June 5th 2015
26 Hours, It’s a long time in a bus to go back to somewhere you’ve already been, but it’s one of the cool things of long term travel, you meet interesting people and plans change. Besides I always did feel I spent too little time in Valparaiso and didn’t do this Gringo favourite full justice during my last visit about 3 months ago. So here we go again.
Last time around I stayed in Private Rooms at Casa Verde Limon, this time around we switch it up staying at the newly opened and very social Hostal Voyage, a little closer to the port and covered in beautiful graffiti. It’s a good place and full of friendly french people.
After a relaxing afternoon followed by a big night out and a day of recovery Anna (who you’ll remember from the end of the last blog entry in San Pedro) and I decide to try the tour4tips free walking tour of the city. Tours aren’t usually something I enjoy, but when they’re done well like the one in Quito they can be great ways to get to know a city, especially a giant and maze like port city like Valparaiso.
The tour meets in one of Valpo’s main plaza’s and we meet Paola our university student tour guide. Anna and I opt for the spanish tour with her rather than the english tour simply because the english group is much larger. It’s a nice option to have, Anna lived in Ecuador and is fluent in Spanish, and I’m getting close now, which is a rewarding thing. In a few months I think I’ll need to start learning another language, German or Arabic, that’s the question.
We leave the plaza and head down to the port where we learn all about the history of this once very important port city before heading up one of Valparaiso’s countless hills which make a simple stroll through town into a decent workout.
We wander past impressive graffiti murals and stumble out onto a terrace over looking the sea and the city alike. The views are truly impressive and I find I’m actually enjoying the tour, the fact that it allows me to practice my Spanish only makes it better.
The strange and constant hills in the city have also made for some very strange architectural practices with houses built on the hillside where often one side of the house will be 5 floors while the other side higher on thill will only have 2 or 3 floors as seen in this example.
The tour winds through more of Valparaiso’s narrow alleys, the impressive graffiti an ever present along with the countless street dogs of the city. They are for the most part well cared for and friendly although they do leave quite a mess behind on the streets.
We also learn how hard it is to build new houses in Valparaiso due to the many restrictions and rules on maintaining the cities heritage. Paola shows us a burnt downed building and says no one can afford to build where it was due to all these rules. A strange thing.
Eventually the tour ends with a few free drinks and Anna and I are left to climb back up the hill to Hostel Voyage. There we find out my friend Mirela has gone ahead to Santiago with my even newer friend Torsten, but no worries, were headed there on the morrow. A failed homemade veggie curry later that night and a good sleep later we’re on the 2 hour bus ride (3,000 CLP) to the capital which has come to feel like home.
This time though I’ll be staying somewhere different, my normal home in Santiago Castillo Surfista Hostel is across town from where my friends are staying so we settle into Casa Roja in the Brasil neighbourhood. It ends up being an excellent second home and a great place to celebrate my coming birthday. Check back for more entries soon. Here’s a few final random photos from Valparaiso, a young and energetic city full of colour and beauty.
