Well I did get the right bus & arrived in Valpairiso about 1.5 hours after leaving Santiago. Declined the group tour offered on arrival & grabbed the free map, heading off on foot, slightly trepidatious of  my safety due to Lonely Planets 'Dangers & Annoyances' sections warning of muggings & petty theft!

As usual everyone was staring at me ... Just the norm now, and can sort of understand why when i played ''spot the blonde' and only saw 1 other one all day!

Stopped for an expresso & cake to read the map out of view of all those people who were gonna mug me on the street (thanks again lonely planet for the paranoia!).

I decided to fit both Valparisio and Vina Del Mar into one day.

I did a lap down the main street of Valpairiso then back by the water then hopped on a bus to Vina Del Mar - this meant I bypassed the funiculars but after going on one in Cerro San Cristobal - decided Id been there done that! 

Valparisio is quite old and has terraces of multi colored houses on the hill, and many beautiful old buildings at sea level.

It is also a port and stations Naval ships. No pics of the big boats in the bay as unfortunately it is prohibited :-(

Vina Del Mar and Valparisio are sister towns so to get to Vina Del Mar I only had to hail one of the little mini buses that were constantly whizzing by with 'Vina' written in the front :-)

For 350 pesos (70 cents) you get a 20 minute trip along the main road that connects the 2 towns, stopping to pick up locals who would hail us from the side of the road.  So many of these lite buses but also so many catchin them!

Tbe 2 towns are a complete contrast.

Valpairiso is dirty old attractive but ramshackle buildings & funiculars, where as Vina Del Mar has modern buildings & well kept heritage buildings, along with beautiful gardens and beaches and even a casino! 

As Arturo put on my Facebook, 'It's the Chilleans version of the Gold Coast', where they come to play and party! Not as big as the Gold Coast though and not trashy like it either! 

I had a lovely afternoon walking round Vina Del Mar, enjoying the slightly cooler weather then Santiago (25 deg vs 31) but of course still managed to get sunburnt by the end of the day!

In my wanders saw some cool things like a Maori statue from Easter Island, evidence of previous earthquakes with damaged historical buildings & Castille Wulff - probably a long lost German cousin who setlled in the area and built a castle overlooking the sea over a 100 years ago ...

Headed back to Santiago in the afternoon as needed to meet the tour group that evening ... 

Fortunately early on in the day the paranoia dissipated, and started relaxing and noticing all the uniformed Naval men instead! :0) 

No photos as need to work on my spanish small talk & confidence in requesting photos with the attractive or uniformed young men! 

I shouldnt be so concerned though as the chillian men like the 'La gringa'! And they call that out to me too! All cheeky smiles and waving while they do!

So as I walk around I hear 'Muy guapa!' or sometimes 'Muy linda' or 'Muy bonita' all are terms meaning either beautiful, pretty, cute ... sometimes yelled out to me & sometimes whispered as the man walks past ... 

 I had been warned they'd be like this (thus the half assed attempt at making my hair darker!) but even when I'm alone it's not intimidating, and actually find it quite flattering and other times down right hilarious!

 I don't feel they're saying it with any expectation of you reciprocating ... They're just expressing their pleasure in seeing la gringa!