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Take That once sung the immemorial line 'We've come a long way, but we´re not too sure where we've been'. Whilst Gary Barlow was probably explaining the meteoric rise to fame of 5 likely lads from various Northern cities and the instantaneous lifestyle adjustments which subsequently accompanied it, he could have also been describing the 18 hour bus drive from Santiago to Antofagasta. Despite it's length the transport was a belter, as although we were unable to book on the bog standard, no frills 'classico', we were placed in 'cama' with an almost fully reclining seat, lots of space, warmth, breakfast and dinner, although the latter included a sandwich with bread as dry as our destination - The Atacama desert. For the hours we spent on the road north, signs of life were minimal, unsuprising given it is the driest place in the world and the vast landscapes of rock and sand give the place the appearance of that of another planet. Ironically it is here that the world's largest telescope will be built in the Cerro Armazones as the area has the clearest skies in the world. After a brief stop in the un-noteworthy coastal town of Antofagasta, the only incident being Danny being caught out by the tide - cue wet boots and jeans, it was onto our transfer to San Pedro de Atacama. Here we split temporarily, I north on a 3 day jeep past Laguna Verde to the Salar de Uyuni salt flats, Danny east to Salta, Argentina, rendezvousing again in La Paz. I will write again soon.
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