So...Mr Prat!! Beloved of Chileans everywhere despite unfortunate name. In the early stages of the war between Chile & the joint forces of Bolivia & Peru (btw both claimed the other side started it!) Captain Pratt leapt onto a Peruvian ship & attempted to overrun it single handedly. He was, of course, killed & therefore unsuccessful. However his bravery became legendary & encouraged Chileans to join up to the forces as conscription was volunt...

Oh almost forgot...today encountered my first bus dilemma which will bore you all with. Soooo usually we have a rough plan of our travels but in Chile we have to be more organised as just so darn expensive. Last night we planned our trip for next few days including buses & hostels. All was going swimmingly until we got to Valparaiso bus station & tried to buy tickets onward to La Serena. All buses were full!!! This has never happened before. Twice ther...

Voila...La Sebastiana, another of Pablo Neruda's houses. He called it his house in the air. Beautiful views & yet more cool knickknacks.

Early to rise, fun trip across town on the Metro & on to the bus bound for Valparaiso. At the moment we seem to be surrounded by a sea of Brazilian tourists who sadly are all quite rude & pushy. It is a shame as I really liked Brazilians when I travelled through earlier this year. Arrived at our lovely little hostel, Lunasonrisa, after a fun taxi ride up the steep & colourful streets. Felt so happy to see the sea!! First time have caught a glimpse s...

After a wonderful & much needed lie-in ( only interrupted by 2 Australian dorm mates hitting snooze on their alarm for 6.30 am 7 times & then crashing about for over an hour) & a great chat with my mum on Skype, Emma & I headed out to undertake the Valparaiso walking tour run by the aptly named, Tours 4 Tips. The photo is of the Chilean Naval headquarters in Plaza Sotomayor. Valparaiso was for many years Latin America's largest port. Between the...