Travel Day to Valparaíso

This morning I woke up earlier than I wanted to since all the other girls had to be at orientation for their school exchange program early. I was up until 2AM watching the Oscars, so an 8AM wake up was definitely not in the plan. I was able to get a tiny bit more sleep before eventually getting up and showering and having breakfast. This morning I requested a lactose free breakfast, aka the fruit without the yogurt. Much better! I had to be out of the hostel by 11AM so I pack up my things, stored my backpack downstairs, hung my towel up to dry on the line in the garden, and headed it to kill time. The owner of the hostel also helped me set up a shared shuttle to the airport for 1:10PM.

I wandered around Valdivia and decided to look for something warm to wear since it was a bit chilly, but I didn't see anything I wanted, so I just dealt with it. It wasn't too bad at least. I wandered down to the fish market, and saw the sea lions right up behind the fish mongers waiting for the scraps from the filleting process. Up close they looked even bigger! I'm still in shock at the size of these sea lions. The pictures don't do their size justice. The market was pretty cool, but since I was leaving I couldn't buy any of the fresh food. Too bad. I then wandered along the shore and enjoyed being outside in the fresh air. Eventually I went to Cafe Moro for lunch since it was in my guide book that I bought. I had a sandwich with I think pork and melted cheese. Pretty good. The cafe also had free wifi which is always a treat when I can't use my phone very often. I hung out there until it was time to head back to the hostel to get my things and catch my shuttle.

So freaking huge!

Waiting for more fish pieces 

Fish mongers and the waiting sea lions

I got back with little time to spare, used the restroom, grabbed my things, and the shuttle driver was about 5 minutes early. I was definitely a bit rushed but got out just fine. We picked up a few more people and then took a windy road to the airport to avoid the construction that was there when I can into Valdivia. Not so fun for motion sickness, but not too bad and it was pretty. I arrived at the airport with a ton of time to spare, checked in, and sat around since they wouldn't even open security until an hour or so before boarding. Valdivia is a very, very small airport. I should have gotten a picture of it. I could have gotten the whole front and the whole gate area in one shot each. I eventually boarded my flight and had a lovely nap all the way to Santiago. 

When I arrived in Santiago I went to pick up my bag and realized I threw away the tag on Valdivia. Stupid mistake. I was able to get my bag anyways and headed to catch the bus to the main station to catch the bus to Valparaíso. The first bus ride was easy and I sat in the front row on the top floor so I had nice views. The traffic by the main terminal was pretty heavy, but we made it. When I got to the station I went to buy a ticket for the bus to Valpo and then hopped on to leave 10 minutes later. While en route I noticed that we stopped at a station my bus from the airport had stopped at, so I probably could have changed there and saved a bunch of time, but oh well. The bus ride was uneventful. Some of the scenery was boring and some was pretty, especially the wine regions. We ended at the main station in Valpo and I took a taxi to my bed and breakfast. 

Vineyard on the route to Valparaíso

The bed and breakfast I'm staying at is cute. It's definitely an older place, but I have my own room and it's in a nice area. There's also good wifi which is great for figuring out what I want to do! When I got here I got a short tour of where the bathroom is and when breakfast is, then put my stuff down and headed out to meet my friend Julia that Caitlin and I met in Lima. We went to dinner at a lovely place overlooking Valparaíso and the food was delicious! I had a quinoa risotto with vegetable and shrimp and a chocolate lava cake with ginger lemon sorbet. Super delicious and nice to see her again and hear about her travels since I saw her a month ago (also, definitely does not feel that long!). We then walked back towards where we are staying and encountered some really wound up dogs, but everything was okay and they weren't interested in us. Now I'm back in he bed and breakfast and getting ready for bed!

View from dinner

Julia and I after dinner