With clear skies and big telescopes, Chile is seventh heaven for astronomers. But what is the life of an astronomer really like? Cascada interviewed Anthony Soulain, a budding French astrophysicist studying his master’s degree in Santiago. He debunks many myths about what astronomers do, tells us why Chile is the best country for astronomy and gives us a peek into the cutting-edge observatory on Cerro Paranal.
Monthly Archives: June 2015
NEW changes to Argentina reciprocity fee
UPDATE / JULY 12, 2017 U.S. and Australian citizens are currently exempt from paying this fee. While it's unclear if this situation will become permanent, for now U.S and Australian. citizens traveling to Argentina do not need to pay a reciprocity fee. See More Info: USA – Australia The Government of Argentina charges a reciprocity fee for citizens of the Canada entering Argentina […]
Sustainable Tourism on Easter Island
Like a tiny vessel drifting in the immense Pacific Ocean, Easter Island is an extremely vulnerable place to live in. Any disturbance in the island’s ecology or social makeup may have drastic consequences for the islanders’ well-being. With the advent of tourism, thousands of travellers flock here to see the enigmatic moai, potentially exacerbating the […]
The Climbing Badasses of Torres del Paine
When you make that last leg up Ascension Valley to the base of the Torres, puffing and panting while you pick your way carefully through the boulders, look up and consider the following thought: a select few climbers in history have succeeded in scaling those sheer walls of granite that you’re seeing. Theirs is an […]
Winter Reading: 4 Essential Chilean Novels
Winter has arrived in Santiago and the freezing temperatures are making us more inclined to stay in bed under a thick duvet with a good book rather than head into the Andes for a trek. To get you started, we’ve assembled a list of the essential works in the history of Chilean literature. From a […]
Katherine Routledge: The Pioneer Archaeologist of Easter Island
How did some fallen-down statues lying on the shores of a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific come to attract the attention and stir the fantasies of millions worldwide, giving rise to elaborate and bizarre theories involving UFOs and sunken continents? It’s a long story that began with Katherine Routledge’s journey to Easter […]
The Folklore of the Tehuelche
Ever wondered why the condor has a ugly bald head? Or why the ñandú can't fly? Why does the whale live in the sea? In their legends and myths, the peoples of Patagonia offer their own explanations for these observations of the natural world. Through these stories, perhaps related by an elder to the young […]
Cascada’s team Trip to Pichilemu
After such an intense 2014/2015 season, the Cascada team could not refuse a fun, relaxing, memorable trip far from the never-sleeping Santiago de Chile. On the 2nd of June, we headed to the Pacific coast to spend two days with the sweet melody of the waves at Pichilemu, the famous beach resort city located southwest […]