Blogs from Valparaíso Region, Chile, South America - page 3

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Suzanne here... Every Tur bus we've seen has been new and fancy looking, so I was looking forward to our journey. Disappointingly our Tur Bus was old and dirty. Bah. Still not the the worst bus we saw though. About halfway into our journey we passed the blackened shell of an Expresso Norte bus. A fireman was still hosing down the smoldering luggage compartment. Looks like the poor passengers lost everything. Our only issue was the kid behind us. Bored out of his brain, he would not sit still. He phoned his mum twice just for something to do (I imagine she was thrilled). Towards the end he began to 'sing'. Or more accurately drone on in a toneless monotonous voice. We thought he'd soon lose interest, but no. His dad put in his headphones and ... read more
The first of our 3 absinthe 'mistakes'!
Colourful Valparaiso building
There's always something to see


I had an interview today at a girls' home in Valparaiso. This was after calling repeatedly for over a week by the way. Finally they told me to come in. I was Mary Poppins, my large umbrella in hand, dressed to the nines and puddle hopping in the steady rain. I was excited and just knew it'd be a GO. Eagerly, I waited underneath a bus stop awning a block away until it was time. Then I went in, professional, resume in hand. The director of the girls' home greeted me and invited me to her office. She began her spill by telling me that some of the girls have meltdowns from time to time. A few of them are traumatized from being removed from their families, or from things that happened to them with their ... read more


My lovely mother came to visit me. Dreams do come true. Whereas my trip with Kelsey was about seizing the day, pushing ourselves to the absolute limit activity-wise and living euphorically, my mom’s trip was more about taking time to pause, smell the roses, and enjoy everything and everyone around us. With her, my senses were heightened to the pleasure found in everyday Chilean life. I got the joy of simply being with the Chilean people that I love and my mom at the same time. My two worlds collided creating an interesting and unforgettable kaleidoscope of color. My mom coming to visit me was every bit of a miracle. That’s probably part of the reason I walked around in a surreal fog of bliss the entire time. This trip would have been completely impossible even ... read more
Me, mom and Papa Samuel
Papa Samuel's parents


I had really wanted to see this town after a friend visited a couple of years ago and told me about the street art. As our flight was the same day as the ship's arrival there was little time for sight-seeing and the transfer to Santiago airport. I arranged with Tours by Locals for Leoncio to collect us from the port, tour specific areas of the hills then take us to the airport. We had expedited disembarkation as we had heard horror stories of hours to get out of the port but were first through and half hour ahead of our schedule. Leoncio arrived right on time with a comfortable vehicle and stowed our luggage in the boot. First he drove us up into the Cerros to the ones I particularly asked to see - dropping ... read more
Wall art

South America » Chile » Valparaíso Region » Valparaíso January 26th 2017

Avant d'arriver à Valparaiso, nous quittons la Serena après avoir fait 2 jours de surf intensifs pour Remi et un beau bronzage pour Matou. Nous sommes allé dans la Valle del Elqui connue pour être l'un des meilleurs spots d'observation des étoiles. Aussitôt renseignés, on s'offre une soirée d'observation des étoiles au bout de la vallée avec des astronomes chevronnés. Le ciel est dégagé, aucune pollution lumineuse aux alentours, on réussi à voir les constellations de l'hémisphère sud, des agglomérats d'étoiles et de nombreuses étoiles filantes longues, très longues. Après une bonne nuit dans l autobus nous arrivons à Valparaiso, ville du poète Pablo Neruda, adorée par les graffeurs et les peintres, une ville d artistes quoi! Nous nous installons dans une auberge aussi haute en couleurs que la ville, sur le Cerro Alegre, le quartier ... read more
Graffitis Escaliers
Maison Pablo Neruda
Graffitis histoire Chili

