While I've come to expect the unexpected, I would never have predicted that I´d end up in an apartment a stones throw away from the beach in Viña del Mar....or wake up this morning to find a stray dog staring at me.
After a couple of days partying in Santiago I'd met a great bunch of people. During a drinking game, when all the best decisions are made, we decided that we'd do a road trip to the seaside towns of Viña del Mar and Valparaíso. Our group consisted of a girl from Paris, a guy from the Netherlands, an Aussie from Perth, a Cherry farmer from Oregan and three Londoners.
We bussed it to Viña and asked around at the bus terminal for the best way to get into town and find a hostel. We were about to get taxis into town when one of the bus drivers came over and said that he'd got an empty apartment which we could rent for 2 days. For half the price of the hostel - result!
There's not really much to see in Viña, but there are some beautiful beaches, and it's a great place to party! It's also a holiday destination for people from all over the continent, we met Brazilians, Argentinians, Colombians and more, all while partying on the beach!
It wasn't all smooth sailing though. We only had one key to the apartment and on the first night a couple of the guys headed home early, fell asleep and locked everyone out! We spent the first night sleeping on the stone floor outside the apartment and was woken up by a rather amused Carabinero (police) who happened to live in the apartment complex.
The second night we all came back together to avoid that problem. Three of the guys popped out for some food on the way back and we left the door ajar for them to get back in. We were all woken up the next day by a dog that they had befriended on the walk home and been unable to eject from the flat. While this was less than ideal, it did clean the place by eating up all the crumbs and leftovers from the previous nights dinner!
The next day some of the guys went back to Santiago, some found a new place in Viña and three of us headed along the coast to Valparaíso. Valpa could not be more different to Viña. It´s a port town that runs from the seaside all the way up into the steep hills that surround the port. No two houses are the same and they are all painted in fantastic bright colours. A lot of the buildings have beautiful pictures painted across them and some people have even decorated the pavement outside their houses. It's as though everyone has been allocated a piece of land and been given free reign on what to build on it!
The pace of the place is completely different as well. We spent the day strolling around the winding streets, stopping for fruit juices and empanadas along the way. It is a beautiful, laid back place....
I´m back in Santiago now and going to head South to find some Spanish lessons and climbing. Here´s a few pics from the first few days of my trip.
A husband and wife welcome back their family with a traditional dance at the airport arrivals.
One massive flag!
Chillin on the hostel roof terrace.
Valparaíso!
The Chilean Navy HQ
Painted houses at Valparaíso.
Looking out towards the bay.
Not sure where the inspiration came from but this is an interesting bit of street art.
It´s almost as though everyone trys to out-do their neighbours!
Colourful and laid back...
We visited the home of Pablo Neruda, the famous Chilean poet. This was the view from his bedroom. Not bad, not bad at all.
Standard house placement. I wouldn´t want to be in this one during an earthquake.
It was a great street.
Awesome
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