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Published: October 13th 2012
Valpo - Street Art banksy
Valpo - Street Art StairsSantiago was such a let down, i decided to get out of the city and head to the coast. The ski resorts were closed the week before so there was nothing to see. i caught a bus to Valparaiso two hours away. A port town northwest of Santiago, it is a hilly bohemian paradise. there is street art every turn you make and the streets wind very steeply in all directions from "the plan" the flat centre of the town to the hills surrounding it. Nicknamed “The Jewel of the Pacific”, Valparaíso was declared a world heritage site based upon its improvised urban design and unique architecture. Also host to the down hill BMX rally each year... check out the link at the bottom if you're interested.
i booked into the hostel Valparaiso and instantly met Katey, Anthony and Jeff. Katey, from Perth, was such a sweetie and offered to share her dinner with me. Over dinner we shared our passion for vegetables. Still the second best dinner I've had so far on my travels (Sorry Katey, steak egg chips and Chilean wine will take some beating!!). i stayed up with the boys and Leiza who worked in the hostel
playing the ring of fire with Pisco!! Katey and i got up early the next day to take a tour for tips of the city. we met Chris in his where's Wally get up in the central plaza. He took us on an eclectic tour of the sights and restaurants of the city. The street art was amazing, i got a little snap happy wandering around. after the tour finished Katey and i, having taken note of the key eating places, went on a mini tour of our own, via the cake shop, ice-cream parlour (duche de leche...mmmmm), empanada shop (over 50 varieties, so much cheese!)... then we walked some more to the vegetable market on the outskirts of town! Knackered we headed back to the hostel for another yummy vegetable packed dinner!
The final day we headed to the docks to take a boat tour, see the seals, travel the funiculars and trolleybuses. Another hunt for empanadas and churros ensued. then we tried the national specialty Chorrillana, a mix of Chips eggs, onion and succulent steak with Chimicurri sauce. Heart attack on a plate, but had to try it once!
Booked my flight to Lima for Saturday
Valpo - Churrillanas
Valpo - Churrillanas to start my trek of Machu Pitchu so I'll be a little quiet for a while but speak to you soon xx
to watch the Valparaiso bike race see -
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