Star-gazing - As we drove through the flat plains with panoramic views of Patagonia, I questioned if we were actually heading to the hotel or if the driver was lost. We turned down a road and saw the local wildlife grazing on dinner and all of a sudden I saw the top of what appeared to be a building. Camouflaged in the horizon sat Tierra Patagonia directly in front of a lake and mountain range of Torres del Paine. As we settled into what seemed like an adult summer camp with its striking wood features, we had a welcome cocktail watching the sunset with the richest of colors and natural cotton-candy skies. After heading to my room with a full-picture window of the view that made my jaw drop, I slipped on the house wool slippers made by locals and headed to an amazing dinner. We chose our activities for the next day and everyone headed to bed, however I took this opportunity to step outside. While it was a bit windy, the lights of the hotel had dimmed to nearly non-existent and I laid down to absolute awe. As my eyes adjusted to the night sky, more and more stars began to appear. Within minutes I was acclimated and began to tear up as I had never seen such a clear crisp night. With no light pollution for thousands of miles and not a cloud in the sky, I finally began to understand not only how vast our world is, but also how small it is within our universe.
