Valparaiso was a small, port side town with street art as far as the eye could see. As per usual, we headed straight for the free walking tour as soon as we arrived in the afternoon. We were starving as we hadn’t eaten lunch on the bus so while Adam waited with the tour, I ducked in to grab us a quick sandwich. Although told we were in a hurry, the sandwiches took a good 20 minutes, so Adam chased the tour down the street and stood in clear view near-by, so I could find him! The sandwiches were huge, filled with fish and were delicious, just a bit cumbersome for a walking tour.
The tour led us up the oldest functioning funicular in town, through the streets filled with multiple churches, colourful houses and famous street art. We passed the ‘we’re not hippies, we’re happies’ mosaic and the famous piano steps. We travelled up hills so see beautiful views over the port and listened to an old man busk as he sang us a traditional Valparaiso sailors song. Finally, the tour led us to the countries best empanada store and we were blown away.
Pablo Neruda was a Chilean poet and diplomat. Interestingly, during the time of the Coup d’état, Neruda was a close advisor to President Allende. At the time of the coup, Neruda was incidentally admitted to hospital for a decline in his health, he was suffering from cancer. Soon after being admitted, Neruda unpredictably discharged himself from hospital as he suspected that he was being injected with drugs intended to murder him, on the request of the Coup seniority, Pinochet. He died in his home just hours after returning from hospital and reports years later suggested that it was highly possible and likely that Neruda was in fact killed by the intervention of a third party. Fascinating.
Neruda owned three houses at the time of his death and they were each donated to the Pablo Neruda Foundation, to be opened as museums. We visited his Valparaiso called ‘La Sebastiana’. With our audio phone in hand, we toured around the narrow hallways and tiny rooms and listened to stories of Neruda’s treasures and life.

Our final memory of Valparaiso was waking on the morning we were leaving to find a pair of men’s jocks in our bed, that were not Adams. They fell out of the bottom of the doona as we were lifting items off the ground before we left. We were disgusted. On check out the girl assured us there is no way the sheets were not washed between guests, but who knows! EEEEWWWW.