I had a week before my flight in Santiago, so I went back to the coast, 600 km North from Santiago (hoping it would be warmer there) to watch starts and do some hiking in the mountains.
Friday, 02/05. La Serena
La Serena is a quite big town on the coast, 6 hours (night) bus from Santiago. Nothing really much to do this time of year in the town: I would not dare to surf, it is too cold, I have seen enough penguins to pay for another tour and it is too cloudy for observatories at the moment.
This is a long weekend so the hostel is full of Americans who study in Chile. It is first time I see so many english-speakers whose Spanish is better than mine. And it is first time in the hostel, when there are not that many travellers.
Atlantic ocean
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The oldest church in town (the information board says it is of XVII century, but was built in 1755, wtf?)
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03/05. Cycling to Coquimbo
As it is long weekend and hostels in Elqui Valley just do not exist online - means I have to come there to get a room - I am staying another day in La Serena. I have rented a bike and cycled along the coast to a nearby town of Coquimbo.
Coquimbo is a nice quirky place with interesting harbour, seafood market and English quater. It is also on the hill, so reminds me of Valparaiso, but without graffity.
Weather changed from cloudy to sunny to foggy, windy and sunny again. The coast and mountains, right. All this, however, means that observatories are closed. Sorrow.
Coquimbo harbour
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Seafood stuff (had too much lemon, so could not really taste whatever was inside)
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Barrio Inglez
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Sunday, 04/05. Where is the Moon?
Travelling is crazy. You meet people just about everywhere: in the buses, in the shops, in the streets (well, dah!).
Going to Pisco Elqui today for star gazing (the speed of the movement was also impressive: one moment I am skyping with a friend, in 10 mins I am on the moving bus with 2 empanadas for lunch that I bought on the market 5 mins before).
Pisco Elqui is a small village in the valley: hippies (again), yoga, artesanales and observatories all around.
Sky here looks amazing, but I keep looking for Big Ursus and (suprisingly) cannot find it. There is South cross and Alfa Centauro and Sirius and Mars and Jupiter and, of course, the Moon. The Moon, as everything here, is upside down - it is growing and full moon is expected in the middle of the month. Crazy!
Sirius is also visible on the other side of the Earth, one of the things in the night sky that looks the same in all hemispheres. So when you next see Sirius, you know that I can also see it few hours later (so romantic, amn't I?).
Observatory
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The Moon
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P.S. Nights are getting very cold here - need to get to the North.
Friday, 02/05. La Serena
La Serena is a quite big town on the coast, 6 hours (night) bus from Santiago. Nothing really much to do this time of year in the town: I would not dare to surf, it is too cold, I have seen enough penguins to pay for another tour and it is too cloudy for observatories at the moment.
This is a long weekend so the hostel is full of Americans who study in Chile. It is first time I see so many english-speakers whose Spanish is better than mine. And it is first time in the hostel, when there are not that many travellers.
Atlantic ocean
The oldest church in town (the information board says it is of XVII century, but was built in 1755, wtf?)
03/05. Cycling to Coquimbo
As it is long weekend and hostels in Elqui Valley just do not exist online - means I have to come there to get a room - I am staying another day in La Serena. I have rented a bike and cycled along the coast to a nearby town of Coquimbo.
Coquimbo is a nice quirky place with interesting harbour, seafood market and English quater. It is also on the hill, so reminds me of Valparaiso, but without graffity.
Weather changed from cloudy to sunny to foggy, windy and sunny again. The coast and mountains, right. All this, however, means that observatories are closed. Sorrow.
Coquimbo harbour
Seafood stuff (had too much lemon, so could not really taste whatever was inside)
Barrio Inglez
Sunday, 04/05. Where is the Moon?
Travelling is crazy. You meet people just about everywhere: in the buses, in the shops, in the streets (well, dah!).
Going to Pisco Elqui today for star gazing (the speed of the movement was also impressive: one moment I am skyping with a friend, in 10 mins I am on the moving bus with 2 empanadas for lunch that I bought on the market 5 mins before).
Pisco Elqui is a small village in the valley: hippies (again), yoga, artesanales and observatories all around.
Sky here looks amazing, but I keep looking for Big Ursus and (suprisingly) cannot find it. There is South cross and Alfa Centauro and Sirius and Mars and Jupiter and, of course, the Moon. The Moon, as everything here, is upside down - it is growing and full moon is expected in the middle of the month. Crazy!
Sirius is also visible on the other side of the Earth, one of the things in the night sky that looks the same in all hemispheres. So when you next see Sirius, you know that I can also see it few hours later (so romantic, amn't I?).
Observatory
The Moon
P.S. Nights are getting very cold here - need to get to the North.
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