can't leave valparaiso without street art photos!

Welcome back readers! Or should I say photo-viewers? Because I took about a million on our first walk around Valparaiso, Chile!







A beautiful seaside town of sloping hills covered in colorful houses, steep streets, stairs and antique funiculars, Valpo experienced it's heyday in the middle of the 19th century as a stop for ships rounding the tip of South America headed for the California Gold Rush. It remained an essential port until the completion of the Panama Canal, shifting the trade-route and making Valparaiso obsolete.
















Luckily there is a bit of a renaissance occurring as the fruit export business catches on in Chile, and many of the buildings and funiculars have been declared UNESCO heritage sites.















Besides the vibrant color of the buildings and the mild, San Francisco-like climate, Valpo is also known for it's abundance of graffiti, most of which is unique and interesting enough to be labeled "street art" and becomes a requisite photo album for every tourist to the city! I know I liked it!




































Happy little photographer :D

Up to date Update

I don´t really feel like playing catch up anymore, or maybe just right now, and really I just want to describe the beauty that is Santiago, Chile.




We arrived yesterday morning after the bus ride from hell (12 wide-eyed overnight hours next to Señor Sleep Apnea) and navigated our way through the bus station and metro transfers, even got a metro passcard since we plan to stay a while, and lugged our excessive amount of stuff to what has turned out to be quite possibly the best hostel of the trip so far.

Though our room wasn´t ready at 11am, we were invited to hang out upstairs and help ourselves to the breakfast spead in the airy lounge. The windows were open over the quite side street and I´m reminded of Nice or Rome, breezy, 75, low humidity, simply gorgeous.




We took a long walk in the afternoon to find the climbing gym we´d heard about from fellow climbers in Cochamó and headed east towards the towering mountains that ring the city but remain almost invisible due to smog. It was a looong sunny stroll but we eventually found the gym, got excited to return on Monday, and hopped a bus back to our neighborhood (thank god for good breaks cause that driver... I felt like I was going to end up plastered on the windshield as we slid forward in our plastic chairs everytime he stopped for a new rider!).




After some reading and a nap with the french doors open to the courtyard, we cooked a quick dinner and passed out for the night, experiencing what we both agreed was our best night´s sleep in about 2 months.




Today we woke, ate a light breakfast and headed out to walk the avenues of quiet Sunday Santiago. We caught the end of a marathon, the awards presentation and a sea of happy, healthy faces, wandered past the Museum of Bella Artes and into the Mercado Central, bustling aisles packed with every sea creature imaginable!







After a couple of lattes in a relaxed cafe in the Bellavista neighborhood, we returned to the hostel, passing a sign for Santiago´s Lollapalooza Music Festival, which happens next weekend and headlines about every current artist we could possibly want to see... we might have to make that happen.




We may be coming to the end of our time here in South America, having just rounded the corner into our last month, but we´re going to keep enjoying what will hopefully be many more days like this one.

Head South, Young Vagabonds!

After the relaxation of Bariloche, we were worn out and decided to head south, way south, 120 whole kilometers south! Whoa. Jay and Jake decided to bike the ~60 odd miles while I hopped a bus and we met up in El Bolson, hippie haven of South America!




You think you've seen handicraft markets, trinkets and jewelry, scarves and carved maté bowls elsewhere? Not on THIS scale! The town has a half-moon shaped park that hosts the Feria Artesanal every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Crafts, crafts, crafts!!

We enjoyed the helado and delicious fair food (waaaaaffles!) but even this tiny town quickly began to feel too "busy" for us so we went just a bit further south to Lago Puelo, on the shores of ... Lago Puelo.







Much more laid back, we rest at a place fondly called "The Farm" by Israeli backpackers all over South America... Rey Sol. Founded by an amazingly laid-back Italian woman, Gila is more focused on inquiring if you'd like to join her for morning resonance meditation or sing to the moon in all it's glorious fullness than making sure you pay up front or keep the kitchen clean... The most relaxed place we've ever been.



















We more than enjoyed our few days there and took advantage of the nearby Rio Azul as much as possible.






















Other than all the exhausting relaxation we put ourselves through in those two weeks, we also found time to enjoy food, drink and some of the best café con leche in the country.



















Ahhhhhhh.....