The Twin Cities

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Today we visited Valparaiso and Viña del Mar, two cities that basically cross into each others borders and are located just an hour north of Santiago. We started off by in Valparaiso which historically has been one of the most important port cities in Chile. During the Californian Gold Rush supplies streamed in from this city which made a major profit from its transportation abilities. However the opening of the Panama Canal has greatly affected South Americas west coast in general and the value of the port has lessened as a national asset. Tourist wise it is now known mostly for one of the cities areas that consist of colourful colonial buildings, for which it has been declared a World Heritage Site. Mostly this city seems run-down and the loss of traffic in the port is easily noticeable.

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The second half of the day was spent in Viña del Mar, which goes by a different standard that is of a higher class. This city is much richer than its twin brother. The streets are cleaner, filled with shops, the buildings renovated and the sidewalks are buzzing with tourists. We spent most of our time at the Botanical Gardens, which turned out to be just a regular park, but was very nice.