2geonomads

Tuesday 24th February.

Santiago to Valparaiso.

Much of the morning spent seeing more of the areas around Bellas Artes, Plaza de Armas, and the market before heading off to take the train to Pajaritos where we switch to the bus for the 100kms trip to the coastal town of Valparaiso.

Interesting journey through the many fine vineyards of the region before arriving at about 3.00 pm in the Unesco-listed city.

As in most towns the area around the bus terminal leaves something to be desired and the walk into the centre along Ave Brasil takes us through a somewhat seedy part of town. However, first impressions can be misleading and this is certainly the case with Valparaiso as we pass through the many colourful streets which rise up from the singularly unimpressive port to the beautifully painted houses and steps. To help us tackle the first part of the steep climb we take a very rickety funicular after buying tickets from an equally rickety, semi-comatose lady. This brings us to Av. Templeman, the main street leading up to Voga, our small bed and breakfast in a very attractive area. A delightful young lady Alexandra greets us and gives us a quick Cooks tour of the very tastefully furnished house.

The steep climb up Templeman St

Street Art abounds in Valparaiso

David standing next to some street art bearing his name

As it states in all of the guide books Valparaiso must provide plenty of prospects for cardio-thoracic surgeons but our daily walks along the beach in Busso must have done the trick as we seem to cope with some fairly demanding walking without any problems.

Somewhat surprisingly no steps seem to have been taken to beautify the port area although the Plaza Sotomayor makes for reasonably impressive approach to the centre.

As we have not eaten any lunch we are well and truly ready for dinner at the superb small restaurant La Concepcion offering a fine elevated view over the town. The quality of the food is in keeping with its vantage point and we arrive back at the guesthouse very happy with our day in Valparaiso.

Voga Guest House

Cheers

The Obese Ferret.