After Spanish school I plan a trip with a local friend and some other friends from school to the coastal towns of Valparaiso and Vina Del Mar. A quick 2 hour bus ride and we arrive on the coast where the temperature drops significantly from Santiago. I pull out my jacket for the first time in a couple weeks and start searching for hostels.
Valparaiso is a unique town with many cerros (hills) with colorful houses packed in tight among the confusing street system. We find a hostel with a dining room on the top floor giving an overlook of the ocean and the surrounding houses. The town reminds me of both San Francisco and a favela (barrio/ghetto) in Rio.
We spend the days wandering the streets and taking pictures of the colorful landscape and the many pictures painted on the buildings and houses. The city has many cable car lifts that save you the energy of climbing hill after hill for a pretty cheap price. We find another fresh fish market and enjoy some of the local cuisine. I order a Chilean soup that is filled with squash, corn, carrots, rice, and beef . . . delicious.
We make our way over to Vina Del Mar the next day and take a walk on the beach overlooking the familiar Pacific Ocean. Both towns are pretty laid back and 2 nights is more than enough for me to explore the 2 cities. I leave content to have had a break from the smog in Santiago and the hustle and bustle that big cities create.
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