a weekend at el puerto and la playa

Valparaíso (Valpo) is considered Chile's most important port and even though the entire country is coastline, it is the gateway to the Pacific.  As a World Heritage Site, the city is eclectic and cultural, characterized by its many hills and bright, colorful buildings lining the harbor.  To get up the steep hills more easily, pedestrians can take one of the 16 funiculars to the famous hilltops.

On our first weekend after splitting to our placements, a group of the WT volunteers met up in Valpo to see the tall ships festival and explore the winding cobblestone streets, undulating landscape, and sample the abundant seafood.  Even though it had been less than a week apart, we had already experienced the new ways of life we would each be adjusting to and hopefully thriving in for the rest of the year and had plenty of stories to share.

More Valpo Pics

We stayed overnight at a creaky little hostel up in Cerro Artillería and the next day, hung out on the beach in neighboring city, Viña del Mar, where we had a little fun with the cameras.

More Viña del Mar Pics