Definitely Wednesday 25 April

Hola, all, checked out of my digs in Santiago this morning and made my way to the bus terminal as described in the travel guide (after struggling to find it and walking for miles before my GPS on my phone eventually led me there - it assumes you're driving and takes all the one way streets which can add miles to the walking trip!!). But it was the wrong terminal for buses going to the mid coast - the bus company had a sales window there but only for buses going South! En route while walking I did come across a very long line (about 500 metres long) of people obviously queuing for something and imagining that maybe it was leading to the bus station I followed it (not joined it!) to it's end point - Department of Immigration!  I'm guessing that line is just as long every day as thousands of migrants from poorer Latin American countries queue in hope of a better life here in Chile. So, back on my feet armed with more directions I hopped on a train to the correct station (University of Santiago) where the signing was clear and the exit took me straight to the Pullman Bus terminal only a minute's walk from the platform. There's a choice of bus companies, Turbus and Pullman, both running modern luxury air conditioned coaches from Santiago to all over Chile. The trip to Valparaiso takes about 90 minutes (3000 pesos / NZD$8.00 - discounted down from the usual 7400 pesos for some reason) on wide modern motorways which include a couple of long tunnels through the mountains between Santiago and the coast. The countryside is desolate and barren, very dry with only scrubby trees that look like manuka and the only wildlife I spotted were some feral (?) horses amongst the scrub. As we got closer to the coast it became more obvious that the soil was better for agriculture and there appeared to be water available for irrigation as there were large tracts of land in grapes, avocados, corn/maize, and other crops. It was good to be out of the smog of Santiago, too.
On arrival into Valaparaiso I was ready to eat and found a cafe where I could sit down at a table and ordered a litre of beer (2,000 pesos / NZD$4.00) and a Completo which turned out to be a long bun with a frankfurter and lots of fresh finely chopped vegetables (salsa) dressed with a mayo of some description (1,500 pesos / NZD $3.00). The bread here is very good - light and airy and always fresh. After lunch I foolishly decided (maybe it was the beer?) to find my own way to my accommodation. With backpack on and manbag slung across my shoulder I spotted an apartment high up on a nearby hill that looked just like the one on Google Street View and started up the very steep and narrow street toward it. As I got closer I checked my GPS again and found that I'd just climbed up a long high hill and was nowhere near it. I tried to hail a taxi but to no avail - they were all full. So down I went back to the bottom (it felt like I'd just climbed to the top of the Andes and back) and into town where I was successful in getting a taxi. The driver didn't know the address so I pulled up Google Maps and he was able to follow that while he drove (with a few corrections from me en route as he tried to deviate from the suggested route). It turned out that the apartment isn't on a hill at all - it just looks that way from the photo on AirBnB because they're taken from the 24th floor (which is where I am right now). It's only a short walk from the town centre and bus terminal, if  only I'd known.
Feeling a little weary I had a nanna nap in the afternoon and woke up around 8pm, feeling a little peckish. So, with nothing yet in the cupboard I ventured out into the night to find an eating spot. The streets are still busy at that hour with sidewalk vendors hawking everything you can imagine from toilet paper to trinket jewelry (and of course, food). I found a tiny and very noisy bar cum cafe with tables crowded to overflowing with workers enjoying the beer and each other's company while they sang noisily to what looked to me to be a very fat but impeccably dressed Mexican singer on a big screen TV. The music is from a digital jukebox where they can choose the songs they want and sing along with gusto to the video. There were mother's and children all joining in as well and obviously the worse for wear after probably several hours of drinking, but it was all good fun and they were happy. I ordered a chicken sandwich washed down with half a litre of beer and joined in the fun.
This morning (Thursday) has dawned bright and clear and I plan to do more exploring of this interesting city before I head further North on Saturday or Sunday. Not sure to where, yet, but I'll let you know!