This was more like it! There is no better way to rest than to be busy with something you enjoy. Each journey north from Santiago has always been exciting - a mixture of anticipation of the new cactus adventures ahead and of memories of past Copiapoathons. To do this twice in less than a month was even better (although it would of course have been more efficient to have done all the cactus business up north in one go).

The plan was to drive to Vicuña and to make contact with the Chilean Seed Bank project that were looking to do a project on Eulychnia, according to information found by Juan a while ago on the Internet. He also wanted to check out a museum in Vicuña that specialised in bugs and insects, to learn more about the critters, that to me looked like fleas, that he had found inside the flowers of Copiapoa solaris and C. ahremephiana at Botija.

We had set off quite late and by 15:30 were in need to stretch our legs, just as we had sped past the Bahia Teniente exit  on Ruta 5 and decided to give this another go on the way back. The next exit, at Quebrada La Cebada was more promising when driving north, so off we went. In 2006, this stop had been aborted as the steep track was barred by a closed, locked, gate. This time, a sign urged us to close the gate after we had passed through it - but there was no gate! We followed the track, watched by donkeys and sheep that were grazing along the small stream at the bottom of the quebrada. As the track and the stream became one, we could see cacti hanging from the rocks on the hills that separated us from the ocean - ceroids. We parked up (S709) and raced up the hill and found Copiapoa coquimbana, Echinopsis (Trichocereus) chiloensis, Eriosyce subgibbosa and Eulychnia castanea; and all, except for the Eriosyce, in flower! A very worthwhile stop!

We reached Vicuña and found a room at Hotel Halley. This was the start of Telethon weekend, a national charitable event with moneys raised for disabled children, with a stage set up in the town square with bands playing, schools dancing etc. We ate at Restaurant Halley and wandered it the near by observatory had influenced the naming of the hotel, restaurant and various other businesses.

Leo reminded us that today had been his birthday. Oops. After dinner, we went to take a look at the Telethon activities on the Plaza. I gave Juan the equivalent of GBP 20 (US$ 30) as a donation to the Telethon, if the announcer in the Plaza could get the crowd to sing 'Happy Birthday to Leo', but unlike similar events in the UK, the announcer could not be contacted and everything seemed to run to a pretty tight schedule. In any event, both the regional and national target of money to be collected, was beaten. Well done.