March 10th-11th 2015
Valparaiso is Chile’s largest port city and at just 2 hours from Santiago it, and towns like Vina Del Mar close by it, are often flooded during summer holiday and weekends by Santiguans looking to escape the chaotic but enjoyable capital city. Valparaiso is the younger, hipper, more affordable half when compared to Vina del Mar. It’s bursting with street art and hip looking night clubs and live music venues, and it’s certainly an interesting place to explore. We only had a day and a half here and only one full day exploring, so we’ll focus on that.
My father and I wake up fairly early but spend most of the morning puttering around our second story apartment at Casa Verde Limon waiting for Russell and Clara to wake up from their Chilean wine filled night before. It’s been a long time since I wanted to drink, but the Chilean wines is almost enough. We’ve been lucky though in the spacious three bedroom apartment which we booked just as two rooms but since the third was vacant we have a lot of space. It is certainly a great place to stay although noise from the square outside is sure to trouble light sleepers.
Eventually our two younger members rouse and we head out into this vibrant city of graffiti and ancient escalators some more than a hundred years old designed to minimize the numerous steep hills around the city. Just a few blocks from the hostel we encounter a dog with some very interesting beliefs.
Laughing and walking through the hectic streets we reach one of these ancient escalators and pay the token fare of 100 Pesos (20 cents) to zoom up in the funicular like creation to the beginning of the Museo de Cielo Abierto, a neighbourhood full of Street Art by artists famous not just in Chile but across the world. The neighbourhood also offers great views of the city below though today is a hazy and cloudy morning limiting the beauty.
We wander through narrow streets searching out murals, some are undoubtedly more impressive than others, but as the only one who really enjoys street art soon we’re growing tired of the streets and walk back down towards the sea on more well decorated narrow staircases heading back towards the hostel to grab some lunch at El Sandwich Cubano, which isn’t bad but is also not as good as lonely planet advertises.
From there it’s down towards the port and the main road in Valparaiso which runs along the ocean, alongside the tram way We decide it’s not worth the fair for the local train and hoof it instead, walking out past the centre of the city, towards a place where there are supposedly sea lions. We cross the train tracks and head even closer to the ocean, once we get close they are unmistakable. Out maybe 30 yards from the shore, on a huge concrete platform, the only remnants of a massive pier or bridge, is a colony of chaos.
Somewhere between 50 to 100 sea lions compete for space on the lower level of the platforms, with guards at the easiest point of access to chase off undesirables. Of course even then it’s not so simple, atop the platform we watch a tense political drama of snorts and barks unfold, quickly devolving into shouting matches and even physical violence. Sea lions are chased off the edges of the platform plummeting at least ten feet down into the waters and trying all their best trickery to get back up on the coveted land. Some huge males reign supreme and are unmoved the entire hour we spend there, but for the most part everyone is at risk, and guard duty seems to change very quickly How they discern who should be allowed up and who is to be tossed back into the ocean I’ll never know.
The sun comes out sparkling over the surface of the Ocean and my gaze drifts back towards the city. It’s a beautiful view.
We end up spending more than an hour watching the sea lions as well as the various birds perched on the second level of the structure, boobies (A different species than those found in the Galapagos), pelicans, seagulls and even a hawk, sharing space somewhat more peacefully than their aquatic counterparts.
Our slowly fading amazement is renewed when one particularly athletic sea lion opts to avid the guarded lower boarding platform and shoots out of the water aiming for the sun deck of chaos. She doesn’t quite make it the first time, but her indomitable spirit is not to be deterred, and on the third attempt she gains a flipper hold and scrambles triumphantly towards the centre of the platform. Pretty damn impressive.
By the time we pack up and head back towards the town the sun is getting low in the sky, but not so low that we can’t appreciate more terrific street art right near our hostel.
We spend the rest of the night in the apartment as we will spend many in Chile, drinking good cheap wine (Or in my case diet pop), talking and playing cards. Tomorrow morning it’s off to Horcon, a small beachside town two hours north of Valparaiso that should be largely off the tourist trail outside of the January February High Season. We’re all excited to escape cities for some place smaller.
