Test day has finally arrived. Nervous was not even the right word, trying to find even a bit of space to prepare for the test throughout the week was not the easiest thing as everything was so fascinating that it was hard to not immerse yourself in it. I mean could you blame me? A desert with more plant life than you could ever imagine not to mention the sheer callosity of animal species present, the true scientist in myself finally made itself apparent. The urge to find out what, why, how had become my sole purpose. Never the less, we made our way to the research base and prepared our selves for the 9am ID test. An hour and a half was given to us (this was extremely generous) to answer 30 two-part questions, which in total would make 20% of our overall grade. The test itself was smooth sailing, all of the questions related directly to what we had seen and experienced although a couple interesting questions were thrown in like in any test. What was most surprising was the a...
The earlier morning for some reason was much easier to get up to than the later more typical mornings; I presume this was due to the prospect of finally seeing a penguin in the most unusual landscapes of all- a desert. With excitement brewing in my blood our entire group got on the coach and set off south to reach the national park. The coach trip was much like that of any other one that we had been on. There is something about the comfort of the seats that sends you straight to sleep no matter how awake you feel. However, I luckily woke up at the right times and saw a multitude of wild endemic animals including guanacos, lama guanacoe , and wild donkeys, Equus asinus which before the coach ride I had no idea of their existence in the Atacama desert. Finally upon arrival, I was presented with a bright orange life vest that thankfully provided a layer of warmth as the 4 layers including my favourite oversized knitted lama jumper were failing at their intended purpose… t...