Wednesday, May 27: Valparaíso

The day started with an early breakfast at the hotel. For some reason, my hotel room believed that breakfast ended at 8, and although the call for the group to be ready was at 9, we all woke up at 7 to have breakfast. Upon having food in an empty room, we realized we were mistaken. All the same, the breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs, sausage, and typical American eats.

Once we got on the bus at 9, the tour guide announced that we were headed to the late Pablo Neruda’s house in the beachside town of Valparaiso, where we were touring. Pablo Neruda is was one of the most well known poets from Latin America, and his works are known worldwide (some of us on the trip even recognized it)! His house was well decorated with paintings and artifacts from all over the world, and although we unfortunately were unable to take pictures, I managed to snap a few of the outside. Also, there were some awesome views from the house!

After Neruda’s house, we journeyed around Valparaiso. The tour guide explained that unlike many cities, the paving of Valparaiso was still very ancient, and the cobbled stones of the streets were more suited towards walking rather than a bus. On the way, we spotted a tree covered in notes, which turned out to be a wish tree, where you can leave wishes on a note and leave them on the tree, which would help those wishes come true.

Further along, we got to a long set of steps, which had been referred to as the “rainbow steps”, for how they were all painted a different color. The walls surrounding the alley were decorated in murals, creating a bright, artistic atmosphere.

Afterwards, we took a boat trip around the city. Despite some minor mishaps before we got on the boat (fishermen fight, it got bloody), the view was gorgeous, including some cameos from some SEALS!!

Finally, this brought us to the much awaited lunch time, where we had lovely dishes of seafood and fish, some of Chile’s staple foods. This brought us back to the bus where we got ready for dinner, which we’re patiently awaiting now.

Overall, day 2 has already brought exciting, new sights that even a practiced traveler like me can appreciate. I can’t wait for the rest!! (Grace J.)