We took a bus into Valpo at around 4pm on Saturday and arrived just after 5pm. We checked into our room at the hostel, freshened up quickly and headed out to catch a bus for ConCón. During the cultural viaje presentations the week before our friend Morgan's group had done a presentation on ConCón and had told us about the amazingly fresh seafood empanadas available there. Hungry as usual, we took the bus to its very last stop, a block or so from the restaurant. I had a jaiba con queso empanada (jaiba is crab, queso is cheese, and an empanada is those two things wrapped in a delicious flaky crust) and it was incredible. So fresh and so delicious, and so cheap! I've never eaten real crab for $2 US before, but I can't say that anymore! We were happy and full, so we walked around ConCón for a while, including some time on the beach. It is a charming little city full of authentic Chilean food and vendors. Around 8pm we decided to take the bus back to Valpo for the night. The bus ride back was a long one. There seems to be constant traffic between the cities during summer. We made it back around ten and started to get ready to go out. We met a guy at the hostel who turned out to be one of the most unpleasant people I've ever met, and unfortunately he shoved his way into our group and went out with us. I have to say, Valpo is lovely during the day, but you can't beat Santiago for nightlife.
The next morning we slept in, had a great Valentine's Day breakfast at the hostel and checked out around 11:30. The owners of the hostel were extremely kind and helpful and they let us leave our luggage there while we went exploring. We walked to a feria (fair) in Valpo and then we decided to walk up into the hills. (I might mention that the weather was absolutely not beach weather and we all had our bathing suits on because we planned to go to the beach) The hills of Valpo are stacked with hundreds of brightly colored houses and covered in intricate, beautiful and often politically conscious graffiti. (Pictures in the next post) We climbed a hill to the top and experienced a gorgeous view of the hills and the port. Afterwards we hopped on a bus to go to Reñaca and enjoy the beach, hopeful that it would clear up.
This was another long bus ride and by the end we were all famished. We stopped at the first place we saw, a seafood cafe, and ordered empanadas (with mariscos, which are various shellfish) and a plate of delicious food that we scarfed down in about five minutes. We also had one of Chile's specialties: jugo natural, which is freshly made fruit juice made by blending fruit, sugar and ice together. Ours was frambuesa flavored (raspberry) and it was lovely. The sun began to shine a little so we walked down to the beach. It wasn't warm, but we enjoyed sitting around and talking. After a few minutes our friend Morgan excused himself and went for a walk. The two other girls and I sat around, recalling the night before and laughing. It was a really great time. After about half an hour Morgan returned holding three roses; one for each of us. It was a very sweet gesture and totally made our day.
After a quick siesta on the beach we went back to Valpo to explore the hills a little more and have dinner. We ate at the top of a hill (more empanadas) and after we hustled back to the hostel to pick up our luggage. Our bus left at 9:45 and luckily we already had tickets because the place was packed. An hour and a half on the bus and we were back home in Santiago. What a wonderful way to spend Valentine's Day! Pictures coming soon!
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