Valparaiso, Chile

We traveled to Valparaiso, a port city on the Pacific Ocean about two hours away from Santiago. This town at one time was the largest port on the Pacific Coast of South America. Once the Panama Canal was built it lost a lot of its business, however it is starting to revive itself now with shipments and imports from Asia, especially China. The buildings here were built entirely on the side of the mountain. There were communities where homes appeared to be built one on top of the other. We hiked many hills, very steep inclines, and stairs to explore the city. The area in which we stayed at our bed and breakfast is known for its colorful buildings and famous murals of graffitti. The city hired local Chilean artists to paint the large retaining walls of many of the buildings with scenes of life in Valparaiso and Chile. We were fascinated with the architecture, because it was so different than other cities we have seen so far. In order to travel up to their homes, the people use incline rail cars. They are located all around the city and are used daily by residents and tourists. Next to this city is a resort town that we rode to on a coastal train for 5 km. It is called Vina del Mar and is a large tourist destination in the summer for beaches and vacation homes.