After another full 8 hours of sleep, wake up and notice it's very foggy today, guess my sunbathing plan has to cancel. However, still think I can go to the beaches and walk around. Before that, I can stop by the fish market to see the sea lions.
The beaches are actually in the next town called Viña Del Mar, Viña to Valparaiso is kind of like the Evanston to Chicago, where the richie riches live. Between the two towns, there is a fish market where all the fresh fishes arrive everyday. Instead of taking the train, I decide to take a bus to that big shopping mall I was at yesterday and then walk to the beaches from there, it may be 5-6 km away, and could take me an hour or more to walk, but I get time especially in a cloudy day. Maybe 15-20 mins later, I arrive at the fish market, I really don't have much expectation what I would see, except maybe some sea lions swimming around the pier. Turn out, they are not what catches my eyes. It is the number of pelicans and seagulls flying above me that takes me by surprise. The size of the pelicans is not small at all, just a few feet above, they are like landing right next to your ears. There are a few times I literally have to bend down to avoid them hitting on me. I guess they are skillful, but they are like flying turkey into your faces, hey, thanksgiving, squash!
After the initial excitement, the next time I do is to pull out my hat and the wind jacket, I bet if I am lucky enough not hitting by one of these flying turkeys, I would hit by their droppings. There are so many of them because the fishermen, I guess, throw away the dead fishes that nobody buys back to the sea or at the pier, all the pelicans, seagulls, sea lions are fighting for their foods. That is quite a scene really, they are not afraid of human, if any human looking thing walk by, they follow you. Even one of the sea lions on the sand looking at me like I am going to throw a few fishes at him, I am like you wished! Out of my expectation, I stay at the fish market (the pier really) for so long looking at them, trying to take a shot when the pelican flies. So, don't be surprised by the number of photos of pelicans today. :P
Continues on my way to the beaches, I bump into an Easter Island moai, just standing by the sea. Not sure if it is a real one, but sort of a preview of what I am going to see in just 2 days. Finally, when I get to Viña Del Mar, it's almost 1pm, I am getting hungry too. Find myself a place to have lunch. By the time I get to the seaside, the sun starts to come out, what a pity, I have not brought my beach towel and the swim trunk, or I could sunbath for a while. I sit on the rocks by the Pacific Ocean to write some postcards and listen to the waves. Viña Del Mar is somewhat different than Valparaiso, it could have been some Southern European city in Italy or Spain. It is very peaceful. Get to the beaches, it's miles long. My legs are already getting tired, walk, sit for a while, walk some more. By 4pm, I start to head back. Martin have mentioned earlier that by the train station, there is a garden that I can visit, so I do that real quick before hoping on the train. The garden is used to be a vineyard, and now is left a small part, I only glance through the entrance part, then I take the train and get back to Valparaiso.
Have dinner at the same restaurant I ate on the first day. I get the gringo (foreigner) menu again, but this time, it is in English. At least, now I know what I am ordering. I have had a "monster" crab cake tonight, one of my favorite dishes when I was in the states. I call it "monster" because of the size of it is shocking. It is served in a bowl and the top part is crust, with a crab claw. You have to see the picture in order to know what I am talking about. I eat it with some bread, delicious.
I have changed to a different room, not that I want to, but my beautiful room was only booked for 2 nights, someone else had already reserved it before me for my third night here. I don't mind, one cannot be too greedy, I guess. I have already owned the view of the bay for 2 nights on a row. My new room is smaller but still have a port view anyway. The bed is as comfortable, so no complaint. But just for US$4 difference, anyone who intends to stay here in the Yellow House, go for the Oceano room.
Tomorrow, back to Santiago, sightseeing the town a bit and then head to Easter Island the next day... I am really eager to see a real moai.
Photos here: Day 45 (Fish Market), Day 45 (Viña Del Mar)
