The Artilleria funicular in Valparaiso
I spent a total of 16 days in Chile and spent an average of $49 per day – although that would be significantly lower if I hadn’t done a ski trip to Valle Nevado (which cost $200 for the day). I enjoyed Santiago much more than I thought I would have. I had heard so many stories about how polluted (true) and boring (not true) the city was, but I easily managed to fill 10 days in the city without getting bored.
A portrait of Neruda on a wall outside his Santiago home
In Chile I had the pleasure of visiting the homes of the world’s classiest hoarder, Chilean Nobel Laureate Pablo Neruda. I’ve long loved his poetry (Ode to My Socks truly changed the way I view the world) but I didn’t know much about his private and political life until I visited experienced the Neruda Foundation museums.
A cat on a door in Valparaiso
Valparaiso, Chile is one of the most striking places I have ever visited and the street art is among the best I have ever seen. Every corner you turn brings another mural, and the artists don’t see traditional walls as their limits. I’ve honestly never seen anything like it, and even after spending three days walking through the pasajes and trying to see as much as possible, I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface.
Unfortunately I didn’t have a chance to learn that much about the artists themselves as I didn’t take any kind of tour, but if anybody has any information about the artists who painted the work in the gallery I’d love to hear about it.
A Yank without a Chain 