Yesterday, I headed to Valpariso first thing in the morning! I was really excited because the guidebook made it sound like a quaint and charming seaside fishing town! Quaint it definately was not, and the charm slowly grew on me! It's a very bustling town with a very unappealing downtown! The hills above, the residencial part, is where it's at! As soon as I caught the bus to my hostel, I noticed the girl next to me looked American and was wearing all REI gear! Her name is Abbey and she is from Seattle! We were staying at the same place, so after check-in, we decided to go see the city together! We took off to Pablo Neruda's house; he is a famous Chilean poet among many other things! I would let him design my home any day! Not to mention the views of the entire bay! From there, we walked back down to the bay! The houses are all so colorful and unique! It really brings a certain charm to a city! On our way to lunch, we took a ride in the ascensors, which are like the funiculars in Santiago! They go to the "upper/second" level of the city! Great views at the top! Wandered past a few other landmarks on our search for lunch! Its wierd; one minute you feel like you are in Paris, then San Francisco, then New York, then back in Santiago! It took some time, but i began to see the charm! After lunch at a local place eating "god only knows what's on my plate even though I ordered chicken!" we headed off to the beach! Very nice local beach, but rocky and the water was pretty cold! I really wanted to see Museo de Bellas Artes, since I had heard so much about the architecture and grounds! My map had it marked wrong, so we wandered along the "upper" level for a while until we stumbeled upon it! It did not disappoint, except for the fact that we couldnt go in due to restoration! The house is amazing! My pictures don't even begin to do it justice! Over drinks in a cafe in the middle of the main square, Abbey and I figured that we had already been walking for 8 hours that day! We headed to the Hostal YoYo for a quick nap and shower, then it was off to dinner at a restaurant that I had picked from the guidebook! Cinzano was wonderful! Great food, great ambiance, and a local trio who sang(and who didnt care what their voices sounded like)! For dinner I tried a Chilean favorite, chorradilla: a mixture of french fries, grilled onions, grilled steak, sausage, chicken, and cheese with a side of salsa! MMMM! As it happens, the two tables next to us were the only other tourists in there, and we all started talking! From there, we headed to an Irish bar around the corner! Imagine this: 2 Kiwis, 2 Americans, and 3 Dutchmen skipping down the street! Enough said! We all had a great time getting to know each other! The Kiwi's headed home and so did Abbey and I, leaving the Dutchmen to cause their own trouble! A very long day deserves much needed rest! Chao!!!