Today, I came across an article in the National Geographic Traveler Magazine about the World’s Best Trips in 2013. Valparaíso, Chile! My eyes lit up when I saw the Chilean port city was among the Top 20 must-see picks of the season. Especially given the fact I hold so many dear memories of this place I visited as part of my Round-The-World-Trip in 2011: Joining a Chilean Cooking Class with (in)famous local cook & tour guide Boris. Marvelling at some great graffiti art in the centre of town. Enjoying a romantic seaside walk next to an amazing coastline scenery. Meeting your loved one after three and a half months on the road travelling solo … :).
Here is my Valparaíso for you to enjoy!
During a guided city walk, Boris first cook then tour guide, shows us all the hidden corners and secret tips for discovering extraordinary graffiti art in the city of Valparaíso.
Cooks for the day: In only four hours, we learn how to prepare fresh mussels and cook up some really yummy “choclo” (corn) food. Delicious – a great creative travel experience!
Valparaíso is a “terraced” city on many hills, or “cerros” as the locals call them. Tip: Take a (local) bus ride along the many hills for some scenic views and great local discoveries – a much better alternative to the standard tourism tour.
Learning how to cook typical Chilean Food
Thank God we found this flyer. Advertised at a winery some 800 kilometres south of Valparaíso, I immediately thought: We must do this. So I simply booked online at www.cookingclasseschile.cl and offered Markus to become a Chilean cook for the day. To this day, it has proven worthwhile: We still have a shaker at home we use for making Pisco Sour, a favorite Peruvian & Chilean drink we learned to make that day in Valparaíso.
Wanderlust, anyone? Read more about my travel adventures in South America as a Tripwolf Travel Blogger during my Round-The-World-Trip in 2011.
Boris, whose mother had a preference for Russian names, is a Chilean through and through who simply loves to cook and be with like-minded people: If you visit Valparaíso, make sure you go and see him at “The Yellow House Bed & Breakfast”!
The local graffiti art is overwhelming. I love this picture of a foreign, exotic bird: Do you?
Finally, the sea: For any land-locked Austrian girl such as myself, the sea will always hold one promise: That of endless bliss, and HOLIDAYS. Cause in order to see the sea, one must travel … Loving the Pacific Ocean in Valparaíso, Chile.