Chillán and Valparaíso, Chile

We traveled what seemed like forever up the PanAmerican highway to get there. We could see the Andes the whole way, which if you think about it is a little odd. The whole time we had the border between Chile and Argentina in our sights. You could literally see the end of the country the entire drive. Chile is SKINNY!

On Saturday, we headed into the open-air market in Chillán and picked up some salad for dinner and some souveneirs. Eating out in Chile is ridiculously expensive for us. in general, it costs as much to eat out as it does for our room. Way too much money.

We´ve made quite a few trips to the grocery store to conserve our funds since we´ve arrived here.

From Chillán, we joined hundreds of other travelers ending their long holiday weekend on their return trip to Santiago. The bus we had to Santiago was by far the worst we´ve had so far. No food, a child that climbed all over us, a PUPPY that barked and whined and ended up being thrown underneath in the cargo bay, Batman Returns dubbed in Spanish for the second time, and NO BATHROOM -- for SIX hours.

In Santiago, we immediately switched busses and spent another hour getting to Valparaíso, where we are currently situated.

The weather here has been absolutely gorgeous. Quite a change from Pucón, we have had 70+ degrees and not a cloud in the sky.

We have also been much more productive in Valparaíso than we were in Pucón.

Yesterday, we walked all over town and visited many of the ascensores (lifts) that abound in this port city built on steep hills. Today we found our way to the national park and spent from 10am to 3pm hiking a mountain.

Comparing Chile to Argentina, in Chile: Things are much greener Busses are cheaper Eating out is expensive There are mega stores, much like home-depot and WalMart The people speak poorly, dropping letters everywhere, speaking quickly, and generally confusing Patty and I. People are of a darker complexion Men wear ponchos and traditional hats! (well, some, at least)

Next up is Viña del Mar and perhaps the museums in Valparaíso. On Thursday, we will be heading off to Santiago to meet Patty´s boyfriend, Charlie. From there, we go back to inexpensive Argentina and continue our journey northward towards Bolivia and Peru.

Well folks, that´s all for now!

Hasta pronto, Alison and Patty