Cos I´m feeling so Bohemian like you...

We headed Northwest from Santiago, towards the coastal city of Valparaíso, affectionately dubbed ¨Valpo¨ by locals and travellers alike. The morning we arrived there we were told by fellow backpackers that there had been a ´small earthquake`a couple of hours before we arrived, but it was nothing to worry about. But even that, and coupled with walking past the sign for the ´Tsunami evacuation route` were not enough to put any doubt in my mind that Valpo was anything less than awesome at a glance. I mentioned in my earlier post that the Bellavista region in Santiago was awash with vibrant street art, but compared to every surface in Valparaíso they would look dull. It looks as though every building through each cobblestoned street is in competition with the next to have a more interesting design, be it through painting, shells, bottle top or mirror mosaics. It would have been almost flawless were it not for the loops of tangeled electricity wires looming above the labyrinth of streets (handy for a city prone to earthquakes to have all the cables above ground however, so I see the logic).

 

The city rises and falls in steep hills, and brightly coloured houses are crammed on to every available edge or slope. The sights of elderly locals with huge shopping bags trudging past me at their steady pace was a real eye opener! Despite of this, there are plenty of funiculars transporting people up and down the steepest of hills. On our second day we took Ascensor Artilleria, the oldest funicular in Valpo, (over 100 years old I think) and at the top was a spectacular view of the docks, the Pacific ocean and the city itself. Beautiful.

 

Another favourite part of Valpo was one recommended to us by a Swedish couple (who we actually travelled with to our next destination), by the pier - unmarked by any map or stated in any of the backpacker guides we read - lived a raft of Sealions! We sat by on the rocks by the Ocean, watching Pelicans swooping into the sea to catch fish, and laughing at the Sealions hopelessly trying to jump on to a large concrete block to bask in the sun. Some had already made it, perhaps when the tide was higher, but it as we were watching one would manage to leap up, either to flop straight back in to the water again, or to be slapped by another and fall back in.

We also took a day trip to Viña del Mar (literally translated as Vineyard by the Sea), famous for it's lush gardens and long white sandy beaches. We spent a day lounging in the sun, and daring each other to go in the sea - the waves were so strong I was knocked off my feet a couple of times, and the humboldt current makes the temperature shockingly cold! It was a wonderful day, until by about 4pm we looked at each other and were shocked with how quickly the sun had burnt us. We thought we stood out as Gringos before... but now we've really learnt our lesson, lobster red is even worse than white skinned - factor 30 every hour from now on!

Valparaíso has not only been protected as a World Heritage Site for its history, but has also been nicknamed 'The Jewel of the Pacific' - and it is really not hard to see why. Not only is the physical sight of the city so dynamic and alive, the feel and buzz of the place is the same. With smoky bars on every corner, live music echoing anytime both day and night, the cities famous fruit and vegetable markets (which our Spanglish allowed us to shop from!), the hustle and bustle of sailors and cargo workers alike from the port, there was a general excitement to be found wherever you looked.