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 1840s & 1914 the town became exceedingly rich as the main port distributing the spoils of the West Coast Gold Rush. Sadly this golden era ended with the inauguration of the Panama Canal, which allowed ships to travel through the continent rather than around & therefore bypassing Valparaiso.

The new port & a considerable part of the town is built on land reclaimed from the sea. Local myth states that one day the sea will rise up & take it back.