Blogs from Valparaíso Region, Chile, South America - page 69

Bon sous la pression de Toni, je ne peux vous donner plus de detail sur cette oeuvre d'art.... ... read more

Mendoza oli ”nähty”, joten oli aika suunnata kohti Chileä. Bussimme kohti Santiagoa lähti 9:45 aamulla. Otimme tavastamme poiketen päiväbussin, koska tulisimme matkaamaan Andien yli ja maisemat olisivat hulppeita. Bussiasemalle ravatessamme (taas meni aamu vähän pitkäksi) totesimme, että edellisen illan viinipullo ei ollut pelkästään hyvää, vaan toi aikamoisen kohmelon mukanaan. Kyse oli Trapiche tilan viinistä, eli emme voi suositella sitä kenellekään (varsinkaan cabernet sauvignonia - vuosikertaa 2006). Bussiasemalla löydettiin heti oma bussi, joten laukut ruumaan ja menoksi. Tapana on, että laukkuihin laitetaan bussifirman laput missä on numerosarja ja annetaan lappunen, jolla laukut saa lunastettua määränpäässä. Lappujen kiinnityksen tekee luultavasti ja toivottavasti mies, joka on bussifirmassa töissä. Pientä närää meille aiheuttaa se, että olemme maksaneet jo koko matkan ja tä... read more

So we arrived in Valparaiso after a short and sweet bus ride from Santiago, Chile. We arrived at a cool hostel called El YoYo and started our adventures of the coastal areas of Chile. Valparaiso has all these cool asensores that are like elevators that go up the hillside. The entire city is built up and up and up into the hills. So there are these elevator things or a LOT of stairs. We used a little of both. The first day we were there we walked around the city, went down into the harbour and just sort of explored. The nice beaches were in the next city ¨Viña del Mar¨or the even posher nicer ones in the city after that - Reñaca. So day #2 was a beach day. And it was hoootttt. And apparently ... read more

You all know what happened at NYE, now NY day is another thing. We finished partying around 7am and caught a ¨emigro¨ (local bus) back to the apartment we were staying at. There was me, Jovicia, Matias, one of Matias female friends (did not get her name), Julia (but you have to call her Hulia as they pronounce J as an H here) and Yasna. We sat around outside the apartment for a while talking and laughing, but finally I had to go and get some sleep so I had to wish the girls good bye (very hard not to invite then in, but Matias told me we could not bring back girls to the apartment. Fair enough). Yasna gave me her # and asked me in Spanish to give her a call as we could ... read more

As I stolled down a shadowy side street in El Plan, I wrinkled my nose and tried to work out exactly what was causing the acrid smell in the air. Walking past a footbridge and receiving a particularly strong nosefull, I realized that it was the whiff of stale urine. If I had not been to Valparaiso before, the unpleasantness of the smell, together with the stray dogs lurching accross the roads and the general feeling of grime, may have left me wondering what all the fuss was about. However, I was aware that Valparaiso's central business and shopping district was not the reason the town was name a Unesco World Heritage site in 2003 but that the real magic lay in the bohemian cerros (hills) which rise above the city. So, trying hard to breath ... read more