Well, I have really enjoyed my stay in Valparaiso (Valpar) and today I had a great time exploring Vina del Mar (Vina). Vina is Valpar’s sister city to the north and is a bit more modern and clean than Valpar. I can’t help but think of an old Italian city with winding, narrow roads built on a hillside. Valpa is also a major port (or puerto, see the Spanish is improving) and home to the Chilean Navy it is interesting to see how all of this blends into the local culture.

Today I awoke after an excellent night sleep (logged a bit of walking yesterday) and had the complimentary breakfast at the hotel before setting out to tour Vina on foot. Vina reminds or at least makes me think of Miami Beach meets Italian Riviera although not quite as decadent. There are a lot of really nice hi-rise apartment buildings that overlook the ocean and the city is well maintained particularly the “green spaces” (parks and what not). I opted for sitting outside and had a really good pizza for lunch before figuring out the chaotic bus system (tough for a blind guy that doesn’t see #’s very well). Once on the bus I was off to the Chilean National Botanical Gardens and I must say they were impressive. I could have spent twice as long as the 2 1/2 hours I spent roaming and photographing (note to readers bring a picnic lunch and a bottle of vino). Coming back from the gardens I got on the wrong bus and spent the next hour being lost and found before getting back to my hotel and settling in to the Cafe Vinilo which not only has free WiFi but a great menu of beer, wine, spirits and a chocolate tort that will send one straight to hell (think sin).

Oh yeah, getting back to the title of this entry, I brought my camera and took tons of photos, unfortunatly I left my card reader at Tina & Grischa’s. Well, I guess I can’t learn to integrate technology with travel seamlessly without a few bumps along the way.