San Pedro

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After a lot of rushing around and changing our plans (and even our bus tickets) several times, we jumped on a bus to San Pedro de Atacama. Still feeling the pinch, and optimistic about our money-saving abilities after couchsurfing, we opted for the first time for the economy bus. Trying to picture it? Take twenty four hours, add some hot sunshine, throw in a hard seat that does not recline, and you start to get the idea. Usually the high point of a long bus journey is the airoplane-style food. Not so the econo-bus. Stupidly, in our haste, Tom and I hadn´t brought any supplies with us, so you can imagine our horror when we discovered that ´dinner'was half a soggy sandwich.

Despite the stiff necks and rumbling tummies, we survived and when we stepped off the bus in San Pedro the following day, I felt for the first time that we were truly in South America. The dusty streets, the thatched wooden buildings, the sights and smells, the faces of the locals... this place is the South America of your imagination.

Last night we went star gazing. This was our first organised tour - up til now we´ve been stubbornly independent - but it was well worth it. We travelled with twenty others into the desert in the dead of night, where we observed stars, nebulas, galaxies and even Saturn and Jupiter through big telescopes. We were also taught how to read the sky and understand star constellations by an eccentric French astronomer. It was the most amazing view of night sky I have ever seen. Plus it was a mind-boggling and humbling experience to try and understand how far away we are from the nearest star and contemplating just how tiny we really are. I've never spent that long looking up the sky before. It´s so vast; so constant. Allowing yourself to get lost in it for a just a few moments is enough to put your worries in perspective.

Tomorrow morning we will set off on a three day trip to Uyuni, Bolivia. We are travelling by Jeep this time (thank God) and are looking forward to the next adventure...

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Photos

After 10 weeks on our space expedition, we had to make a crash landing on mars..

Being closer to saturn this was our view