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 great graffiti art in the city of Valparaíso. During a guided city walk, Boris first cook then tour guide, shows us all the hidden corners and secret tips for discovering great graffiti art in the city of Valparaíso.](http://www.creativelena.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/CIMG7904.jpg)
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 tourism" experience! 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 tourism" experience!](http://www.creativelena.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/CIMG7581.jpg)
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. Our tip: Take a (local) bus ride along the many hills for some scenic views and great local discoveries - a much better alternative to the usual standard tourism tour. Valparaíso is a "terraced" city on many hills, or "cerros" as the locals call them. Our tip: Take a (local) bus ride along the many hills for some scenic views and great local discoveries - a much better alternative to the usual standard tourism tour.](http://www.creativelena.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/CIMG7624.jpg)
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"! 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"!](http://www.creativelena.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/CIMG7532-2.jpg)
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”!
![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 ... yay! 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 ... yay!](http://www.creativelena.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/CIMG7681.jpg)
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.