Antofagasta.

Battery or alternator

I am writing in less than brilliant circumstances. We have encountered some electrical problems on the van. The problem is with the battery charging but it is very hard to grasp exactly what the trouble is. I shall describe more of our circumstances shortly.

Final goodbye from our friend

Having arrived on the Eastern, Pacific, side of the Atacama desert,  We had just had quite a long drive to get here in time for our appointed tour of the European Southern Observatory.

The overwhelming mining industry all around

We spent our night in the filling station it was ok but the whole industrial area works night and day there is dust in the atmosphere and a faint smell of sulphur, a lot of traffic noise and water is in short supply Some of the staff were a bit unpleasant.

After breakfast, we managed to top up with water by paying to use the toilets that were in an appalling state, nearly everything was out of order. In the end, I held 5 litre jugs under a pipe sticking out of the wall, that is a shower. We filled the jug several times passing it out of the window.

My mum always told me that god pays his debts without money. I returned to the van to find that we had a puncture!It wasn’t too difficult to change. I was in slow mode so it took about 25 minutes and we were off to The European Southern Observatory.

The (almost) straight road to the Observatory 

It was about an hour to the observatory and we were really surprised to find such good roads and excellent signs, really a lot better than might be expected. We were deliberately early to make sure we were in time.  The observatory is on top of a mountain. 

Our first sight of The European Southern Observatory

The road up was so good that it added to the beauty of the location. It was very high up. 

Perched up high on a hill

The whole of one peak has been levelled and is home to 4 huge telescopes, and 4 smaller ones, which, as we were to learn, are designed to function together in a way that makes them one of the largest telescopes anywhere. But I am getting ahead of myself.



Old friends

Surprise meeting of so many old friends

As I mentioned we were early. We had thought of having lunch while we waited and then a French man arrived in his camper we had met him before in Salta. Then we were greeted by two Dutch friends that we had spent a bit of time with the previous week. At this point a van arrived with two people that we have come to know quite well,

Kebabs and Bratwurst sold here!  Chilli sauce?

Bruno and Nese from Germany we had wondered where they had got to. It was such a lovely opportunity to catch up. It was altogether a really enjoyable gathering and such a surprise.

I have a friend, Siew Meng, who is a serious star gazer. He really would have liked to visit the observatory and he is envious of our visit So I took lot of pics for him I do hope they will be good for him, but the detail in this account is very much with him in mind.

To Infinity and beyond!!!!

A very special moment

The tour of the observatory was really special.

We began down at base level, with a safety briefing and we were made to wear hard hats and given strict instructions not to wander off.  

Me looking good!

We were given dire warnings of the effects of the sun in this desert and at altitude. Then we were told to follow the leader and to drive up to the observatory.

On up the hill to the observatory

Driving up the mountain was itself lovely, the road was winding but so well made and quite new. All the way to the top.

A pretty amazin, car park in the clouds

Ping once made a great observation about our travels, she said “That van has been in some amazing car parks!” let me say this car park goes straight to the top of the list!

Vladimir.  (If that's your real name?)

As we walked across we followed our guide  a Chilean man with the unlikely name of Vladimir. Obediently we followed him over the concrete, as we rounded our first corner there was the first telescope towering over us and then almost immediately the other partner telescopes huge buildings I guess 4 – 5 storeys high. 

All four members of the 'Very Large Telescope'

The smaller telescopes (Small but perfectly formed) 
capable of being moved around on rails.

Then on kind of railway tracks were other smaller scopes. They can be moved around to suit the requirements of any observer. These operate only singly where the large telescopes can function together to massively increase their capacity. They can view further and with far more detail than any other Each one has a main mirror about 8metres across.which even if you are not tutored in the intricacies of telescopes, that is really quite big.

The heart of the Very Large Telescope. The mirror!

