First day

Wake up time: 5:00 am. The journey begins, a taxi leaves the guesthouse and drops us at Santiago airport. 1400 kms north we land in Antofagasta airport, in the middle of... nothing. Around the airport just dust, mountains, the desert. The airport is shared with a military base, strategically placed to cover the northern region (borders with Bolivia and Peru). A bus waits for us at the exit and drives us across Antofagasta to pick some more people. Finally, it starts its 1.5-hour journey across the desert, nice paved road, the same dusty colour all around, some copper mines and factories, until we reach the observatory road by 12:30.

A big ESO plate marks the beginning of the ascent. The road is steep. At some point, a road sign warns that thereon only car parking lights are allowed. Car lights, even at 7 or 8 kms from the telescopes, interfere with the measurements. We pass a hill and up there it stands, Cerro Paranal, named as the observatory, the hill hosting the largest optical telescopes in the world. Impressive view. Around it... nothing!

A bit further we reach the basecamp, where all the logistics were built. Some containers, antennas, buildings. The bus stops at last in front of a dome coming out from the ground, with two passageways descending towards one door each, slightly before the dome. Around the passageway a few plants provide the only green colour in kilometres. That's what we see from the outside: two passageways, two doors and a dome.

"You have to register first at the residence desk", someone says. It feels weird to head towards a door, in the middle of the desert and into the ground, when the only thing you see beyond that is a dubious dome. After that door, another door, then... I stop, drop my bag and stare, with my mouth open, an incredulity look in my eyes. The contrast is astonishing.

Below the dome lies a huge tropical garden, with a pool at the bottom. The humidity inside is tropical as well, to compensate for the average 10% outside. The passageway rounds the garden and descends towards a huge hall, with sofas, tables and chairs. There's a desk, where I got my badge and a room key. Behind it, windows show the valley beneath, with a bit of ocean far away. The residence (or the hotel, as some call it) has four floors and was built along the hillside, as part of the hill. From the outside, the slope is not visible and therefore such architectural masterpiece cannot be foreseen.

The room is shared with someone that has the opposite turno as me, meaning that probably I will never meet my roommate. Private bathroom, a nice desk, a small window and a closet. Internet and phone are available. Cleaning and laundry are on the house. Meals are served in a cantine, with 3 or 4 courses to choose from. Vegetarian meals are also served. No alcohol is allowed here, apparently shit happened in the past, though in certain events, some wine seems to appear.

After lunch I am given a security briefing, in spanish, to learn the rules. No walking at night, no wandering in the desert without warning someone, 3 liters of water a day, no light after sunset, just a small flashlight they give us. All rooms and offices have their curtains closed and there's a team in charge of checking this every day. Even the residence dome has a huge cover to avoid light contamination from inside.

After that I am taken up to the observatory, by car, about 3 kms up. There's a building with all the offices and also the control room. I was introduced to a lot of people, it will take some time to get all names around here. I was given my first assignment, but told to "take it easy" in my first turno. The important for now is to understand how things work around here, to adapt to the environmental conditions and to learn a bit about what is done and by whom. There is however one thing, which is the subject of the moment around here: some scenes of the new James Bond movie are going to be shot here!! It fits...