After a 4 hour flight to Mexico City, 3 hour layover, followed by a 8 hour flight from Mexico City to Santiago, then a $140 US dollar cab ride for 2 hours to a man who spoke un poco english, I made it to Luna Sonrisa in Santiago! Of course, it took my chaueffer (that's what I am calling him since I was paying him so much) about an hour to actually find the hostel once we got to valp, but once we did, my friends didn't make it easy for me. Because Julia has such a warm heart, she didn't make me keep spitting out broken spanish, and Bob came running down the stairs. I let out a big ol sigh of relief. I finally made it to my friends.
Luna Sonrisa
Bob the first day there
After venturing around Valparaiso, the comparisons to San Francisco were tremendous. Hilly, lots of street art, views of the bay, and amazing culture that later did we find out that Valpo was a stopping point for sailors looking to hit the gold rush in California. However, after the opening of the Panama Canal, Valparaiso became a stagnant port. Regardless, I had a lovely time in Valpo. Julia was the best host and we enjoyed a lot of good laughs together with her, bob, and jess. We saw the city, the beaches in vina del mar & quintar (where I got stung by a bee in the mouth and we hitched a ride home), and amazing chorrillana!
Vista de Valparaiso
Bee Sting with View of Quintay in the Background
Chorrillana - Meat, egg, cheese, and papas fritas
Street Art
Street Art
More to come, but Valpo was a great way to start off this trip!
Ciao
Billy
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