French people in Chile

Day 216 – Valparaiso, Chile

I had decided to stay a few more days in Valparaiso to enjoy the city a little more. But I wasn’t going to stay in my expensive hotel -where the mattress is so soft that I woke up with a back ache.

So I went looking for a hostel, and surprise, surprise, outside of the New Year’s date, there are a lot more available. So I made my choice and booked two more nights. I am also a lot closer to more hillside neighbourhoods.

I had decided to take a taxi from one hotel to the next, because it is very cheap and well, 20 min with a backpack on your back, not fun, but it is a little more complicated than that.

Most taxi you find are in fact shuttles on a set route. They stop along the way where you want, pick-up passengers at any place, and are reputed to be very cheap. Of course, since I don’t know the destination they advertise, I can’t take them.

And I didn’t see (and didn’t stop to wait) regular taxis. And the main portion of the way is on a straight, flat road. So I walked a lot. My knee (the left one, if you are interested) wasn’t impressed.

But arrived at the base of the hill, I decided that enough was enough. Of course I had already walked two-thirds of the way, but no way was I going to climb the steep slope if I could avoid it. And avoid it I could, since at that point there were 5 taxis waiting for customer. So I was whisked up the hill in great comfort.

Valparaiso

It was of course early for checking-in at the hostel, but I just wanted to drop my bags. And hearing the volunteer staff talking… well, they are French. As are a good portion of the guests. So the check-in was very easy, the explanations as well, really, it’s almost strange to hear so much French. (But listening to them, they went to places I intend to go next, so I will probably ask them for advice.)

And the bed… the bed is comfy, with feather-filled comforter (the feathers tend to stick out), the mattress is just firm enough, and I look forward to my nights in it.

The showers were more surprising. I might be mistaken, but I’ve seen only one bathroom, with a block of four showers. Well, half-shower, because to fit in without sticking out, especially if you want to bend to get your soap, you need to be a spectacularly anorexic person.

As the showers close with a -transparent in the wrong place- curtain, bending has… interesting results. I won’t even comment on the lack of hooks by the shower stalls for towels and such, and if it is really a shared bathroom, how you can get dressed, undressed, dried, and such in privacy and without wetting everything?

Valparaiso – The French cooks are everywhere!

Back to my early check-in, I had a short walk around the neighbourhood, before stopping in a small cafe for a chocolate -and I was tickled when he warned me it was a cold one, as I actually prefer cold chocolate! It was also not too sweet, just how I like them! And I had my personal reusable straw, so no chocolate moustache to wipe off.

Chocolate with my personal straw

I went back after that to the hostel to get my stuff in my room, then later went back out for another walk in the city. And I ended up taking an ascensor -finally!- to get back up the hill. It is really cheap, 100 pesos, a short ride, but so steep that it could as well be vertical! From up there the view was beautiful, of course.

The hostel has a hot sandwich press, so I enjoyed hot sandwiches for diner. Local bread, avocado, tomato, cheese, and black olive. Yummy!