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Posts from the ‘South America’ Category

Apr 11

Colourful Valparaiso, Chile

(Travelled on 18-19 February 2012)

Returning from Puerto Varas, we decided to take the overnight bus (15 hrs) to Valparaiso, a city about 1.5hrs away from Santiago. Valparaiso is the port city of the country and has been designated by UN as a World Heritage Site. The title is well suited considering how colourful the city is.

Our previous hostel host booked us a place right in the centre of the cultural area ie. Cerro Alegre, which is conveniently located with many cafes and shops. Nomades B&B is an interesting hostel with 6 rooms and is decorated with quirky paintings. The hostess was kind enough to check us in an hour earlier as we came directly from the bus terminal. Room cost 34,000 Chilean pesos and they only accept cash. Almost all the places we’ve been at Valparaiso only accepts cash.

Colourful paintings in the living room at Nomades B&B

Houses are built along this hill and the walk up is steep and tiring. Along the way, we can see the colourful buildings as well as the beautifully painted walls.

Since we’re already in the middle of the hill, the best thing to do is to walk around the hill first before going downhill towards the port. There are several lookout points in the area but the view of the port is partly obstructed by tall buildings and bushes. Still the clear blue seas welcome us on the sunny day.

View of port from the hill

Walking down hill was much easier than uphill. We spent the late afternoon enjoying the atmosphere – lots of people were at the port, some shopping at the nearby shops, others were simply lingering around. We watched children fishing and one boy got really excited when he caught a fish. Everyone screamed in excitement seeing the fish jumped out of water and the boy excitedly releasing the fish from the hook and putting it into the pail. Large birds flew around the port and in high speed, they dived down for their prey – such sharp eyesights!

Valparaiso is a good option for an overnight stay. Enjoy the colours. Enjoy the sea breeze. Enjoy walking up and down the hill 🙂

Feb 18

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So long Rio!

What we love most about Rio; let us count the ways:

#1 HOT, HOT, HOT, literally! No kidding, at 35C it’s a fresh change from the super cold in Peru

#2 People-watching brings a new meaning! So much fun and entertaining 😀

#3 So ALIVE!

#4 Favela has so much soul! Our walking tour brought out a different aspect of the favela that we came out utterly impressed. In a good way.

#5 The beaches – who can resist sandy beaches and oh-so-blue sea?

The only disappointment, perhaps, is the food. Strangely we didn’t have any memorable meals while in Rio despite the fact that they’re one of the most expensive food on this trip.

Obviously not impressed

Nothing’s cheap in Rio, btw. And after World Cup 2014 and The Olympics in 2016, inflation is gonna soar further.  So start saving 🙂

Farewell Rio, we’ll miss you!

Feb 16

Brazilians do the darnest thing!

#1 Visit post office in beachtowel

#2 Men walk bare chested on hot sunny days; no they were not at the beach

#3 Check-in bicycles @ airport

#4 Crushing drink cans by using moving bus

#5 Obsession with pharmacies – at least 5 pharmacies on the same street, all within 20m from each other

 

Feb 16

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Penguins, penguins, how I miss thee

Sunny day. Perfect weather. A day trip to see penguins. What else can a girl ask for?

Well we got more than we bargained for. We visited some scenic villages and beaches along the way, all on the Chiloe Archipelago. The pictures speak a thousand words 🙂

Feb 15

The little things in life

This morning while blue eyes headed out for a session of rafting, I decided to go running after 2 weeks of absence. After a short 15 mins run, I came to rest by the shore of the lake and found two dogs barking at each other. I usually get a bit apprehensive with dogs as I never know for sure if they’re friendly or threatening.

These 2 dogs, however, turned out to be friendly ones. They were just fooling around with each other and having fun. They ran towards the lake, got themselves wet, came out, wriggle the water out and bark again with their tails flagging furiously. I sat down and watched them play. A third dog, black in colour, came to join the fun and the 3 of them ran in circles around the kayaks, chasing after one another. 2 workers nearby stopped their work and watched, and laughed at their gimmicks.

Who would have thought watching dogs play can be so much fun! But usually the best things in life are the small details, the little gestures, that bring us a smile.

We’ve been slightly disappointed that we didn’t get to south Chile to see the wilds of Patagonia. Partly due to limitations of time, partly due to financial constraints. So we ended up at Puerto Varas, a small idyllic village by Lake Llanquihue, and for a little adventure, we went to see some penguins yesterday. It doesn’t feel as fancy as being at Copacabana beach or Machu Picchu, but simply being at a new place is quite an adventure in itself 🙂

I think it’s a blessing in disguise that we’re here cos’ instead of hurrying to some well known sights, we have the luxury of enjoying the village, have calm walks or simply sit down and have coffee while surfing the Internet (like what I’m doing now, hehe … ). It’s also a good time to reflect on our experiences so far 🙂

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