Hotel Acontraluz Valparaiso

Every day I fall more in love with this place, and not just because there are beautiful latino men lining the streets. No, I find that every time I walk down an avenue I don't recognize, some small detail inspires me. I'm not about to sit down with a pencil and paper and become an artist, but I am gaining new perspectives all the time.<br><br>This past Saturday Katie and Leanna, a fellow student from my Chilean Culture and Spanish class, and I wandered after a tour with our study ...

... our project/presentation. (We found out today that our presentation wasn't going to be until Thursday, so we had a little more time to prepare for it.)<br> Wednesday, July 21, was a little different than normal. At breakfast, Margarita told me that their next exchange students were going to be coming today! They were two girls from Vasco, an independent country in the north of Spain (at least I'm pretty sure that's what they said). The girls were ...

... check out the pictures - I took lots, but there was so much more I didn't have time to capture in a photograph. That's okay, the photos probably wouldn't have done the graffiti justice.)<br><br>Well, wish me luck on my presentation, and I'll be sure to fill you in on my weekend adventures soon! This Saturday I will be traveling to Ritoque for a horse ride through the dunes. (Hopefully it doesn't rain on us!) Enjoy the 4th of July and be safe!<br><br>Erin<br>

... lie on little plateaus. The major streets go up and down, with "paseos" occasionally connecting them. Streets stop and start randomly--or rather they stop and start because the topography dictates. You really need to know where you are going, or have a good map. I ended up with four maps--every time I asked directions, I got a different one. Cerro Concepcion is a very artsy neighborhood with lots of cute shops and cafes--quite ...

... The hostel had a BBQ on the first night which was really nice. Never had pork so juicy and tender. Wine was cheap as well. <br><br>Had a wander up the hill with the virgin mary on the top. Its steep so you have to get a tram up to the top. The view was pretty impressive but like last time it was obscured by the smog so you couldn't really see too far. Had a wander around Bellavista afterwards. Really nice place. Lots of brightly painted houses and shops. <br><br>Not been up to much ...

... to the city centre. The contrasts in colour, shape and style between different houses and neighbourhoods were a feast for the eyes. Jools arrived the following day with his bed-bug bites and new travel companion, Marsha. We agreed that it was definitely one of the best places we had visited since starting the trip. During my time in Valparaiso I stayed in two hostels. The first one had an amazing local vibe and I spent much time chatting to local Argentinians and ...

... sugar and egg white). The local drunk, who did not want to be outdone then ordered us another round of drinks. So we left for the Dakar rather mellow. There were cars and trucks everywhere with masses of people vying for the best vantage spots, it was incredible to experience that. We left back to Santiago after waking early to see the Dakar cars off, nothing like a dawn walk to make to pass out on a bus.

... are when all the people come out from their hiding places and cause problems. So we decided to partake in some innocent entertainment and took this box-car thing on a cable (sorry these descriptions are weak) up to the top of a hill to get a view of the city and the ocean once again. It was gorgeous to see everything lit up, and the lights and music from the simultaneous parties going on across the city. Then we had seafood and went to bed. A ...

... the town, the fiesta del los mil tambores, the party of 1000 drums. Then, we all got together at the hostel in the evening, where we had some beers and some sangria. By the time we reached the centre of town, we realised that we had missed the actual music, instead we sat in the park with some bottles of beer, and chatted with everybody, until later on in the evening, when the Carabineros (Chilean police) came along and emptied our bottles! Anyway ...

... at least an hour, just watching the sun set.... Such an old romantic!! Poverty is much more visible here, than in Santiago - there´s very much a feel of things not quite being finished, but that also adds to its charm... I have felt that it is my duty to sample the food on wine on your behalf, and today I stuffed myself with seafood... calamares, followed by eel soup, which is not as gagworthy as ...