We learned that the mirrors, which really are the heart of the telescope cost Millions to make and each one is made in Germany taking several years in the process. The question came up, how were they transported and the answer is, by sea and then by road. They have to be handled with more care than is imaginable travelling at very low speeds with carefully planned route. It takes many days for them to just pop out to the docks to collect a new mirror. They arrive amid great anticipation of course. So it was a bit of a nuisance when on one occasion due to a movement of the lorry, a crack appeared in the mirror and it arrived damaged and useless. Apparently it is unclear if the driver is still working there.  

I imagined the phone call to the makers was along the lines of:
“Hello, that mirror we ordered,
Yeh, It arrived with a crack in it. 
Oh, how bad was the crack? 
Bad enough! 
Oh I see, well we can send you a replacement no problem but it is on back order at the moment. Might take a couple of years. 
OK but if you could put a rush on it we would appreciate it".

You see these people are proper scientists  they are very calm.

So anyway the telescopes are all functioning now.  By the way these massive buildings have a wonderfully low key name, mundane really. Yes , together they are called the ‘Very large Telescope"

Now while Vladimir was explaining all this he pointed off into the distance, he said, "do you see the mountain over there with the top all flattened off?" Yeh,yeh,  I see it,
"That is where the work is already under way to build the new telescope which is even bigger. It is going to be called The extremely large telescope". Brilliant eh!

We were allowed to take photographs of anything we wanted for a short time and while we did I really got the feeling of being on a futuristic space station. Clean and new. With huge scientific structures, all around us and looking out over the vast expanse of desert and mountains all around us. Not a cloud in the sky. It was a lot like being on another planet.

Gazing out!

Interestingly If you look at the map of Chile you will see that it is very long and narrow. It is from this deck that is the only place where you can see the whole breadth of the country. The Argentinian border deep in the mountains and then looking into the horizon you can just make out the Pacific Ocean. That was such a rare sight.

Just an office door in a very special place

One of the control desks

Each telescope has its own desk.  Please don't touch the red button!

Vladimir then took us down into what he described as the offices. We were asked to be aware that while we are welcome and may photograph anything, but there are people whose workplace this is.

We went down into another futuristic structure that was the offices. 

We first saw some actual offices that were exactly like an office anywhere else with humourous stickers on the computers and stuffed toys and photos of children on desks.

Then on past a corridor that was straight off the set of Star Trek. I never discovered where it went. We entered a huge room That had semi circular stations  with desks and computer screens. One such station for each of the very large telescopes.

Now you must remember We were not there to look at the stars we were there to see the observatory. No one was there gazing into space. It was daytime after all. 

Together with the computer controls  each desk has live CCTV view of the telescope.

Instead there are technical crews working on the computers and with cctv images of the actual scope they were working on they were doing maintenance of the whole set up.

At night the whole scene will change. Astronomers and other scientists from all over the world will come here having eagerly waited , sometimes more than a year for their allotted time with the telescope. The anticipation does not end here as the timetable is so crowded. That if their viewing obstructed by technical troubles, weather etc, then that time is lost to them. I cannot begin to imagine how frustrating that would be.

The whole deal depends on every thing being just right. The location is chosen because of the total absence of ambient light. On the way into the observatory drivers are warned that only sidelights are allowed  and from then on there is no light.

The atmosphere is above the driest place in the world so there is no distortion created by moisture in the atmosphere and even then, in a place where there is rainfall so rarely maybe twice in a year, They still find it impossible to predict, a drop of rain or a cloud can abort your time on the telescope.

Here is the real thing. That mirror is over 8 metres across

This is the middle mirror

From this control room we were taken down further and along corridors and then through a door. OH wow amazing! There right in front of us was one of the Very Large telescopes and the whole huge structure was rotating. Even old Vladimir was taken aback as he told us this is something that only happens 2 or 3 times a year. This rotation is done so carefully and rarely to avoid disturbing its setting. It is only done to give access for maintenance. Then right on cue came some people with very routine looking hard hats and tool boxes and began doing mending! Really nothing more space age than screw driver pliers and then they produced a hammer and electric drill!

