Journey to the End of the World

None of these pictures are modified in any way, if you can believe it.. Parts of the glacier were just that unbelievably blue.

Same effect as the sky or a swimming pool. Water absorbs everything else and is transparent to blue. Water vapor in the atmosphere passes blue so we see scattered white sunlight as sky...the water in your pool passes blue (both ways) so we see the white plaster bottom of the pool as blue...the blue of the glacier is the light coming through the ice.

But once again, it's a thing where being able to explain it doesn't make it any less startling.
 
Same effect as the sky or a swimming pool. Water absorbs everything else and is transparent to blue. Water vapor in the atmosphere passes blue so we see scattered white sunlight as sky...the water in your pool passes blue (both ways) so we see the white plaster bottom of the pool as blue...the blue of the glacier is the light coming through the ice.

But once again, it's a thing where being able to explain it doesn't make it any less startling.

I had to look this phenomenon up right after because I just didn't expect it to be so blue. It was mesmerizing.

Here's more info.

I think the reason for the sky being blue is different, though. The above article alludes to this - and points to Rayleigh scattering as being responsible for the sky being blue.

Either way, it's pretty fascinating.. and just plain pretty.

I like the way the blue is in parts of the ice but not others.

Definitely perfect for photography - so many photo opportunities!
 
I had to look this phenomenon up right after because I just didn't expect it to be so blue. It was mesmerizing.

Here's more info.

I think the reason for the sky being blue is different, though. The above article alludes to this - and points to Rayleigh scattering as being responsible for the sky being blue.

Either way, it's pretty fascinating.. and just plain pretty.

Thanks! Interesting stuff! I still think water vapor is a contributing factor, but all I have to offer is anecdotal observations...the sky appears much paler (closer to white) in desert climates, which is an effect I associated with low humidity (less water vapor). This may just be me seeing what I expect to see though.
 
I've seen glaciers in the Alps. They didn't look quite that blue, iirc.



Still, maybe they are. I don't see why they wouldn't be.
 
From what I've read, the blueness really comes out when there aren't many air bubbles in the glacier and when it is compressed very well. I'm sure there are a lot of other factors as well.

Surface of the air bubbles would definitely cast a shadow. I'd guess that how much dust has collected on the surface is another big factor, and since you were at the melting tip of the glacier it would be very well rinsed. It also looks like you were out there on a bright sunny day, which would provide ideal light to be filtered to blue.

Fortune smiles on the traveler who earns it. :goodjob:
 
You also get it when you flush a mobile sewage system. Anything from a porta-potty, bus, trains, and aircraft. It's the blue chemical that's used in the storage tank to keep the stink under control. If you purge an airliner's sewage at altitude, it freezes solid.


I always just thought of the chemical toilet stuff as...well...chemical toilet stuff. Is that the same stuff that's in the Blue Ice packs? If so, eww. I mean Blue Ice is actually a trademarked brand name that one manufacturer of those cooler packs uses, and I would think they would have avoided that particular connotation. Here, freeze this chemical toilet stuff and toss it in your lunchbox seems tough to market.
 
I always just thought of the chemical toilet stuff as...well...chemical toilet stuff. Is that the same stuff that's in the Blue Ice packs? If so, eww. I mean Blue Ice is actually a trademarked brand name that one manufacturer of those cooler packs uses, and I would think they would have avoided that particular connotation. Here, freeze this chemical toilet stuff and toss it in your lunchbox seems tough to market.

I doubt it's the same chemical. Just chemicals of the same appearance. They serve different functions, so I don't see how they could have the same chemical.
 
Goodbye to Torres del Paine National Park







We docked at the southern shore of Lake Grey, right beside a fairly expensive hotel. The people who stay there have amazing views of the surrounding mountains:



We sat on the grass looking at the above and waited for our shuttle out of the park.

It should be noted that at the hotel we ran into a guy who looked like a 50/50 mix between Paul McCartney and Eric Idle. He will make another appearance a bit later in the story.

This was the last view of the mountains we had hiked through, as they were visible to us from the shuttle bus:

 
:(

Such a fine line, I hate to see it go...


(appropriate credit to Jackson Browne for the stolen lyric)
 
Day 14 - Back in Puerto Natales

We spent the night in Puerto Natales, gateway to Torres del Paine, and had a bus booked to get back to Punta Arenas (the town we flew into) in the early evening. Until then we had time to stroll around town..

One of the first stops of the day:



Puerto Natales is not a very big place.. Most of the interesting parts of town that we found were right by the water or close to it.











 
You know people are kinda poor when they're going to sea in this.
Spoiler :

 
Amazing mural in Puerto Natales

We found an amazing mural on a wall by an elementary school. It depicts the history of Patagonia, starting with the formation of the planet...







Guanacos and rheas



And of course eventually humans.



Doing human stuff..



Introduction of the horse.









And this is where the mural ends..
 
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