Valpraiso

For the long Veterans Day weekend, we decided to skip town and explore more of Chile. So we headed west to the coast.

Early on Sunday morning we took the subway to the Alameda bus station and hopped on the next bus going to Valpraiso. Bus service in Chile is very comfortable and efficient. Being such a long country, the bus system has evolved to meet the long-distance traveling needs of the public, with service to Argentina and Brazil too. On the long-haul trips, some busses have seats that fold down into beds. We left the snowy Andes behind and rolled through vineyard for the hour-long bus ride to the coast.

Valpraiso is a quaint port city that is built onto the side of the hills. The city is dotted with jaunty Ascensores that take people up and down for a few pennies. Riding these reminded me of the scene from Motorcyle Diaries when Che Guevara stopped in Valpraiso to get his mail from the post office and got the "Dear John" letter from his girlfriend.

The city is covered with colorful houses. I wonder if there is a zoning code that people have to follow? All the streets are at an angle, and it seems like one is always walking up or down hill.

The headquarters of the Chilean Armada, facing the harbor.

We paid a few pesos and took a ride around the harbor on a local boat. Sea lions where everywhere, warming their lazy selves in the sun.

Under the shadow of the SS Cap Blanche cargo carrier, we got some respite from the hot sun. In the distance, a sea lion is resting on the bulbous nose gear of the ship.
All around the harbor, the dozens of ships from the Chilean fleet was at anchor. It seems like the entire fleet is in port right now.
Up on a grassy knoll above the harbor, the maritime museum crows about the navy's latest victory: The War of the Pacific in '96. (That is to say, 1896). We're getting better at reading museum exhibits in Spanish.



Back in a different part of town, the terrace of a local sun-drenched church was a popular place to sleep for lazy dogs and homeless men.


Little panaderias (bakeries) are a common sight. We got some hot cheese & garlic empenandas to sate our hunger.

We found that Casa Aventura was a comfortable hospedaje (hostel/B&B) to stay at. The place seems popular with the back-pack set and serves a hearty breakfast.