We were sad to leave La Serena but there was still so much to see. From there we took a day bus over to Valparaiso, Chile. I´d heard that this city was charming, and it most defintately lived up to that. A bit larger than i was ready for, with some of the biggest hills i´ve walked sinse being in S. America. Everywhere we went was a workout, especially with our over-stuffed packs.

When we 1st arrived in Valparaiso, we got in touch with our couch surfing host, Pia and grabbed a quick bite to eat while awaiting her arrival. Once we met, it was clear that that girl was going to be really easy to get along with- a tiny little thing, with a huge personality. She was super laid back and we had plenty to talk about right off the bat. We took a cab to her apartment because we knew, with one glance of the stuffed busses, that here was no way we were going to fit all three of us AND our packs in one of those bad boys during rush hour. Our cab dropped us off a few blocks away from Pia´s place. As we walked up, Devan and i couldn´t believe that we had lucked out again. Pia lived a few floors up with two other roomates. They had a fairly spacious apartment with an incredible view of the ocean. As we unpacked our things and settled in, we realized that we were in serious need of a lavanderia (laundry mat). We asked Pia where the nearest one was, and she grasciously offered her own washing machine for our use. Devan and i tossed in all of our dirty clothes with sour faces. After washing up a bit, Pia took us for a walk along the beach. After a mile or so we found a few enormous rocks, and took a seat and chill out. After soaking up the view for a bit, we decided to head back home (Pia had class the next day and Devan and I were exhausted). Needless to say, it was an early to bed kind of night.

The next morning, Devan and I awoke to an empty apartment. We decided to walk down to the fish market and find something yummy to cook for dinner. As we walked along the shore, we couldn´t help but notice the outdoor workout equiptment. We had seen this sort of thing in La Serena and I had decided that before the trip was over i had to use a cardio machine that looked out over the ocean. Unfortunately, they were all full. We stuck with the plan and headed to the fish market. It was so cool! We got there early enough to see all the fishermen bring in their catch of the day. We picked out some shell fish to prepare with some pasta later on, and left to find an empanada de mariscos. The empanadas we had for a quick snack were not even comparable to the ones we had in La Serena, but they were still good. I am fairly sure that La Serena will take the cake for best Empandas de Mariscos in all of Chile. After our quick snack we started back towards Pia´s place to drop off our food. Along the way, I was thrilled when i saw that not all of the equipment was being used. We dropped our bags in the grass, and had a quick workout while looking out over the water (exactally what i´d wanted)! After our very successful first morning in Valparaiso, we decided to take the bus into the centro.

From the centro we walked around the city, checking out the local stores, and crafty street vendors. After stopping for a quick lunch Devan and I decided to take the lift up the hill to the ritzy part of town (Pia had suggested it to get a good view of the whole city). The hilltop didn´t strike me as ritzy right away. We set out to find a plaza that we later discovered didn´t exhist. We walked around in search of mystery plaza with a map that wasn´t drawn to scale, and with varrious sets of directions that didn´t ever seem to pan out. As we strolled around, this ritzy part of town struck me as more artsy than anything. Everywhere you turned, there were murals covering all the walls. What some would dismiss as simply street art, i would consider the best example of modern art that i´ve seen while traveling. The vibrant colors popped out left and right, and you couldn´t ignore them. The images were just stunning. They ranged from naked women with vines climbing up their backs (both real and painted on), to a hippie JC smoking a joint. Almost all of the pictures i took that day, were of the paintings these walls had collected over the past years. It was only on our way down, that we noticed how remarkable the view was from up top. We took a quick photo of the two of us, and started our decent back down.

That night, Devan and i prepared a dinner of pasta de mariscos con una salsa de vino blanco (shellfish pasta with a white wine sauce). Pia and her roommates had collected another couch surfer for the night, so that made us 6. We threw in a little extra pasta and made do with what we had. It turned out great! Good food, good wine, and great conversation. After dinner we played a game that was similar to kings cup in the U.S, but it was played on a game board. After, the game we had planned to go out and catch some of the night life. However, a few beers in, and we all decided to have a youtube party instead. With DJ Pia at the keyboard, the music went on until about 4AM, when the last of us finally retired for the night.

The next morning, Devan and i wrote a quick note on Pia´s couch surfing board, and packed up our things. We decided to bear the city bus with our giant packs and made our way to the terminal. Lesson learned- backpackers are not warmly welcomed on crowded city busses. We got off early and walked the rest of the way, to catch our day bus to Santiago, Chile where we´d spend my 24th birthday. Valparaiso was a wonderful city with tons of character, and plenty of good people.