The Simple Past El fin de semana pasado en Valparaíso, Chile.

Your calls, texts, and comments were resounding yeses! Post the pictures. Write the details. The good and the bad. So, today I will regale you with tales of our recent trip to Valparaiso, Chile while also completing my homework for my Spanish class- to write about last weekend in el pretérito perfecto simple or simple past tense.

Viajé a Valparaíso para el fin de semana largo.

Last week, Thursday and Friday were Labor Day for Paraguay and many other countries in South America. We took advantage of the four day weekend and flew over the Andes to Santiago. From there, we grabbed some mediocre empanadas at the airport, rented a car, and drove a little over an hour straight West to the coast of Chile.

El clima estuvo muy lindo.

Valparaiso is at the same (but opposite) latitude as San Diego, California so I felt immediately at home. It was chilly in the shade but warm in the sun. The city, built into the hillside overlooking the bay has serious San Francisco vibes. It’s colorful, funky, and full of artsy character. Our Airbnb also felt like it could have been plucked right out of The Marina. Check out this view!

Fui a un tour a pie con mis amigos.

The first morning of our first full day in town, we did a walking tour of the major sites which has become a bit of a South America travel tradition. We learned that the city is real hodge-podge of immigrants and architecture. We learned their fire department is sponsored by Germany!? We took a historic funicular up a giant hill. We took lots and lots of pictures.

Durante el tour, vimos mucho arte callejero. Era muy lindo.

The street art is what puts Valparaiso on the map and it didn’t disappoint. But also, the street dogs were very cute.

Hice un paseo corto en bote por la bahía.

On Saturday evening, Isaac and I peeled off from the group and took a boat tour in the bay. It cost $5 each and it was worth every penny. Led by a barnacle old seafarer, I understood just about nothing, but enjoyed every minute of it.

Vi leones marinos.

Big ones! Right next to our boat! Making loud sounds! Earlier in the day, our friend Sarah who is a marathon runner, described a animal she saw during her run that morning. “I don’t know- I think it was a walrus!” That was my first impression of this guy too! But alas, only an leon marino.

La ciudad era peligrosa por la noche.

Much like San Francisco, Valparaiso has some shadier parts. Or actually, most of it gets a little dicey after dark. We were warned by many people not to walk around after sunset. While nothing bad happened to us, we were a little on edge.

Cenamos comida tailandesa. Estaba deliciosa.

The warnings kept us in our little neighborhood at night which turned out to be great. One night we strolled about a block and had delicious dumplings. The next night, German food. The finale? A delicious Thai feast. While we struck out with the more local comida típica, the international food in our neighborhood was delish.

Regresamos a Asunción el domingo.

Another trip in the books! I told our friends as we were walking into the airport what a pleasure it is traveling with them because they’re low-stress, interested in the culture,and generally have the same vibe as we do. What I actually said though was, “it's so great to travel with other people who are expert travelers” and then went on to forget to take my cell phone out of my pocket before walking through the metal detector. In a panic at the sound of the alarm, I heard the guard say, “Manteca.” “Butter???” I exclaimed! And then continued to panic, threw my phone into the x-ray machine where it almost got stuck, and generally, acted like a maniac. “No, expert traveler,” Josè calmly said to me later, “mantenga. It means proceed.” Well, I'll take it back. I’m not an expert by any means. But it’s nice to surround yourself with those who are.

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