Howdy. I´ve done a fair amount of traveling since I last wrote. Unfortunately, at this point the computer I have access to isn´t functioning perfectly with the system this website uses to upload pictures, so those will have to wait.
The day after my last post, instead of heading to Portillo, we stayed one more day in Vina del Mar and Max took me on a long afternoon walking tour of Valparaiso. It is a super hilly city, with lots of hidden and not so hidden staircases, and a series of hillside elevators throughout the neighborhoods. Before we ascended any hills we got a delicous empanada from Cinzano (I think I´ve already mentioned this bar in a previous post, one of the oldest bars in Valpo). The empanada definitely rivaled Doña Tina´s. After lunch we took a stroll around the pier. It wasnt real touristy; mostly just a functioning industrial pier. Then we slowly meandered through various other famous/and or favorite sites of his, like a super old church, the oldest bar in Valpo (Liberty Bar - pronounced liBERty), among other places. It is incredible how many original buildings and mansions are still standing after all the earthquakes this city has endured. It´s quite impressive, actually, because there are a ton of houses propped up against or (apparently) teetering over hillsides. Overall, Valpo is a very picturesque city. All its hills and colorful houses give a fantastic depth to the cityscape, and it´s location at the end of the bay provides gorgeous views of the bay to the north from a number of the hills. You can see the Andes as well... We spent all afternoon walking, but made it back to Max´s just in time to catch the sunset. I took two pictures equal to two scenes from pictures of the bay during the storm almost two weeks prior with waves crashing up against the coast as a means to compare how calm the bay normally is. You´ll eventually see them... Then we left the following morning for Portillo and stayed through Friday. The snow wasnt nearly as nice as it was the week before, so I only skiied once. I wasn´t feeling confident enough with my beginner skills to manage the rougher conditions. Basically, I wussed out. But I still enjoyed the spectacular scenery Portillo provides of the Andes (as well as the amazing dining!). That Saturday we were back in Viña and Max took the opportunity to show me a bit more of Valparaiso. We drove down a street that passes through all the neighborhoods, and we also went to the Neruda House museum, one of three of Neruda´s houses in Chile, all of which are now museums. We had a lovely final dinner that evening; I had packed that morning so I could relax the rest of the day. Given my early departure and the fact that Max is not a morning person, the next morning I barely got to my bus on time, but I made it nonetheless!
