Valparaiso and back to Santiago (25 - 27 March 2008)
Valparaiso is a town that rises from sea level into multiple hills. It is known for its colourful buildings perched on the incline of these hills. Our guidebook describes it as a photographer’s paradise. So we just had to do a quick detour to this place.
We took out first bus journey in South America and were very impressed. These busses are so luxurious! Even if you take the cheapest one like we did, you still get a toilet in the bus, a TV and a soft reclining seat. Wow, what a difference from Asia where we did not even have windows!
On arrival in Valparaiso, we gave into a hostel tout who approached us at the bus station and agreed to go with him to have a look at their place. Everything looked fine and the place had some kind of appeal to it, something more personal than what you normally get. So we ended up staying at Hostal Rosa Nautica. We noticed a police vehicle parked just across the street from our hostel - was this supposed to make us feel safe or worried?
We quickly checked in and then set of to the local barber to get Eon a proudly Chilean haircut. Every time he had a hair cut on this trip, I thought that it was probably the worst style he has ever had. But truly, this woman managed to top all of the previous disasters! I think Eon looks quite mean and that old Santiago psycho would think twice before harassing us again 
On our way back to the hostel, the police warned us not to walk up the street as it was not safe - the same street we are staying in…We did not think too much of it and explained that we lived just up the street. Still we were not afraid of anything, but we were getting more and more alert.
The hostel owner decided to make a traditional Chilean meal for his guests for lunch - a type of paella with mussels, clams, ribs, chicken and some spicy sausage all cooked together in white wine a huge pot. It sounded so delicious and I could not wait to taste it, but it turned out to be a bit of a let down. All the meat was grey and everything was a bit tasteless. At least it was an interesting meal and a great Chilean experience.
Another Chilean delicacy (well, I think it might be all around South America - will know for sure in a couple of month’s) is the empanada. This is very similar to the common café pie in South Africa, but comes in a variety of fillings. It is the cheapest food around and is great for lunch or even a quick snack on the go!
The next morning we took on the streets of Valparaiso. We walked up and down some of the hills, took some really cool pics and drank the most delectable hot chocolate in the world! We had a delicious set menu lunch at a little French-run restaurant and witnessed a student demonstration in the main square of town. All in a days work while travelling 
Because of all the hills, this town has a unique elevator system called ascensors. Basically these are short distance cable cars that transport people from the bottom to the top of each hill. Even though we think they are for the LSD’s - Lam, Siek en Dooies - we just had to try it. It was not the most exciting thing we’ve done, but at least we can say ‘been there, done that’. When Eon took his camera out to take a photo from the ascensor, the locals told him to put his camera away or stand the chance of getting robbed. Really, what is up with this place?! I hate feeling this scared and having to watch my back 24/7!!
We wrapped up all the sights in a days time and caught the bus back to Santiago. Yes, Valparaiso is a pretty little place, but who wants to stay in a place where you are told to be careful all the time.
Back at Hostal Sammy in Santiago, we managed to get a private room this time - hoping for a bugless environment, yeh right! The owner spoiled us with a home cooked dinner and we had way too much wine and beer. One thing led to another and before we knew it, we were in a Santiago night club, listening to some local band and dancing the night away! I will just briskly mention that we managed to get our of (what we suspect to have been) a swinging couple escapade…We got to bed at around 5am and had to get up at 7am to fly to Patagonia. I will not go into too much detail, but let me just note that I am certainly not young enough anymore to manage with only two hours of sleep. The previous day we decided that we would walk to the metro, catch the metro to the centre of town, walk to the bus station and then take the bus to the airport. These plans quickly changed to take a taxi to the airport….
Click on image below to view Santiago and Valparaiso gallery: