Valparaiso

Megan and I got the overnight bus from Mendoza straight into Valparaiso. Border control took an age and we were freezing on the bus. Otherwise it was an okay journey but we were pretty tired for our first day here.

Accommodation: Hostel Po. A very lovely hostel with a great communal area in the roof of the building. Very laid back staff. Ended up extending for an extra two nights. Spent four nights here in total.

Valparaiso is a UNESCO town and became a popular place for artists to settle in the 90s. The town was originally formed as a result of the port which was once the largest and most important in Chile. It has a total of 42 hills. The main tourist hill is called Happy Hill. Definitely the safest place to stay and to wander the streets. We walked the length and breadth of this while we were here taking in the street art. It's a good work out for the legs. Our days consisted of walking tours (we did two), going for coffee and chilling in the hostel. We opted against going out at night mainly for safety reasons. We had been well warned to be extremely careful. There is a lot of theft here which unfortunately has gotten a lot worse lately. Someone I know from home sent me a message saying him and his wife were attacked at gun point a few weeks earlier.
The neighbouring towns are also lovely and worth checking out. They're very close by and all run into one another. We did a trip to Vina del Mar and Concon where we watched the sunset from the sand dunes.

Recommendations/things I did:
Walking tours of Valparaiso
Maria Maria for food. I went three times! Excellent coffee, the best pastries and do a fabulous brunch. The lunch menu starts at 1pm. Got the cauliflower sandwich. The place is a must.
Coffee at 504 Coffee
Get empanadas from Le Pató
Hotel Brighton for a drink. Has a great view from the terrace. They do an excellent Pisco Sour.

Vina del Mar:
Went to the beach
Had lunch at Noosa Cafe

Concon:
Black sand beach - pretty tacky and far too many people
Las Deliciosas for empanadas - I got the crab stuffed one. It was a recommendation from the Lonely Planet book.
Watch the sunset from the sand dunes. According to Megan, they have nothing on the ones in Donegal!

Get the local bus between the towns. It only cost around 50p. They drive like lunatics and it feels like you're on a low key rollercoaster.Læs mere