After so much beauty, wilderness and tranquility down South, Santiago was a bit of a shock. On the bus approaching the city, I had to switch to a city frame of mind. Ironically, while my awareness of my surroundings was now heightened (for safety purposes), the visibility of my surroundings (the snow capped mountains that shroud the city) was virtually non-existent due to the huge amount of smog here.
Needless to say, it was very different being in a big city for the first time in a couple of months. Other than a couple walks around town, I didn't do much here other than catch up on this blog, pictures, etc.
Valparaiso offered somewhat of a reprieve from the big city feel thanks to Pablo Neruda´s house, some really cool, colorfully painted buildings and the beach setting in nearby Viña del Mar. Upon my 10pm arrival in Valpo, I wandered the streets around the bus station for a bit before dropping into a shop to make a call to a hostel I had read about in my book. My small amount of Spanish seemed to convince the (non-English speaking) ladies here that I should not be wandering the streets in the area because it was ¨muy peligroso¨ (very dangerous). My Español is at least good enough to know when to take a warning, so I took their suggestion and followed the nice lady to a door on the same block. After 
some yelling back and forth up the stairs the lady wished me luck and said if I didn't like it, I could come use the phone. Or I am assuming this is what she was saying anyway. The Hospedaje was amazing. Okay, so it was a bit weird, but it did have hot water (see photo) and one of the smilingest grandmothers I've ever met. Though she didn't speak any English, we still enjoyed watching Seinfeld together. Being the first American and one of only a few backpackers to ever stay here, I had to stay a couple nights.
Valparaiso offered somewhat of a reprieve from the big city feel thanks to Pablo Neruda´s house, some really cool, colorfully painted buildings and the beach setting in nearby Viña del Mar. Upon my 10pm arrival in Valpo, I wandered the streets around the bus station for a bit before dropping into a shop to make a call to a hostel I had read about in my book. My small amount of Spanish seemed to convince the (non-English speaking) ladies here that I should not be wandering the streets in the area because it was ¨muy peligroso¨ (very dangerous). My Español is at least good enough to know when to take a warning, so I took their suggestion and followed the nice lady to a door on the same block. After 
some yelling back and forth up the stairs the lady wished me luck and said if I didn't like it, I could come use the phone. Or I am assuming this is what she was saying anyway. The Hospedaje was amazing. Okay, so it was a bit weird, but it did have hot water (see photo) and one of the smilingest grandmothers I've ever met. Though she didn't speak any English, we still enjoyed watching Seinfeld together. Being the first American and one of only a few backpackers to ever stay here, I had to stay a couple nights. 
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