…And we’re off!

 

Dr. Becky and Dr. Hannah are on their way to Antarctica! We are currently flying from our homes in the U.S. to Punta Arenas, Chile. Here we are in the Santiago airport. We have made it to Chile! Now we are waiting for our flight to Punta Arenas.

Punta Arena is a small city on the southern tip of Chile. It is on the coast of the Straits of Magellan. It is one of the few places where ships and planes will leave South America to cross the Drake Passage for Antarctica.

We are currently in the Santiago airport (blue dot). We are about to fly to Punta Arenas (red tag). From there, we head across the ocean to the Antarctic Peninsula!

Usually we stay in Punta Arenas over night and travel to Antarctica the next day. That gives us time to gather our gear, hear all of the safety briefings, and have one last good meal before traveling further south. But, the weather forecast is not good for the next few days, so it sounds like our flight to Antarctica might be later tonight! We will have about 5 hours to accomplish all of those things. Plans change frequently in Antarctica, though, so we shall see how it goes!