Right along the ocean, these are the two more gorgeous cities I have visited in Chile to date. Valparaiso literally translates to "Paradise Valley" and Viña del Mar to "Vineyard of the Sea". You leave one city and enter the other without really knowing, since they are side by side. These cities are centrally located in Chile and important seaports to the country. Valparaiso also houses the National Congress. A couple lesser known facts about Valparaiso is that it was home to the first public library in Chile as well as the continents first fire department. Viña is known more for its beaches and touristy attractions. It also has a stunningly beautiful white casino.
Valparaiso has steep hills with homes almost all the way to the top. It has an artsy atmosphere, with little shops everywhere, in every hidden street and corner. We were there for one week and I saw many beautiful places, danced salsa, drove a boat, met lots of people, enjoyed the beautiful weather, and ate some great food!
The family i stayed with was wonderful. It was a cozy home, beautiful antique hard wood floors, simple, with a great garden of fruits and nuts. I had fresh picked mini-plums and another yellow fruit, which i dont recall the name of, in the morning for breakfast. There were papaya trees, a lemon tree, and almond trees in the garden too. I have worked with almond manufacturers, I've promoted almonds, I've sold almonds, but never could i recall having actually seen an almond tree and furthermore, picked an almond myself, cracked it, and ate it immediately. So, of course, i had to take a picture to mark the epic event, haha. You can see the rock that i smashed the shell with, and then the freshly picked almond in my hand, which immediately went to my stomach. Rico!
I think this is the biggest completo, aka hot dog, i've ever eaten. Tomato, palta (avocado) and mustard were my toppings. It was HUGE but did ya know, i ate it all!!! The picture doesn't do it justice! I never knew avocado or guacamole was a great topping on hot dogs until i came to Chile. Live and learn.
We took a boat tour in the harbour in Valpo. We had blue skies, it was quite windy, with a gorgeous view of the cities. The boat captain was very nice. I headed over to his cabin and just as i was asking him if i could drive, he offered me the task! I didn't even have to finish my sentence. So I took the wheel and had a ball!
I manuevered through all those birds!
Sealions, o lobos del mar, sunbathing! How peaceful, except for the occasional tourist interrupting their sleep. :)
First, New York Bay....now Valparaiso, I wonder how easy it would be to become a boat captain. This is me with Viña and Valpo in the background.
I would definately recommend to anyone, VISIT Valparaiso and Viña del Mar. They are worth the trip!
I am now getting ready to head down to the South of Chile, which is vastly different than the North, which is all desert. I will return to Antofagasta for a few days before heading to Santiago, the capital, for closing ceremonies. After that it's Argentina for a week and then the US of A! Wow how almost 8 months is over.
CW
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