The black gadgets hold the mirror  absolutely steady. In the event of a major earthquake they place it ever so gently onto a cushion.

 They then began their work as liquid nitrogen gently streamed out of some mechanism or other. That was a bit space age. But I digress. The whole telescope was some 10 to 15 metres high There are three mirrors one visible high up in the roof another amidships which we could not see and then the mother of all mirrors  there before us. It is so perfect and delicate that all kinds of measures are taken to protect it from accidental contact, from dust and there are very strict rules concerning preventing tools ever being dropped.

In addition we must bear in mind that Chile is a major earthquake zone  and there are complex measures in place to protect it from movement. On top of all this there is an elaborate array of kind of pincers  all around the mirror that suspend the mirror. In the event of a seismic event over 8.5! they will release the mirror on to a perfect cushion.

Whether you be a proper stargazer, or interested in complex machinery or even with only a passing interest, It is quite impossible to avoid being quite in awe of this contraption.

After this we were taken back outside. Vladimir  then explained something about the complex working arrangements at the observatory

Looking out over the campus

There are hundreds of staff here security staff, technicians, catering workers and scientific staff. Not to mention the visiting scientists and astronomers who come to observe the cosmos using the telescopes. All these have to be accommodated and fed and looked after. There are routine tasks going on in the day but the whole place comes to life in the complete darkness at night. Everyone works a strict 7 days on, 7 off routine On their days off they must go into the town some 100 km away. This applies to everyone.

The Glass dome and entrance of the 'Hotel'

We were then taken down to the most futuristic place in the whole establishment, The hotel. This is located deep underground, beneath a glass dome canopy. Under here is a massive accommodation block. It is underground to prevent the accidental leakage of light which at night can really spoil the day for an astronomer. The glass dome has a large and complicated curtain system which is automatically deployed before nightfall.  

Inside the dome, the grey device is the automatic curtain 
that ensures no light escapes at night.

Beautiful accommodation

The Hotel is beautifully appointed with swimming pool, gym and all kinds of comforts. It really is quite extraordinary. It is worth mentioning that it was used as a set in the James Bond film ‘Quantum Solace’.

This was the end of our tour we were taken back to the beginning and shown a brief film about the related other observatories in the area all of which are equally elaborate. And then we handed back our hard hats and we left to return to the car park the gate closed behind us and we were left to compare notes with all the friends we started with. We all agreed that whether astronomy is your thing or not, the sense of both fascination and privilege was overwhelming.

All friends together a nice bonus on a very good day

Art for art sake, Give us a hand !

As we all left to return to our various travels we drove off into the magnificent desert. As we drove along I noticed that there were rocks scattered around  all over on either side of the road. It was impossible to understand how they got there and I can only think that it is the result of some volcanic event, but who knows.

The road is very long and there is no habitation for many many miles.

 Someone has taken the trouble to come out here and paint some of the larger rocks, There are fairy houses, dice, a slice of water melon and a trainer shoe. In the scheme of art I guess they are no great shakes but given the location and the humorous nature of them I think they are pretty great.

There is one further art work which we knew about and which Ping was particularly keen to visit. A further 40 km away into the desert is a huge hand rising up about 30 metres into the air. It is just lovely and there are people stopping there to take photos all day long.

Time we got a grip on things

We were still in the company of our friends Uwe, Julia and their  2 children, Gloria and Raphael, as well as dear Nese and Bruno who have a habit of popping up all along our travels. We decided to camp in the desert that night just beneath the hand  the whole thing including breakfast together in the desert was really lovely.

Breakfast with good friends in the desert sands

Some minor repairs and a rather unusual experience.

I mentioned at the beginning that I was writing in unusual circumstances I now return to the subject.

