Valparaiso

We left San Pedro and took an overnight bus twelve hours down the coast to La Serena. It was a quick one-day stopover, then we took a day bus to Valparaiso. Valpo, as its sometimes called, is an eclectic city steeped in rich history. After we found a hostel and set our bags down, we started exploring the bohemian neighborhoods that give the city its personality. The city was once a thriving seaport, but the opening of the Panama Canal made the city obsolete to trade ships traveling from North America. The economy took a blow for decades, but the city has since rebranded itself as an educational mecca as well as the official cultural capital of the country. Universities abound in old buildings once used as maritime offices and detailed artwork is visible on every street corner. Today you'll find students, musicians, artists, and Chileans simply escaping the heat of nearby Santiago. While we spent close to a week exploring the city, we still left wishing we had more time. It was by far one of my favorite cities. 

Main avenue

Lounging in the park

Narrow corner building

Tree-lined plaza

Looking north

City at sunset

Victorian house overlooking the port

Cobbled streets and colorful buildings

Palace of Justice

Deep red

Assortment of colored houses

Old hotel

To get into the hills of the city, everyone will tell you to use one of the vintage ascensores. This is a near-vertical carriage that will carry you to the top for a few cents. The city is dotted with 26 of these famous elevators, however only a handful remain active. These have the same charm to Chileans as cable cars do to San Franciscans.

Ascensor, or "elevator" in English

Each is painted a different color

Taking a ride

Not the best way to go down

As steep as it looks

The artwork in Valpo is everywhere. From sides of buildings to doors, windows, and parked cars, nothing is exempt from having an artist put his work on display. This is only a small handful of what we saw.

The last day, we went to the market with the owner of our hostel and bought a few items to make ceviche. The owner's son made us the ceviche and his family gave us a good sendoff before heading to Santiago.

Had to try the market's ceviche first

Shanta deciding on tomatoes

Sampling the fruit is encouraged

The market gato

Nacho making moves in the kitchen

Finally got the bottle open

The final product

This held us over for the ride to Santiago