Valpo - city of escalators

After an early morning start in Mendoza for our border crossing bus to Valparaiso, we found out why it had been so cold the last few days. By the time we got to the border we saw that a snow cover of at least 20cm had fallen since we came up here on a tour three days ago. The views were spectacular but, given what we know about Argentine drivers, we had a few misgivings about choosing a bus company called El Rapido with a few crazy passing maneouvers and some fresh fingernail marks in the seats....

Stuck at roadworks on the border crossing

Typical Valparaiso street

Ascendor in Valparaiso

We made it through ok and landed in the warm and colourful Valparaiso after getting off the bus a town too early and set about walking the hills and riding the Ascendors (railway cars that defy logic and gravity to get you up impossible slopes). Valpo is a perculiar town, they don´t have window washers at traffic lights, instead they have performance artists juggling and doing crazy ball tricks. Also artists of all description sit at every vantage point across the city and paint the view selling their wares once they are finished. It also is a town kind of bipolar, the hills are very haphazard and quiet but as soon as you step down onto the flat area of El Plan its all hustle and bustle with a blocked street pattern and heaps of traffic and noise, but at least you can switch between the two with relative ease if you´ve had too much of either.

Valparaiso view

Unfortunately, other than wander the streets and admire the view, there´s not a whole lot else to do in Valparaiso so after 2 days of boheimian relaxation we decided to hop on a bus and head up north to La Serena for one last town and area to explore before heading back to Santiago.... because we haven´t had enough bus travel yet.

Valpo - city of escalators

Valparaiso, Chile