La ciudad jardín

After waking up super late (noon, to be exact, and I'm still tired! haha), I unpacked completely--my clothes are all folded, hung up, or put in drawers, which is a miracle, I know. My host mom, Tatiana made a tomato and basil pasta for lunch, which was delicious. Among other things, I brought 3 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies (Tagalongs, Thin Mints, and Samoas) for my family, which they were excited about because of course they've never even heard of Girl Scouts, let alone had Girl Scout Cookies. Then mi madre took me on a driving tour of Viña/Valpo, taking the scenic beach highway even though it takes longer to get around. We stopped at a few spots so I could take pictures.

It's so beautiful here...I was wearing shorts and a tshirt and felt perfectly content.

More photos after the jump :)

Tatiana and I climbed this rocky hill, which presented some awesome photo opportunities both on the way up and once we got to the top.

This is a natural rock-wall that people can climb with the assistance of a belayer. (Note the rope on the left hand side.) You start on the right hand side, where the rocks are smaller and easier to grab, and gradually make your way to the red flag. Tatiana said that she did it once and her arms hurt for days after...I really want to try but my upper body strength sucks :/

Beautiful sand dunes! The kids here sled down them like they're snow-covered. Tatiana said that when she was younger, all of the area where the highway and skyscrapers are built looked like this, and you had to get from the center of Viña to the beach by long, windy roads. It makes me sad because most of the skyscrapers mar the landscape :/

We continued on the highway toward Reñaca Beach and drove through Concón, which is a small town to the north of Viña. The coast road is very windy, sandwiched between the cliffs which separate it from the beach, and the rocky hills. All along the highway are small restaurants that boast having the best seafood in Viña--the fish is caught fresh daily, and some restaurants on the coast-side always have nets in the ocean and don't catch their fish until you order it. Every time I rolled down my window, the smell of seafood mingled with the scent of salt water. Houses are built into the hills and on top of the cliffs. Tatiana's parents live in one of the houses on the coast-side--it's a cute red house with an unbroken view of the ocean. I can't imagine living there.

An apartment complex built into the hillside. I want my house to look like this.

This is Playa Amarillas, which is a popular place to swim. It's also curved inward and protected by the surrounding rocks, so not much wind comes through, which makes it a great spot to sunbathe.

The view while driving into Concón--foothills of the Andes. I'm pretty sure that they're the size of some of the mountains in Tennessee, look like little hills compared to the High Andes.

A cute house in Concón.

Coming back into Viña del Mar we could see one of the city's many gardens--this one in the shape of a seagull, which are plentiful in Viña and Valpo.

There are a few castles along the highway that look like something from Italy or Spain. Crazy.

I really want to take a horse-and-buggy ride around Viña sometime.

Just a taste of the colorful buildings of Valpo. We didn't drive up into the hills (it'd be like trying to navigate Lombard Street in San Francisco!) so I didn't take many pictures.

It was one of the most beautiful drives I've ever taken in my life. It was super fun to get to know Tatiana a bit better and to sing along to Nelly Furtado and Juanes with her. Definitely a great first day in Viña.