It wasn’t particularly sunny on the last day in Valparaíso, but I wanted to see the South Pacific Ocean, and so Seb took me to Viña del Mar for a walk on the beach and a quick toe dip into the cold water.

We held siesta on the beach, then took another bus that drove all along the beautiful, rocky coast. Beaches are rare, the next one was in Renaca, a typical beach town resort with apartment towers and long buildings built into the rocks and hills, just like Tenerifa. Beautiful though, lots of shops, ice cream parlors and cafés.

We drove past and the scenery changed. The endless houses gave way to more green spots. Actually, Valparaíso and Viña form pretty much one continuous city. The houses got smaller, more scarce, there was more green, some bays for surfers…

Till we arrived in Concón. This little beach town still has preserved much of its original charm and houses, mostly one or two stories high, with only four bigger modern buildings.

We got off the bus and walked past the typical beach shops and restaurants, till we found Seb’s favorite Empanada place, for a much needed intake of carbs. And beer.

We strolled over to another beach of fine, black sand, and watched a couple of surfers. Close by is the mouth of the Aconcagua River.

It was late and we had to get back to Valparaiso, so we waved for one of the passing busses and hopped on. There are no formal bus stops along the coast. Just wave and hop on, and tell the driver where you want to get out.

Then, finally, my long awaited bus drive. Back into Santiago. We just asked for one of the many buses leaving and hopped on. 3000 Pesos get you the 100 kilometers back to Santiago, in an hour and a half. It’s dirt cheap, a bit over 4 Euros.

If they had told me the ticket would cost 40 Euros I would have found that reasonable and paid without blinking.

 

The trip back was fast and quiet. The sunset over the mountains was great though.