It turns out paradise has hills and lots of graffiti. The bohemian city of Valparaíso was our second destination in Chile, and we visited due to recommendations from others. We can see why they were raving about the place.
The historic centre in the Concepcion and Alegre districts is where we spent our time. The cobbled roads wind up and down through very colourful streets covered in murals and graffiti. There is something interesting to see all along the way, with many viewpoints to look down the hill and across the harbour. You also don’t have to go far to find delicious food, although we were pretty budget conscious, and that meant just looking at the menu of some of the top restaurants.
Art and creativity are not just celebrated here, they are completely unavoidable. It can be a little overwhelming to decide where to go and what to photograph but just take your time and stroll around. The stacked houses with corrugated iron exteriors cover the hills. A South African from the Cape Flats we bumped into said it was the most luxurious ’Plakker Kamp’ (Squatter Camp) she had ever seen.
Here is a little video showing some of the fantastic street art:
Valparaíso is a coastal city about 1.5hrs drive from Santiago and grew due to it being the main port for those en route around South America prior to the construction of the Panama Canal. Many migrants from all over the world settled here, including early immigrants from England, Scotland, France and Germany, helping to establish a wonderful mix of culture and arts.
The city’s proximity to the Peru–Chile Trench makes it vulnerable to earthquakes, and in 1906 an earthquake destroyed much of the city and killed over 3,000 people. The last major earthquake in February 2010 measured 8.8 on the Richter scale, and according to Wikipedia, an April 2017 earthquake measured 6.9. Tremors occur frequently, and I think I did feel one during one night of our stay, but Schalk thinks I just woke myself up snoring.
We stayed in a great hostel with a hippy vibe, and it that was ideal. Although we did opt for the private bathroom, the shower was absolutely tiny and impossible to wash your feet unless you were willing to get tangled in the shower curtain. The hostel had many common areas, terraces and a shared kitchen with a labelling system, so everyone knew whose food was whose. But the only thing we kept in the fridge was wine – I made sure to label that!
We had a lovely room with high ceilings and double doors that opened onto the micro balcony with a view of the street below. One afternoon I heard music and stepped onto the balcony to discover a neighbour playing the saxophone. Another neighbour across the street also stepped out, and together we enjoyed the concert. Around the corner and up some colourful stairs was our regular cafe for morning cappuccinos, and just a few steps down the street, we were able to get the best gourmet empanadas.
In 2003, Valparaíso was declared a World Heritage Site. It has many historical funiculars to get its residents and visitors up and down the hills, but we decided to rather meander from our hill towards Bellavista to visit Chilli’s famous poet, Pablo Neruda’s home (now the La Sebastiana museum).
The museum was not open when we got there, so while we waited, we decided to treat ourselves at one of the more upmarket restaurants, Oda Pacifico, which overlooks the harbour, where enjoyed fabulous wine and a light meal of potatoes with a delicious mushroom sauce.
So overall, and as it is with many other visitors to this city, Valparaiso would definitely be one we would also recommend.