Posts
-
A Coal Mine and a Park in Lota
Early in March, shortly after I returned from the US, the MODEST15 conference was being held at the Universidad de Concepción, having been organized by folks in the astronomy department. Part of the conference involved an afternoon excursion to the nearby town of Lota. The town was one of the first in the world to have hydroelectric electricity and has principally been a mining town, notably home to a coal mine which extends beneath the ocean – the Chiflón del Diablo (Devil’s Blast). This (now closed) coal mine is a tourist attraction and the primary focus of our trip.
-
A Weekend in Curanipe
Recently, a friend of mine and fellow astronomer from UVa, Loreto, visited me in Concepción to give a talk and do a bit of work. She invited me to spend the weekend with her and her sister’s family at their father’s house up the coast. After making an early departure from work, we caught a ride to the city bus station for my first bus ride in Chile!
-
Parque Nacional Nahuelbuta
My first Chilean adventure outside Concepción! A mid-Spring weekend (remember, it’s the Southern Hemisphere), I hopped in a rental car (one of the few automatics available) picked up Kelly and a fellow postdoc here in town, before caravaning South with another car full of astronomers (which included two folks from Concepción and two visitors from Switzerland). Owing to Friday obligations by various members of the group, our Saturday morning departure left us to a leisurely drive to Cañete, and Lago Lanalhue. We proceeded down the coast, passing Lota and Coronel on our way.