Ok, I cheated with the dates, we got to Valparaiso yesterday (Wed 25) after another entertaining night in a bus. At 6 am, after having sprinkled coffee everywhere because of the flatness of the road, Cristian and I sat patiently whilst other passengers got out at what did not look like a bus stop. Realising that we were the only ones left on the bus, we asked the driver who kindly told us that no, they no longer use one of the four terminals in the capital because they prefer to let people out in the middle of nowhere so they dont have to do u-turns. Great. So we got out in the middle of a pitch black park, somewhere in Santiago, by the side of a big road... Thankfully a taxi driver turned up and took us to one of the bus stations, from where we caught another bus to Valparaiso.
Valparaiso has just been added to the World Heritage List because of its colourful houses, spread over two hills. It's a charming place, with hidden alleyways, stairs and beautiful houses mixed in with decrepit sheds, and great views over the port. Its also very arty with street paintings and little shops and museums. Today we visited the old house of Pablo Neruda before going to VINA DEL MAR - not as interesting a place, although it has a better beach and a pier, like Brighton!
On our way back, we caught the Formula One combi. It took 30 minutes on the old Fiat train to get there, but only 5 on the combi to get back, the driver was an AlainProstwanabe!
Back in Valparaiso, I suddenly thought I had sunstroke because we were standing in front of a number 3 orange bus that said TG on the side and was going to Bel-Air et Rive!!! In case you ever wondered where Geneva's old buses go to...
:-)
Valparaiso
TPG bus from Geneva.