BackpackingBaloogas: Viña, Valpo, and Santiago, Chile

Viña del Mar

After leaving northern Chile, we took our last crazy, long bus ride (24 hours) to Vina del Mar, the Garden City. Vina is located on Chile´s coast about 2 hours outside of Santiago. On our first day there, we had to try something called an Italiano completo, basically a hotdog with avocado, tomatoes, some white mystery sauce, and papas fritas. They seem to be very popular in Chile. We took a stroll along the boardwalk, where we saw a really cool castle and a nice view of the city from the water. We also ran into some friends we had met in Cusco, Peru. They are students from UMass studying in Chile. They took us to a bar to try a Chilean drink called a Terremoto, (means earthquake in Spanish), it consists of white wine, pisco (grape brandy), grenadine, and piña ice cream. SWEEEET! We also had a chance to see a Moai statue from Easter Island.

Steets of Viña

Italiano Completo

boardwalk in Viña

neat castle

Terremoto or headache

lil part of Easter Island

Valparaiso

Valpo is the sister city to Viña, just a 15 minute bus ride away. Though not as nice or clean, it still has some good characer to it. There are colorful graffiti murals all through out the city, and being built in the hills, there are steps everywhere. Nightlife is big and late in Valpo, locals usually return home when we are heading out for breakfast. Our hostel was in a building above a club, so the loud, late partyers kept us up all night. Next stop the capital city, Santiago!

Can you see the seal?

Kinda hard to call something so awesome, graffiti

A maze of wires

Our hostel above a nighclub

Sun setting on Valpo

Cool mural on hostel steps

Santiago

Two hour bus ride from Valparaiso, and we are in one of the most modern capitals in South America. Santiago, home to 6 million people, is clean, with a beautiful backdrop, the Andes. The metro is the way to travel in the city, but it certainly does get packed during rush hour. We hiked up Santa Lucia hill for a panoramic view of the city. There was also a centuries old castle built up there, Castillo Hidalgo. Again, we had a chance to meet up with a friend we had met in earlier travels, a Chilean who actually lived a couple seasons in Steamboat Springs! Next, off to our final country, ARGENTINA!!!!!