Paradise that wasn´t ... quite

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After crossing some of the most beautiful mountains we have seen yet, we dropped down to the coast of Chile and the city of Valparaiso. The name means Paradise Valley and the guidebooks set the scene for a most picturesque and colourful seaside resort. The reality was a little different - at least from what we imagined. Valparaiso has a stunning setting overlooking the sea and built on numerous hills, we approached it through lush valleys full of vineyards and groves of avocado, lemons and peaches. However, it is a very large city, the majority of which is full of shanty houses perched precariously on the steep hillsides. Within the teeming city is a neighbourhood that is very picturesque. Houses of many colours and styles line these streets, interspersed with bougainvillia and other flowering plants and trees. There are interesting galleries, cafes and restaurants but not much else. It´s just a haven for the photographer.

We found Chile to be quite a bit more expensive than Argentina with many meals just about as costly as in the UK. Good quality, though. We´ve generally eaten very well over here and of course the wines are very good and do cost less. We spent two days in Valparaiso before catching a bus up the coast to the much quieter city of La Serena which we liked much more.

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Photos

A typical street in Valparaiso
In the picturesque part of the city, up high and overlooking the rest are delightful houses like these.

A Valparaiso house
This was a particularly remarkable house in Valparaiso with stunning views over the town and port.