Valparaiso, Vina del Mar and Isla NegraFeb 26, 2011
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Oldest trolley in the world
Promenade atop one of the hills
A colourful B&B
| Today is my fourth and last day in Valparaiso, a port city an hour and a half northwest of Santiago. Ania just left this afternoon to go back to Santiago where she is joining her second Intrepid tour. Now, it's just me again. The hostel/B&B where we've been staying is one of the best I've had so far on this trip. And the views over the town and bay are just amazing. Of course taking good photos of such sweeping views is very difficult, so my pictures probably won't do the place justice. The owners here are incredibly helpful, the place is very homey, and you get a full breakfast with "real" coffee (as opposed to the instant coffee they serve you in most places). My first 3 days in Chile, I didn't have a single cup of coffee! Valparaiso is a city best seen from above. It consists of a flat part by the port, which is rather dirty and dodgy as soon as it gets dark. This is the only place so far on this trip where I have felt a little nervous for my safety and my belongings. It also consists of 42 hills, a dozen of which are served by turn-of-the-century funiculars. The most touristy hills are cleaner and safer and harbour several hotels, B&Bs and restaurants. Pablo Neruda, the famous poet, had a house in Valparaiso, and we visited it this morning. He also had a house in Isla Negra, almost 2 hours away, which we visited yesterday as a day trip. All his houses contains tons of objects and collections as the man obviously liked "stuff" and accumulated all sort of things from glass jars, to shells, to furniture and decorations from ships (he was passionate about the sea and all related things). The house in Isla Negra offers amazing views over the Pacific Ocean and crashing surf. On Thursday we did a shorter day trip to Vina del Mar, which is a resort town only 15 minutes away by subway (a light rail surface train really). I was a little disappointed by Vina. Chileans rave about the place, but it's very built up, with a long beach of not-so-clean sand and waves too strong to swim safely (although there were lots of people in the water). And the water is likely very cold as nights here are chilly. In fact, as soon as the sun goes away, the air itself feels like no more than 18C or so, perhaps colder. Besides walking along the ocean promenade, we also visited a museum displaying artifacts from Easter Islands and the indigenous cultures of Chile, as well as shrunken heads and a very detailed description of the process by which this was accomplished! Valparaiso has several restored colonial buildings (or pehaps neocolonial – not quite sure) but also many very ugly ones. The general impression is disorderly: houses painted different colours stacked on top of each other, graffitis/murals everywhere, drunk men in a park, sailors, families, stray dogs, noisy buses. The port is quite impressive with military ships, cargo ships, hundreds of containers, and the occasional cruise ship. |
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