As we returned from Rapa Nui we had one more Chilean city on our list to visit, Valparaiso. It is a unique and quite interesting city. For me the biggest attraction was the fact that nearly all the locals we met in Santiago told us not to bother with going there because it was dirty and dangerous.
Honestly I found it to be no better or worse than Santiago when it came to the cleanliness of the city. What set it apart was the street art. It is phenomenal in Valparaiso.
Whereas as both Santiago and Valparasio have a serious problem with graffiti and tags spray painted on nearly every surface, Valparaiso’s saving grace is the street art. I did have a guide on our walking tour try to tell me the tags and graffiti were just another form of art. Not bloody likely. However the murals and painting decorating most streets in Valparaiso are truly beautiful works of art.
Everywhere you look in this city is adored with images. Whether it is stairs, walls, or roofs, it is all over.We came across this lady just starting a new image.There were no lack of paintings that were political in nature.I believe this is one of the reasons Valparaíso is not popular with the business people in Santiago.
We were fortunate enough to do our walking tour the day after Chile had their latest federal election. Our guide was decidedly on the left side of the political spectrum and the successful candidate was as far from that as is possible. It was very interesting listening to her vent throughout the tour. The overly simple explanation is that Santiago is the business/right wing centre and Valparaíso is the artsy/left wing centre. Classic division of beliefs.
It was sad to see the number of burned out buildings in the older section of Valparaíso. As the property owners let these burned out shells deteriorate the homeless tend to slowly move in and these areas slowly develop the reputation of being dangerous no go areas. Depressing to see historical areas crumble for questionable development plans.Enough politics though. The street art was still amazing.In addition to street art, the city is also known for its funiculars. With such a hilly city the 100 peso (15 cents CDN) fare was a welcome discovery.As we were walking along the waterfront, not a beautiful relaxing place I must say, we did come across an old locomotive that had not escaped the paint.What was entertaining, if not a bit gross was watching the fish mongers disposing of the bits and entrails from the fish market. The number of gulls and pelicans was overwhelming, but the huge sea lions stole the show. These behemoths could gulp down incredible quantities of fish bits and no-one dared get in their way.A wonderful find was the Valparaiso Cultural Park. Originally this was a prison which infamously ended up housing thousands of political prisoners during the Pinochet dictatorship. After years of neglect it has been transformed into a park and arts centre.The inside is now a combination of a museum and facilities for the arts. Dance studios, creative areas, and meeting rooms. Very nicely done.As we explored Valparaiso we found that the little local buses were inexpensive and very convenient. The most important bit we learned was to hang onto our tickets you receive after you pay. In the case of an accident these tickets are supposed to ensure you will receive medical assistance free of charge. The way some of these guys drove we were happy to hang on tight.
After our time in Valparaiso we headed a little south to the town of Las Cruzes for a couple of weeks to do some house sitting. It was a well needed rest. Also Karen and I managed to come down with colds just as we arrived so the two kittens we were looking after got a lot of attention as we recovered.
Christmas Day for us was spent walking along the beach and watching the locals enjoy their holiday.The shelves were well stocked for the festive season. We have learned that Chileans love their pop. The 3 litre sizes were by far the favourite.
As we wrap up our time in Chile I have to say it has been awesome. Across the board, north to south, the people have been great. They just seemed to want visitors to enjoy their home, and that, we have done. No matter what type of climate you want to experience Chile has it, so come check it out.
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