Yesterday we had a lazy morning, having showers, getting our stuff sorted and catching up with emails.

We left La Casa Roja at 12.30pm, with Bella, and set off on the 4 block walk to the tube station, where we caught the tube to the bus station, got our tickets to Valparaiso and jumped on the 1.20pm bus. The hour and a quarter bus journey wizzed by and before we knew it we were stepping off the bus in this quirky little city. We caught the local bus across town and up the hill where we jumped off just up the road from our hostel, El Yo Yo. We dumped our stuff and headed out to explore, grabbing a late lunch at a little cafe along the way (Laura had Consomme Catalan, some kind of fish with salad, Sarah had a piece of white, rubbery, tastless cheese on salad, a burger, without the bun with salad and we both had fruit salad to follow, washed down with vino blanco). We continued to explore the city, going past the grand Chile Armada building to the port where we browsed the many little shops selling all kinds of tourist tat, we also passed a group of workmen who gave us a round of applause as we walked between them, a bit of a change from the usual wolfwhistles, we hope it was to compliment us! Once we had finished laughing, it was back into the town for a coffee and a piece of cheesecake, which actually tasted a bit like the triffle you used to get at school, without the cream on top!

Back at the hostel we watched one of the worst films ever made; Music and Lyrics (Sarah was attracted by Hugh Grant being in it!), followed by a couple of episodes of Friends before bed.

This morning we woke around 9.00am and enjoyed our inclusive hostel breakfast of fruit, yoghurt, pureed melon, scrambled egg and coffee. We got ready and left the hostel around 11.00am, headed down to the main road on the seafront and grabbed a local bus to Vina Del Mar. In 15 minutes we were at the popular seaside resort and spent our time wondering the Quinta Vergara (a sort of stately home set in lovely gardens, including an ampithatre that was in contruction), from here we headed towards the seafront, via the grand library and Palacio Rioja. We wondered along the boardwalk before hitting the beachside market and making a few barginous purchases, before taking the obligatory ankles-in-the-sea shot. Unfortuately the pier was closed, which was probably for best as it looked like it had seen better days, it looked as thought it could have fallen in the sea at any moment! By this time our bellies were demanding to be fed so we took them to a small cafe/restaurant a few blocks behind the prom. After our late lunch we wandered back over the bridge to the town centre to grab our bus back to Valparasio. We jumped off just before the town centre and wondered up through the maze-like streets, Bella grabbing some fruit at a local shop at the bottom of our hill. We climbed the hill to El Yo Yo and spent the evening reading, on the computer and sorting out our washing!! It´s exciting this travel lark, eh!?!