South America » Chile » Valparaíso Region » Valparaíso December 19th 2016

Geo: -33.0206, -71.5548We disembarked the ship for the last time this morning. It's always sad to say "good-bye" to all that luxury at the end of a cruise. But before we headed to the airport, we spent the day touring Valparaiso, Viña del Mar and the Casablanca Valley on one last ship-sponsored excursion.We drove through Valparaiso seeing the hills of the city and the funiculars that provide service up and down. We stopped at two locations there: an overlook point to see the city and coastline from up high and near the coast for a walking tour of the area. Next we drove through Viña del Mar, passed by the large floral clock that is its centerpiece, and stopped at the Fonck Museum for a tour.Leaving the cities behind, we drove into the Casablanca Valley known ... read more
Street Market
Naval Museum
Graffiti is Everywhere and Usually Liked

South America » Chile » Valparaíso Region » Valparaíso December 13th 2016

In Valparaiso, I mainly walked around the city to see all the murals everywhere. I did a walking tour that helps you understand the history of the city and of the country, it was really interesting! I made some new zealand friends and found some french ones I had met in San Pedro! Finally, I visited Pablo Neruda's house here and the one in Isla Negra which 1h30 south of valaparaiso. Both houses are absolutely gorgeous! I was so amazed by his taste in architecture and the collections he did, his houses are museums! Unfortunatey we cannot take photos inside the houses, but I took some outside. ... read more
DSC_0488
DSC_0492
DSC_0497

South America » Chile » Valparaíso Region » Viña del Mar October 2nd 2016

Tarmac Tour 2016 This years Tarmac Tour of Northern Chile and Argentina is about to kick off. We have four intrepid riders all on Harley Davidson motorcycles. Last year while we were on the Klondike Loop through Canada and Alaska, Radar (who also goes as Gavin or Kevin) proposed to Nikki (also known as Vicki) at our overnight stay at Wiseman. This was witnessed by Pete (alias Pistol Pete) and his lovely wife Julie (also known as Jules) along with Gerardo (GOM to those close to him) Well, in August this year Radar and Nikki snuck off to Las Vegas to get married so Raewyn (alias Bones) and I (also known as Rosco) gate crashed the wedding there and now we join them on their Honeymoon!!! So let the fun begin...... Jules enjoyed being on the ... read more
Travel takes its toll
Pizza night.
Hurry up and wait.

South America » Chile » Valparaíso Region » Valparaíso September 19th 2016

"Preparate", prepare yourself, they said. As I got home this morning at almost noon, I felt like I had been hit by a bus, my entire body sore. It was then that I understood that Chileans are not kidding! This was my first time celebrating the infamous 18th of September, Chilean Independence Day, or should I say Independence week? I am so excited to finally be here during this time! I've always wanted to do this and I've heard tons about how much fun it is. I haven't been disappointed! These last 3 days have been a whirlwind of cookout after cookout in various places. I was fed so much meat that I had to change into stretch pants! Chilean flags soared high and there were fireworks in the night sky. This was followed by fondas ... read more
Anticucho
Anticucho = kabob

South America » Chile » Valparaíso Region » Valparaíso September 18th 2016

Ahhhhh Valparaiso !!!!! Pour nous, Valpo (pour les intimes) rimera avec Romina, notre hôte Air BnB qui nous aura fait aimer encore plus sa ville. Nous arrivons à Valpo vers 22h, au lieu des 15h initialement prévu car notre hôte ne pouvait nous recevoir avant. Tout de suite un couple nous guide et nous aide à trouver la bonne maison. Après quelques minutes Romina arrive et la voilà qui nous offre de quoi diner et nous bavardons de tout de rien pendant un moment avant de se coucher. Le lendemain matin après le pti dej, nous partons tous les 3. Elle nous fait une visite rapide de la ville et nous laisse ensuite visiter par nous même. Valpo qui est le plus grand port du Chili est entouré de 42 collines dont le « cerro conception ... read more
Valpo-3
Valpo-5
Valpo-25




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