Gallery Archives - Allaboardthefraytrain

“This world is but a canvas to our imagination”.

Henry David Thoreau

Henry obviously visited Valparaiso, Chile before he came up with that line.

And my particular favourite…

For those of you unaware, Valparaiso is located 120km northwest of the capital, Santiago.

The bus takes around 2 hours and costs approximately $8. I use Busbud.com to book all my bus trips around South America.

Is it worth visiting Valparaiso? Yes! Absolutely.

Valparaiso is a major seaport, so there’s always some action going on by the waterfront.

There are plenty of sights and attractions:

Ride the funiculars (kind of like a cable car to go up the endless hills)
Museums
Boat trips

But the real magic comes from the street art. As you can see in the above images, they take it very seriously!

The pieces are vast… absolutely huge! How they do it, I have no idea. I can barely draw a smiley face without screwing it up. Some of the art spans entire buildings.

You can take a free walking tour or just go wandering on your own.

I chose to just get lost and explore on my own. I was not disappointed! There are some areas which are a little less safe than others, so ask for advice before heading out.

Valparaiso has hills. Lots of hills! You’ll certainly be ready for an ice-cream and a beer after a good day graffiti hunting.

I spent around a week in the city before being mugged and beaten up, but that’s a story for another day. When people tell you to avoid certain areas, listen to them.

I didn’t. I was silly.

Would I go back? Absolutely! Apparently they update and repaint the artwork throughout the year so it’s always evolving.

If you’re in Santiago and fancy a day or week away, Valparaiso is definitely worth visiting.

Unfortunately it suffered a devastating fire not long after I visited. Thankfully they were able to rebuild, repaint and recover.

During my time in Costa Rica I had the privilege to bear witness to Mother Nature at her best… she really got her creative groove on in Central America!

I had the pleasure of spending 3 months alone in the jungle. I had occasional encounters with locals plus I had to occasionally drive into town for supplies. Other than that, I’d go for days and days without seeing another human being.

Was I alone? Never.

The rich and diverse wildlife in Costa Rica is incredible.

I was happily ignorant to all the things that could bite and hurt me, otherwise I may never have left the house.

I spent the long, warm, sweaty days wandering around the farm, slashing things with my machete, playing with the dogs and photographing the incredible natural beauty.

I’d spend the evenings fighting toads, beating back hordes of dengue mosquitoes or enjoying the ferocious thunderstorms which rage all through the rainy season.

It’s amazing how quickly your body and mind adapts to the isolation. I remember it fondly as one of the most peaceful times in my life.

It was an incredible experience to spend that much time alone. I became attuned to the natural ebb and flow of the jungle. No street lights, no noise, no information overload.

I had a computer to write, wifi to communicate with friends and family and a camera to take awesome shots.

And my pets. I can’t forget about my pets.

Wander out in the morning. Pick some fresh mango, pineapple, banana or star fruit. Eat it fresh or cook it up. Exercise. Play with the animals. Feel complete.

That was a typical day, week and month for me.

I loved it!

If you ever get the chance to connect with nature on that kind of level, do it.

If you get that chance in Costa Rica, snap it up.

Galleries

Street art… Valparaiso style!

Mother Nature lets loose!