Valparaiso is another amazing city for taking photos. This city is a huge U-shaped amphitheater overlooking the ocean, making it one of Chile's most important port cities and also a good place to go to the beach. The city is also built right on a hill... well, 45 of them actually.   And navigating the city using one of the many elevator systems that have been around since the late 1800's gives this city a great historical feel to it.  Combine all that with the buzz and energy from the universities, dozens of bars, discos, and fine dining options, and you have yourself a pretty fun and active place to eat, drink, and be merry.

I checked into The YoYo International Backpackers Hostel .... a great choice with young, friendly owners that like to take people out and make them have fun.  

And just like I did in Santiago, I spent most of my time walking around town looking for the perfect photo by day, and enjoying drinks with fellow backpacker from the hostel by night.   However, as nice of a city as this is, I want to move on. A couple weeks ago, I couldn't wait to get into Chile and have a look around. Now, I can't wait to get out. Like I said before it's expensive here.   Only now, my problem is that all the buses going north are full for the next couple days so I am kinda stuck here. Oh well... not a bad place to be stuck actually. 

 I bought a ticket to leave late Wednesday night on the only seat available to get out of here. It's called "full-cama" which means a full reclining seat that folds down flat just like a bed and comes with pillows, blankets and who knows what else... probably champagne too. I never did one one of these before but it should be nice since the next leg is about 24 hours away. There are a couple attractions in the north that I want to see and I hope are budget friendly. Until then.......