purplecthulhu

I'm back in Chile again.

This may seem an odd statement to make, but Chile has a lot of world class observatories in the Andes, so, if you're an observational astronomer like me, chances are you'll end up here sometime.

It's actually been 2 1/2 years since I was here last. I know that because I checked the visa stamps in my passport! I haven't got to the telescopes yet - I'm currently at the ESO guesthouse in Santiago, the capital city, recovering from something like 25 hours of travelling - but I'm already noticing lots of changes. It doesn't seem like 2.5 years ago when I was last hjere so these changes seem to have happened quite quickly.

The international air terminal has expanded quite a bit, so there's more to explore there on my way home (incidentally, the terminal at Buenos Aires, where I have a 1.5 hour stop over en route, has been massively improved, especially with the introduction of no smoking areas!). There seem to be more factories, offices and roads en route from the airport, so that may be saying something good about the local economy. There are more high rise developments going up near the guest house.

In contrast, apart from a few staff changes, the guest house seems unchanged. Its an amazing place, with uniformed maids etc., as if it was still in colonial times. Visiting astronomers are looked after very well here, and I haven't seen any degradations in the service so far. Its quite a relief knowing you'll be met at the airport, and looked after through jet lag and over tiredness.

The guest house also does a good line in Chilean wine, which helps a lot!

Next stop, the observatory at La Silla!

I'm back in Chile again.

This may seem an odd statement to make, but Chile has a lot of world class observatories in the Andes, so, if you're an observational astronomer like me, chances are you'll end up here sometime.

It's actually been 2 1/2 years since I was here last. I know that because I checked the visa stamps in my passport! I haven't got to the telescopes yet - I'm currently at the ESO guesthouse in Santiago, the capital city, recovering from something like 25 hours of travelling - but I'm already noticing lots of changes. It doesn't seem like 2.5 years ago when I was last hjere so these changes seem to have happened quite quickly.

The international air terminal has expanded quite a bit, so there's more to explore there on my way home (incidentally, the terminal at Buenos Aires, where I have a 1.5 hour stop over en route, has been massively improved, especially with the introduction of no smoking areas!). There seem to be more factories, offices and roads en route from the airport, so that may be saying something good about the local economy. There are more high rise developments going up near the guest house.

In contrast, apart from a few staff changes, the guest house seems unchanged. Its an amazing place, with uniformed maids etc., as if it was still in colonial times. Visiting astronomers are looked after very well here, and I haven't seen any degradations in the service so far. Its quite a relief knowing you'll be met at the airport, and looked after through jet lag and over tiredness.

The guest house also does a good line in Chilean wine, which helps a lot!

Next stop, the observatory at La Silla!