I wanted to see more of Chile than just Santiago, but flights to Easter Island were expensive, or completely sold out, and even a visit to the Atacama desert or the glaciers in the south would have meant a budget deficit higher than Greece’s.

So I decided I’d got to Valparaiso and Viña del Mar for a couple of days. Just when I was about to find out about bus tickets, I met Ivan, who was selling these self-made recycled rubber bags at a local feria in Barrio Italia.

Of course I had to get one, and we talked a bit. Turns out, he’s Chilean but has lived and studied in Passau – but without learning German – and lived in Paris with his wife, hence we started to speak French. He told me that he was from Valparaíso, so I mentioned that I’d go there Monday. Right away he offered me a seat in his car, so my free lift to the coast was secured.

We met monday morning, he got me at my pace and we drove the 100 km on Ruta 68, the highway to Valparaíso, Chile’s second biggest city and the seat of its Parliament.

Once past the first chain of mountains, the landscape changes. From the dry, earthy landscape of Santiago, which lies between the Andeans and the Cordillera de la Costa, to the lusher, greener valleys, filled mostly with vineyards, that make up the area towards the Pacific Ocean.

Ivan told me about his job, Chile, Santiago, Valparaíso… He even took a little detour and we drove up the old mountain road that was the highway before they digged a tunnel underneath the mountains. So I managed to make these great pics during a couple of stops.

Once in Valparaíso, he even drove me up to Cerro Alegre and dropped me off at my hotel. Chilean hospitality is really amazing!