The Moon
Tim and Tamsin´s Travels in South America
An account of our travels in South America (October 2004 - May 2005). Click on the photos to ENLARGE.
Vicuña
Vicuña is a small town in the Valle d'Elqui. We loved it there. It has tree lined streets and is filled with artists and hippies. The light there is particularly beautiful, especially when the sun sets.
The Mamalluca observatory is in the mountains nearby. It gets 320 clear nights a year. We got to see stars, clusters and nebulae through huge telescopes with help from an expert so that we knew what everything was. The best bit for us was seeing the moon magnified. The picture you see here was taken through the lens of the big telescope.
We were told that there's a comet which can be seen with the naked eye on the 5th/6th January both from Chile and the UK. So keep your eyes peeled for that!
The photo of Tamsin was taken when we walked up to the highest point in the town, shortly before she fell and did a comedy trip that Norman Wisdom would be proud of. Nothing was injured apart from her pride.
The Mamalluca observatory is in the mountains nearby. It gets 320 clear nights a year. We got to see stars, clusters and nebulae through huge telescopes with help from an expert so that we knew what everything was. The best bit for us was seeing the moon magnified. The picture you see here was taken through the lens of the big telescope.
We were told that there's a comet which can be seen with the naked eye on the 5th/6th January both from Chile and the UK. So keep your eyes peeled for that!
The photo of Tamsin was taken when we walked up to the highest point in the town, shortly before she fell and did a comedy trip that Norman Wisdom would be proud of. Nothing was injured apart from her pride.
La Serena
At La Serena we stayed at a great hostel called Maria's Casa where Vanessa the dog lives. One of Maria's sons thinks she is the most beautiful dog in the world, the other that she's the ugliest in Chile! What do you think?
The National Park of the Humboldt Penguin is nearby and we went on an excellent tour. Lots of Penguins, Sea Lions and the water is amazingly clear. It is different shades of blue and green wherever you go.
We met some lovely Americans, Megan and Matt, on the tour who had been studying in the south of Chile. We went out for a Chinese meal in the evening and shared a few cheeky cervezas!
The National Park of the Humboldt Penguin is nearby and we went on an excellent tour. Lots of Penguins, Sea Lions and the water is amazingly clear. It is different shades of blue and green wherever you go.
We met some lovely Americans, Megan and Matt, on the tour who had been studying in the south of Chile. We went out for a Chinese meal in the evening and shared a few cheeky cervezas!
Pan de Azucar National Park
Or Fairycake national park (because of the shape of an island in the park).
From Antofagasta we travelled 5 or 6 hours South to Chañaral to visit the Pan de Azucar national park - many many Cactii, also some interesting geology and great wildlife.
The fox in the picture is smaller than foxes in England and is hunted by the stray dogs that come in from the city. This one had his lunch with us.
From Antofagasta we travelled 5 or 6 hours South to Chañaral to visit the Pan de Azucar national park - many many Cactii, also some interesting geology and great wildlife.
The fox in the picture is smaller than foxes in England and is hunted by the stray dogs that come in from the city. This one had his lunch with us.
Chile
The Salar de Uyuni tour finished in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. From there we headed straight to the coast descending from 4500m to sea level. It was nice to be able to breathe again!
We stayed one night at Tocapilla, a little Fishing village which was beautiful but lacking in beaches then on to Antofagasta - Chile's second city.
Our best day at Antofagasta was on the beach which we had all to ourselves in the morning then the local supermarket staff, their children and anyone else they have ever met came down for their Christmas party.
We met an American chap called Chuck on the beach and he had a friend teaching English at the local school. We had a very Chilean night out with them until late.
We stayed one night at Tocapilla, a little Fishing village which was beautiful but lacking in beaches then on to Antofagasta - Chile's second city.
Our best day at Antofagasta was on the beach which we had all to ourselves in the morning then the local supermarket staff, their children and anyone else they have ever met came down for their Christmas party.
We met an American chap called Chuck on the beach and he had a friend teaching English at the local school. We had a very Chilean night out with them until late.
Uyuni
Our next adventure was 3 days of salt flats and beautiful Bolivian wilderness from the comfort(?) of a 4x4.
The salts flats are where an inland sea finished evaperating 10 thousand years ago to leave 6 metres of salt.
The light reflecting from this bizarre white landscape is incredible.
Our tour took us to Altiplanic lagoons with hundreds of Flamingos. We saw some of them sleeping on their feet on the way to see Geothermic geysers steaming in the cold air of the early morning.
Our tour group was great. We were with Geoff and Leanne from New Zealand and Miyuki from Japan along with Phili (Schumacher) our demon driver.
We learned some great new card games and we now have a real appreciation for Bolivian music!
The salts flats are where an inland sea finished evaperating 10 thousand years ago to leave 6 metres of salt.
The light reflecting from this bizarre white landscape is incredible.
Our tour took us to Altiplanic lagoons with hundreds of Flamingos. We saw some of them sleeping on their feet on the way to see Geothermic geysers steaming in the cold air of the early morning.
Our tour group was great. We were with Geoff and Leanne from New Zealand and Miyuki from Japan along with Phili (Schumacher) our demon driver.
We learned some great new card games and we now have a real appreciation for Bolivian music!
