Week #3 started off a little shaky...ok I'm under-exaggerating a bit. After being awoke by a "tremor" early Saturday morning, an even bigger "tremor" hit around 8:00 pm in Santiago on Sunday night. I was actually just about to talk to my parents via Skype when I heard a car alarm go off...which is not an uncommon occurence here in my neighborhood. Feeling the ground shake is something that I would have to get used to, but as of now, I'm not a fan of these "tremors". The earthquake was about 150 miles away, close to where the big one two years ago was. Luckily, no deaths were reported and only about 14 people were hurt.
Getting out of town for the weekend was exactly what I needed. Valparaíso is now one of the coolest places I've ever been too. I loved the layout, probably because it reminded me a lot of San Francisco. The streets suck to walk up, but nevertheless, I decided to walk to one of Pablo Neruda's other houses, La Sebastiana. Boy, was I glad I did, even though I was sweating profusely once I got there a half hour later. This house was where most of his poetry was written, and I can see why. The house is situated in one of the nicest neighborhoods of Valparaíso, and he had a full view of the ocean port with ships coming in and out regularly.
The next day, I went to Viña del Mar, which reminds me of Florida or California. I didn't spend but two hours there, and I wish I would have stayed there longer because it was much cleaner and a little more touristy than Valparaíso, but one of the best beaches is about 10 minutes away by taxi, and I didn't have a chance to make it there. I'd definitely have to stay a week to see all that Valparaíso and Viña del Mar have to offer.
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