The owner at the hostel in Valparaiso, was very kind and helpful, she was pleasant on welcoming me at the hostel and providing information. Although it wasn’t the place I wanted to stay at, but because of the time I arrived and more so because of this kind lady I decided to spend the night at this hostel. People in Chile especially here and further south are more Latin European than other places I visited in Latin America so far, I would assume it will be the same for Argentina and other countries in South Latin America. Many of these countries are very rich in natural resources, and during the world war many Germans, Italians and other Europeans came to settle in these countries and after decades they have influence the way of living.
I woke up around 8AM and I felt there was a little tremble but I guess when visiting a place like Chile especially this city which is known for earthquakes, you’re the only one who notice it. When I asked the cleaning lady, she said she didn’t feel anything. It reminds me when I visited California or other places that are known for earthquakes, people laugh at you when you mention it with excitement because to them it’s a daily living. I took the bus to go to the downtown and some areas that are more for tourists, I also wanted to find another hostel. I was surprised when I felt there were very few people in the buses and in the streets. I kept thinking that people start work at 10AM till I learned it was holiday and some people didn’t work that day.
Valparaiso is very nice, it’s next to the ocean and it’s a main seaport. It has a Mediterranean feeling with neighborhoods spread across the surrounding mountains. Each cerro or neighborhood is located on to another separated by narrow streets. This city had its glory in the old days before the opening of the Panama Canal. During my stay, I met a lot of tourists especially from France, I visited every tourist attraction and since I used the public transportation a lot, I became very comfortable getting around the city, of course with the help of a map. There’s a lot of action in the city, a lot of people always walking in the streets and the restaurants are full all the time. It was sunny and very hot but a nice city to visit.
