|
ANTarctica
Fourmilab South Pole Expedition
January, 2013 |
|
Punta Arenas
2013-01-01 01:18 UTC |
Click images for reduced size. |
|
As the last hours of 2012 wane (note that dates and times in pictures
are Universal Time, which is four hours later than that in Chile),
a beautiful sunset illuminated clouds as seen from our hotel
room at the
Hotel Cabo de Hornos in
Punta Arenas.
The
Instituto Antártico Chileno
is headquartered in Punta Arenas. Under the Antarctic treaty, nations
have suspended their claims on territory in the Antarctic, but Chile
maintains its ultimate claim on a sector of the continent.
On the sidewalk in front of the Institute, the Antarctic continent is
shown, along with Chile (in blue) to the North.
This full-scale replica of Magellan's ship is a tourist attraction
on the shore of the strait of Magellan. You have to see it in
person to appreciate how small it was, and the courage it took
to board such a fragile vessel to try to sail around the globe.
At the same site is a replica of the
James Caird,
the modified whaleboat which Shackleton's crew sailed from Antarctica
to South Georgia island in one of the most epic feats of navigation
ever accomplished. To stand beside this boat and imagine setting out
to cross 800 nautical miles of the southern ocean in it is to appreciate
the stuff of which explorers of the epoch were made.
In the plaza across the street from the hotel is this
compass feature showing the direction to various
cities.
Havana, CASTRO? Perhaps this dates from the
Bad Times.
Don't miss the backboard on shots at the southern end of this
court!
Da briefing about da flight to Antarctica will be held at Da Hotel!
(Actually, this is an abbreviation for the
Diego de Almagro hotel.)
Free money! Actually, these Benjamins were tiny confetti spread
by rockets celebrating the New Year.
Wi-Fi is everywhere in Punta Arenas, but there are still plenty of
wires.
If you'd be needing a sheep carcass, it's available at the local
supermercado!
This document is in the public domain.