Oct. 17th, 2002

Brian Grigsby

Getting to Chile

Our trip started at 9am on Wed Morning the 16th of October. We boarded our plane for Chile and began our 20 hour trip to the southern hemisphere. During that time, we passed over very familiar landmarks such as the Gulf of California, and Baja California. During this time it is interesting to consider, that some of the smaller commuter planes fly at a cruising altitude of 20,000 feet and the mountain we will be climbing is at this same height.

During the time we were flying in the plane, I felt a definite language barrier. I was beginning to see the effects of another culture. My limited Spanish skills were evident as I tried to communicate with people on the plane and at our destination. I was beginning to feel more isolated. As I reflected upon this I realized that this is what students that are from a different country probably feel like in the US because they do not understand the English language fully.

Once we arrived in Santiago (one of our stops), we had to run to clear customs, gather up our baggage (which amounted to quite a bit), and make the connection to our next flight. We were able to breathe a sigh of relief as we made our flight, and flew to our final destination, Antofagasta. Our journey finally ended at 9:45am on Thursday morning. But our day had only begun!

We were met at the airport by Guillermo to pick us up. I could not believe the stark contrast of the land. Because the region is primarily a desert environment, there was very little greenery around. I remember commenting that I was surprised to see any trees or greenery, and how out of place any vegetation appeared. We then drove into Antofagasta where Guillermo graciously allowed us to use his apartment to do logistical planning for our journey, as well as stay for 2 nights. Because we are in the southern hemisphere the sun appears at a different place in the sky as compared to the northern hemisphere. The sun casts shadows that are opposite from the northern hemisphere. Later that afternoon, we traveled to UCN (Universidad Católica del Norte) to continue planning for our in the field experiments. Andy, David, Nathalie and Edmond met with Cecilia Demergasso to discuss collection techniques, and DNA sequencing experiments.

Once these items were discussed, we met up again with Guillermo to make final plans for car rental, and the collection of our last few boxes from the airport in Antofagasta. This lasted until late into the evening (8:45pm) and we still had to plan our grocery list for the entire expedition. What a long day!

When the day was finally over (at almost 1:00 am local time!) we were all exhausted after an almost 40 hour day. But we are excited to be here safe with all our gear ready to make the trip to the Licancabur Volcano.