Santiago & Valparaiso

Apologies for the lack of activity on the blog over the last week or so, this is due to the fact that I’ve not done a great deal.

Following the Inca Trail I stayed in Cuzco for a couple of days before catching an overnight bus to the city of Arequipa in southern Peru.

Arequipa is nicknamed La Ciudad Blanca ("The White City") on account of its many white building made from sillar, a pearly white volcanic rock. I spent a couple of days here before flying the 1,931 Km (1,200 miles) to Santiago, Chile.

Santiago, also known as Santiago de Chile is the capital and largest city of Chile. I was staying at La Chimba Hostel located in the Bellavista area of the city. I had no plans other than to just chill out and explore the city in the five days I had prior to flying to Easter Island (Rapa Nui) on Wednesday, November 3, 2010.

View of Santiago from Cerro San Cristobal (St. Christopher's Hill).

Fish for sale in the Mercado Central (Central Market).

Playing chess in Plaza de Armas.

After a few days in Santiago I caught a bus and travelled the 120km (72 miles) west to the seaport city of Valparaiso, a World Heritage Site since 2003.

In the 19th century Valparaiso was Chile’s main port before the building of the Panama Canal. I spent a couple of days walking through the hillside neighbourhoods filled with brightly coloured corrugated iron clad houses and took in the spectacular views of the port below before returning to Santiago for my flight to Easter Island.

Street art in Valpo.