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We flew down from Lima to Santiago ( a wise move as it would be 2 and a half more days by bus). Arriving at the airport around 5am, we killed some time before getting a bus to Valparaiso (1.5hours north). Having heard mixed reviews about it, I was surprised how much I liked it. It has a real arty feel about it with lots of talented graffitti artists and very pretty architecture.

I ended up staying 4 days here – checking out the nightlife on Saturday night, then a walk by the port on Sunday and going to nearby Vina del Mar for some beach time and a bit of shopping. Our hostel Casa Kreyenberg was nice, more like a guest house though and the lady who owned it was a bit overly obsessed with cats but they did have a great breakfast!

I really liked our first stop in Chile. It has a very European feel, like going back to normality. The prices reflect this aswell but I´m enjoying it all so far. It is a bit cooler here than up north but I still managed to get burnt at the beach!

Finally Friday came and we had the weekend off from school! Steffi´s bday on Saturday gave us a good excuse to go out even though unsurprisingly Friday night (the warm up night) turned out a bit later than expected so Saturday was quiet enough. Friday, we had some drinks in the hostel and then headed to the club (Krobar) they had arranged. Things start late here and finish early. It is unusual to go out before 1 and at the weekend clubs will go on til 6 or 7. It is the same in restaurants here – it is quite common to go out for a meal at 11 or 12.

On Sunday, refreshed from our early night (asleep about 3) we went to the San Telmo markets. Loads of interesting stuff to buy here – they are famous for their antiques. We stuck to earrings/necklaces/tshirts though. Alot of the markets have these fresh orange juice stalls – really tasty about 4/5 oranges in each glass!