Valparaiso, Chile

Initially Valparaiso wasn't on our list of places to visit, but so many people had recommended it we decided to see for ourselves... We left Mendoza early in the morning, hoping to arrive in Valparaiso mid-afternoon and have a few hours to get our bearings around the city. The journey started really well as we were upgraded to the first class and the views from our window were incredible. We stopped at the Argentina/Chile border in the heart of the Andes, looking out at clear blue skies and snow covered mountains! However, we didn't move from that spot for another six hours...

After a horrific border crossing, we arrived in Valparaiso at close to midnight, tired and hungry. A group from our hostel were about to go out for a bite to eat so we dumped our bags followed them into town. Given that we wouldn't be able to retrace our steps, we decided to stay out with them and ended up in a nightclub! Unfortunately it was more like a school disco, with girls on one side and boys on the other... that is until Jo came and got the party started!

Our hostel was full of friendly travellers who gave us good tips of what to see and do, although we spent our first day so in awe of Valparaiso that we completely lost track of everything we'd planned. The town is stunningly beautiful, set in the hills overlooking the Pacific ocean. Each house painted in bright colours or by local artists keen to show of their talents. The streets were cobblestoned and lined with small cafes and boutique shops.

To get to to the top of the hills we took ascensors, which are 100 year old lifts that save you from walking up huge staircases. The views across the port and the city's waterfront were amazing and it was great to see the sun and enjoy 20C+ temperatures for the first time in a few weeks!

We tried a number of local dishes, with mixed success... One Chilean staple we took a shine to was the 'completo italiano' - a hotdog smothered in a layer of tomato, avocado and mayonnaise to resemble the Italian flag. The cafe next door to our hostel sold the best coffee, ice cream and hot chocolate. Our favourite was the Submarino, which was hot milk with a slab of milk chocolate, chocolate sauce and whipped cream... All the weight that we had lost was quickly being put back on!

We'd originally planned to stay for just two nights, however we couldn't tear ourselves away and it ended up being four... One day we took a short boat strip around Valparaiso's harbour to see the brightly painted houses from afar and were fortunate enough to see a group of sealions asleep on a buoy and swimming around our boat! We watched a live band performing rock classics in the park and did a walking tour of the city during which we found out lots of interesting facts... including how to get a Valpo girl into bed using chicken!