We were once again having electrical problems. It would be necessary to return to Antofagasta to find a garage as well We needed to find somewhere to stay.  There were very few safe places in the town to camp. We had been warned many times of the street crime in the city. Vans being broken into etc. We stopped to buy ice cream and found two car park attendants going at each other  with big sticks. Shortly after we were driving on a main road when someone right in front of us hurled a brick through the air. I do not know why or what he was aiming for  but it was really too close for my liking.

We were then informed that there is a garage where the owner is very sympathetic to overland travellers. And his mechanics will do repairs while you can stay in your van in the workshop. This sounded too good to be true as there is running water, a shower, electricity and even Wifi. With no charges over the mechanic bill.

I arrived to take a look at my brakes and found my steering pump hanging off

 When we arrived at this unusual place where we found that the was a older Dutch couple who were having their engine rebuilt  and another young couple, Australian /Canadian, who had blown no less than 3 turbos on their small van. 

Eddy +Loren,. Make of this picture as you will

Both were feeling pretty desperate in their own way the dutch people had already been there for several weeks awaiting parts  and our Australian chum Eddy was really at his wits end as this expensive component kept breaking down and his budget was takeing a big hit. Not only this but he had spent many grease laden hours repeatedly working on it himself. I think it is fair to say he was feeling pretty desolate. Unfortunately it appeared that relations between him and the Dutch people were getting frayed. 

Jan + Marion who initially made us welcome

All Eddy and his girlfriend , Loren wanted was to leave and get on their way. We were there for 3 days it was a really strange environment as there was desperation  in the air as well as and inability to communicate with the Chilean mechanics and get them to do to do what was needed.
At first The Dutch people Marion and Jan seemed  nice enough, though they complained a bit about Eddy and Loren. Ping even cooked dinner for them a couple of nights which was quite enjoyable. 

Dinner time in the workshop

Then quite suddenly they just turned nasty they accused us of jumping the queue for the mechanics time. Which was really unreasonable as the only thing we had asked him to do was adjust and bleed the brakes. A job which Jan himself said would only take a few minutes.

Cordial now, but very different two hours later,
such a shame

It  was a really strange situation and it got worse they would not be consoled  and were really quite aggressive. In the end we decided to cut our visit short, we had repaired most of what we needed. 

So we prepared to leave. About the same time Eddy and Loren had also decided that while they waited for turbo number 3 to be delivered  They wanted to hitchhike to some of the places they want to visit. It so happened we would go the same way and we agreed to  take them. I guess it must have looked as if we were conspiring to ‘bail out’ but this really was not the case. They were absolutely desperate to get moving somehow and we had found the whole business of camping in a garage with mechanics who we could not speak with, rather difficult and was affect our mood. Having said that it was all a bit nasty.

The reason that I have spoken about this because it seemed to me that we give account of all the great people we meet and the friends we make  being such a positive experience, I felt it necessary to show that this is not always the case. I fully understand  that when you have waited 4 weeks for your cylinder head to be returned it can seem a very long way from home but it really was difficult and it was not getting better.

Salt Roads

More art.  On the Salt Road

Mini tornadoes often occur this was an alarmingly powerful one

We are now on our way towards Bolivia. Eddy and Loren are going about halfway with us. There are two routes  to get to the town of San Pedro. Route 5  a main highway we had already travelled once, there is also a road that serves the mines deep in the desert. 

At first I thought this was an RAC box but then realised ,of course, Its a toilet in the middle of the desert!

This is described on the map as a ‘Salt road’ It cuts its way through about 400km of desert including through the huge salt lake where a road about 70 km cuts right across it was such a great driving experience.

One consequence is that as you  get a bit tired there is almost nothing around to fix your attention on and after a while concentration starts to evaporate. 

Eddy helping with the driving, and looking a little too
relaxed for my liking at the wheel of MY van!

 So I asked Eddy if he would drive a bit. Considering he has never driven a van this size before I thought his performance was masterful and made all the difference. So we continued back to San Pedro where we would rest in preparation to go into Bolivia.