Sand dunes and salty air

Though the arid Atacama starts its long, sandy stretch some distance north of here, the Concón Dunes form a sample-size desert right here in the big city. Valparaíso, formerly the principal port of this elongated nation, anchors one of the largest metro areas in Chile, where dry inland air meets the open Pacific for mild Mediterranean weather year-round. The climate combined with the city's rich hillside architecture, including a system of 16 funiculars, makes Valparaíso a popular tourist stop—helping compensate for the shipping industry slowdown that started way back when the Panama Canal opened.