Tourist in Valpo

This weekend I had some free time to wander as well as the opportunity to take a guided tour of the city of Valparaíso. They were each very different experiences!

View of Valpo from the top of a hill

Valpo is an aging port city with a wide spectrum of neighborhoods. During my walks around the city, there has been a lot to see! There are plazas every few blocks with statues, playgrounds, trees, old men playing cards, and always very affectionate couples. Stray dogs and cats are everywhere, it is so hard for me to resist petting them. The streets are full of vendors selling clothes, fruits and vegetables, books, electronics, hardware, anything and everything! I bought a knitted hat and ear warmers (for only $5 total) from a very friendly Chilean woman during one of my ventures. Many of the walls and shop exteriors are decorated in murals or graffiti, it is very colorful! The stores are an eclectic mix of new and old. There is some evidence of the recent earthquake, like caution tape in certain areas, crumbled buildings, broken windows or even bent bus stops! In one of the worst areas of town I was surprised to learn that the expansive yellowish and red building is the Chilean Congress!

Such a cute stray dog

...and a photogenic stray cat

Also in that bad area of town I had a sketchy adventure exchanging U.S. Dollars for Chilean pesos. My friend Annie’s Chilean host dad took us to a place that resembled an old hardware store and in tiny letters said ‘money exchange.’ The man was very friendly and didn’t charge us any fee and we ended up with the proper amount of pesos…but this was definitely a sketchy transaction.

Interesting place where we exchanged money

On Saturday, IFSA took us on to a very different side Valpo. Our bus wound through narrow streets up to the picturesque hills that you have probably seen in photos of Valparaíso. The houses are all cute and brightly colored, with beautiful flowers and trees to add even more color. On the top of one hill we stopped to visit Pablo Neruda’s home. It was an amazing three-story house with intricate detailing in every corner. He collected unique paintings and art pieces, and had an awesome wooden room where he liked to write. He loved the sea with all of his heart, so most of the rooms had windows all around with views of the hills and the ocean.

Pablo Neruda's dining room and view of the colorful hills

We hopped back on the bus and drove to the very last of the hills in Valpo to see some beautiful views of the city. The neighborhood was just adorable with more brightly colored houses, a rainbow staircase and murals. This is definitely a place I would like to revisit independent of a tour so that I spend more time exploring and taking photos.

Walking down the colorful hillside

Rainbow staircase with a shy little boy

Butterfly mural in front of the hillside

Yet another cool house and spectacular view

This weekend I also made some friends within our group! We discovered a great place called ‘Café Baul’ which has a great atmosphere, good music, a patient waiter and happy hour until 11pm! We tried the two typical Chilean drinks, a Pisco Sour and a Terremoto (which ironically means ‘earthquake’). We also found a fun dancing club that plays a combination of Reggaeton and Salsa music. Chileans are such great dancers and love to teach us their style.

Some friends and I at Cafe Baul

It’s time to do my first homework assignment, reading a story called ‘El Hombrecito’ by José Donoso.

Ciao!