Valparaiso

Street art in Valparaiso.

Chile has 17 million people, and like most people in Australia, they are are only an hour or so from the coast - the widest point probably being only 200kms or less. Santiago has 7 million people - nearly half of the whole country! So far, I have only seen Santiago, and although I like it, I thought I should get away a bit and see another part of the country. I decided to grab a bus to the coast, and spend some time in Valapraiso and Viña del Mar. The bus trip cost me 9000 pesos ($18) return, which I think is a fair deal, so I went to the station as was astounded by the huge amount of people packing onto buses - I think South America runs on buses! Buses coming and going, people loading bags and pushing on - I felt like I had been transported to Beijing in peek hour! My bus arrived 20 mins late, but he only parked for 5 mins before we were ready to go - it was busy, but in a no fuss kind of way. Beach here I come!

The seaside right on your doorstep!

Accordion in the park.

Hola!

I stepped off the bus, and felt I had been dropped off in Cairo on market day! Such a country of contrasts is Chile. People everywhere, lying on the grass in parks making out, stray dogs, small street stalls and people just selling stuff off the ground. One guy was selling sink strainers for 500 pesos ($1)... I mean, how many can he sell, and who would buy them? "What have I done?" I thought to myself. OK, cab to the hostel and then decide when how long I'm going to stay here. I took a cab for a few reasons - 1. to get out of this jungle quick smart 2. My bag was heavy 3. Valparaiso is VERY hilly (refer to reason 2) 4. I had no f-ing idea where I was or where I had to get to. All good, $8 later I was at my hostel, no worse for wear. So my first impression of the city wasn't fantastic, but as soon as I hit the street with my camera, it changed dramatically! Valparaiso is a cross between Porto and Naples - Porto for its colourful houses, hills and it's plethora of cafes and restaurants, and Naples for it's half-ruined but once majestic buildings, the smell of urine in the street, and the dirty and slightly suspicious looking people hanging around. So mix these two places and you have Valaparaiso!

That's a busy wall!

A woman eating oranges?

"Use the bike" if you can!

The first thing that you notice is the street art. I recently went to Melbourne, a place known for it's funky graffiti, and let me tell you this - Melbourne, you ain't got nothing on this place! From the obvious wall murals, to painting street lamps to grates on the road - nearly every space is covered, and it's not tagging, it's real art! Wandering around here in dangerous - not because it's a seedy town, but because you are always look up things, peeking around corners at more paintings, and you nearly get hit by a bus that is coming hooning around the corner, or fall down one of the many steep stairways. The main part of town sits right on the harbour, the flat part of the city, then the houses are sprawled all over the surrounding hills, with their bright colours and slightly crooked stilts. It can be tough hiking up all the hills, but there is more than one way to skin a cat - there are funiculars, steps as well as the winding cobble-stoned roads up the hill, just take your pick!

I'm looking at you!

House on top of one of the many hills in town.

The Trolleybus in Valparaiso.

Running around the streets are not only a million buses packed with people, but Trolley Buses. I don't think I have ever seen it's like before - they are a bus, but connected to the power lines overhead just like a tram. It's not just this, but they look like they were built in the 1950s by the Soviets! They are cheap to run, everyone uses them, but there is something about them that makes me look every time - I think I half expect to see one come off its cords turning a corner. I decided to get out of the city and head for Viña de Mar to see the beach, as Valparaiso is just a port town with no real beaches of it's own. The short bus trip there cost me 480 pesos ($1), and didn't take long at all as the driver was on time trials for the next F1 race - one handed hammering around corners as fast as this little local bus would go. On the bus, there were 2 guys singing hip-hop with a little speaker - very Chilean, as even the butchers have Latino music going! Hopping off, our little group sat down on the beach to soak up some sun. Anyone that has been to Australia will know how strong the sun is there - here it is warm and sunny, but the sun isn't trying to kill you, and so far I haven't been burnt here at all! The water all along Chile is very cold, and in places quite rough - numerous people got dumped while I was there. I didn't swim (this time), and kind of regret it now - it had all the makings of a good swim - cold water, waves and a slight risk of drowning!

Viña del Mar.

Banksy in Chile?

Colourful stairs.

Apart from the beach, Viña didn't have much to hold my interest. At the beginning of town, there is a huge flower-clock, which always has people lining up to take a picture of it... just not my thing really. While sitting on the beach, you get constant hawkers trying to sell their wares - in this case, usually it's food! There are guys crying out for their donuts (is that cinnamon or sand on my donut?), ice cream ("Helado helado! Muy buenes!") and empanadas. Empanadas are basically pastry with filling - from chicken and onion to meat with eggplant and, of course, ham and cheese. Very yummy, and they will only set you back about 750 pesos ($1.50) for a lovely snack on the run. After a few hours in the sun, it was time to head back. On the way back to the hostel, you have to hike up very steep hills - the hostel has a great view from the top of the hill though! We decided to catch the funicular up part of the way - a rickety old thing it was, only cost 100 pesos (20c), and could only carry 8 people at a time. To be honest, I wouldn't normally use them, as i much prefer the stairs, find little paintings hidden away on a drainpipe or step somewhere, but it had been a long day, and it's all part of the experience!

More beautiful street art.

Washing day!

I haven't been out for dinner in Chile really, as it is just me, and dinner at a restaurant isn't quite the same alone. So a small group from the hostel decided to head out and get some pizza, then watch the Santiago football team Colo Colo play a Brazilian team in the America Cup (The Latin equivalent to the European Champions). The pizza was average (not that I was expecting much from Chilean pizza), the beer excellent, and the service was slow but very polite. Service in a restaurant, or even a hostel half the time, is very slow - they are more inclined to be checking their text messages, have a chat with someone else, or just generally appear lazy - but it is just being more relaxed, unlike the waiters in Paris who are rude! The wine, however, is wonderful! For 2100 pesos ($4.20), you can pick up a Merlot or Cab Sav that is very drinkable! You can spend more, but I am the person who would rather drink 2 $4 bottles of wine that 1 $8 bottle!

Push!!

Not sure where I am off to next - everyone is still on holidays, not so hope of a job just yet. I figure, while they are off relaxing and seeing the country, I should do the same. I'm getting a bus tomorrow out of Valparaiso and back to Santiago, then from Santiago somewhere else - I'm not sure yet, but maybe down south into the mountains, maybe Pucon!

Pretending not to like each other.