Chile, La Serena

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The quiet, quaint coastal town of La Serena made a nice change after frenetic Valparaiso. Our main reason for this stop was to visit Chile's famous observatories and get a closer glimpse at the night skies. The telescopes didn't disappoint. We looked at Saturn (bizarrely looked exactly like a comic book image), Sirius (the brightest star in the sky), Alpha Centura (closest star to us), lots of constellations, the Orion Nebula (where stars are 'born'), open and closed star clusters, and the moon, which we were able to photograph through the telescope. It was pretty cool, albeit in a slightly geeky way. We also hoped to fit in some surfing but the chilly weather and lack of wetsuits soon put us off. Popped to the beach anyway, which strangely resembled a typical Blighty seaside with donkey rides and a garish lighthouse that didn't work. Bit random. The archeological museum held more surprises - shrunken heads, mummies, Inca pottery and even an Easter Island Moai. Definitely worth the visit. [Clare]