Chile- A Day in the Sun

On our second to last day in Chile, we were blessed with a gorgeous, sunny day, even though the forecast said rain. We took advantage of this good fortune and headed to the two coastal towns of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar. From Santiago, we caught a bus right from the Parajito subway station, and arrived in Valparaiso an hour and a half later.

Valparaiso is a fascinating place. The city rises up from the coast onto several, suprisingly steep hills. The commercial district is on the flat part near the water, while the charming neighborhoods tuck themselves into the risings of the hills. The colors are vibrant, and there is art everywhere... even the graffiti is intricate and stunning.

Many of the buildings have an interesting mix of old, colonial european-style architecture, but the flavor of the streets is distinctly latin.


Because of the steep hills, Valparaiso has a set of funiculars, like cable cars set on tracks, that take you from the bottom of the hill to the top. It's a short ride, but you feel like you're in a different world when you get to the top. The atmosphere is suddenly removed from the hustle and bustle of the commercial center, and is replaced by a tranquil, almost festive atmosphere. There are views galore, and as you walk through the cobblestone streets, passing colorful houses, shops and cafes, the strains of cheerful latin and salsa music drift to your ears.



We stopped for lunch at this cafe, which had an amazing mural on the wall. Oh, and yes, we had such a great time with Francois the previous day in the vineyards, he's joined us for this day trip as well.
After a nice, leisurely meal, we took a brand-spanking new monorail to Vina del Mar, which was about a 10 minute ride up the coast. Vina del Mar doesn't have the same bohemian, artsy flare that it's neighbor does, but we found some interesting statues and ornamentations on the buildings and in the parks of this elegant and wealthy town.

We caught this incredible sunset on the bus ride back to Santiago...

When we arrived back to Santiago, we said goodbye to our buddy Francois. It's weird, traveling does this strange thing, where you feel like you can become really good friends with a person in a concentrated amount of time. It's the act of exploration, discovery and shared experiences that makes you feel like you have history together. We'd only known him for two days, but we knew all about his family, his job, saw pictures of his friends in South Africa, and had a pretty good grasp of how he would react to certain things. I suppose this is part of why I love to travel- to be able to develop these relationships, with locals and with other travelers, where you feel like you've shared something meaningful and irreplaceable in what could be just a day, and then, you part ways, and continue on with your journeys, knowing that somehow, you've been blessed by friendship in a way that you wouldn't have known had you not left the comfort of your home in the first place.

Anyways, of course we exchanged emails, and immediately added each other to facebook, so now we'll be friends for life. Jack and I spent the evening roaming Bellavista, a really cool, hipster neighborhood that reminds me quite a bit of the village in Manhattan, or maybe Brooklyn. The scene was picking up at 9pm on this Saturday night, the music was blaring and the crowds were out in force. We kept it simple and enjoyed a few cocktails and a light dinner.


We decided to walk home, and passed these magnificent fountains along the way. Wouldn't you know it, they made me have to pee. Don't worry, I made it back to the hotel.