Valparaiso, literally in spanish, Valle Paraiso (Paradise Valley), is a major coastal city in Chile. I took a day trip here; just two hours west of Santiago on the most amazing bus ever - the buses in South America have a good reputation - the bus had an attendant, pillows and reclining seats - and that´s just ´Classico´. I am very much looking forward to my 24-hour bus journey next week in the class above.

Following over 24-hours of non-stop rain, the weather was on my side today as I pulled into Valparaiso bus station - the sun was shining bright and the sky was blue! Valparaiso is the Chile I have been waiting to see. Built upon dozens of steep hillsides over looking the Pacific Ocean, the city boasts a labyrinth of streets and cobblestone alleyways embodying traditional, brightly coloured houses, shops and cafes.

I began the day with a walk along the main high street passing many small shops and cafes whilst trying to avoid street vendors selling everything and anything from cigarettes to finger puppets. Eventually, I reached the Cerros (hills). I was keeping my eyes peeled for the accensors (lifts) that take you up the different hills and ultimately, saving your legs! I couldn´t find a single one though so I ended up walking. I had a lot of fun exploring the alleyways and streets, taking photos and occasionaly stumbling upon a tiny up-market art and craft shop where I would spend time browsing the small gifts on offer. After a lot of time wandering and getting lost in an attempt to at least see one of these lifts, I gave up and boarded the Metro to Vina Del Mar, the next resort along the coast. It wasn´t as nice as it was extremely touristy and built-up; the reason for this is it´s beach in summer. However, despite not liking this touristic haven too much, I did stumble upon a Pizza Hut and was fully satisfied!

Once full of pizza and lemonade I started to make my way back to Valparaiso. Despite my aching feet, I forced myself have one last attempt at finding a lift - no such luck. But I had just as much fun wandering around the streets again marvelling the crooked, colourful buildings. Valparaiso has been a breath of fresh air (literally) from Santiago, it has been great to see a more traditional Chilean city unlike the westernised capital and the European styles in the southern parts of the country. I hope that the next few stops that I make in the north Chile, before Peru, are just as good.