Brett's Southern Crossing

An hour west of Santiago is the port city of Valparaiso, with a nice harbor and steeps hills skirting the coast.  I liked this city, because the houses were painted bright colors and built into whatever nooks and crannies the geography of the hills allowed.  Murals were painted everywhere, and one part of the city even has an “outdoor art museum” of murals painted by local art students.  The naval headquarters is also located here, which leads to the interesting sight of submarines sitting next to freighters in the harbor.

It’s also dirty, crowded, and sometimes smelly, but for whatever reason I liked the feel of the place…it had character!  Just north of Valparaiso is a town called Viña del Mar, much calmer and skirted by nice beaches.