffs and landings a bit of an adventure.

Glaciers should be thought of as very slow moving rivers. This picture taken during our flight from Santiago to Punta Arenas show why.

The coolest part of our trip so far is this photo of the Cordiera del Paine (Catedral is the prominent peak at the right of the granite wall). Seeing the Torres del Paine (out of view and below the bottom of this image) from the plane was incredible. The Torres del Paine are famous for their ruggedness. As with everything else, pictures never quite capture what we see.

Hotel Noguiera in Punta Arenas, where we will be lodged for the next 2 nights. One fo the nicest places in town.