Santiago & Valparaiso

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After a rather inauspicious start to the day, due to rain and cold weather, Santiago slowly unveiled itself to me and I began to warm to the place. It was always going to be a shock coming from the secluded isolation of Easter Island into a city of seven million people. I was initially put off by the rush everyone seemed to be in, without even time for a "Hola!" from a passer by in the street. So different from the friendly folk of Rapa Nui; however, as the day began to clear up, so it seemed did the spirits of the people here. As I meandered through the various regions of central Santiago I began to notice the grand architecture, the alternative bohemian scene in and around Bellavista (where a few universities are located) and I nearly fell over at one point when I glanced to the east and saw the Andes mountains rising high into the sky at the city's edge, smothered in bright snow. It really was a beautiful sight. Then, directly in front of me, an impromptu chant or protest (I'm not sure which) began with many people joining in. This was on one of the busiest intersections and drowned out all the traffic noise and really seemed to capture the passion South American people are known for.

Added to this, earlier in the afternoon I had decided to transfer my photos onto a disc so that I could clear my memory stick. This seemingly innocuous task became quite entertaining and refreshing due to a lady I was waiting in line with. To paint a little picture of her, she was in her sixties and must have just reached the four foot mark in the old scale. As people became frustrated in line, she was the exact opposite. For, you see, there was music playing somewhere in the store and she could not deny her ancestry, so she simply began moving to the rhythm with sheer joy. When it was her turn to select her chosen images for printing, she bopped between touches of the screen, always selecting the picture in time with the beat. It was wonderful to be a witness to someone finding such joy in what many others would find a mundane task. Come to think of it, it was from this moment that my day brightened.

From Santiago I decided to head to the coastal city of Valparaiso, which many people had recommended to me. What an amazing place! I was a little unsure about going at first, as it's the major port for Chile and towns like Portland in Australia and Tilbury in England don't really inspire a person to recommend a visit. When I arrived, I had to jump on a local bus to reach my hostel, so I thought I would stand back and see where the local folk caught the bus from, which I discovered was from wherever you raised your hand. There aren't any designated bus stops, just routes, so as long as you are standing on a street that is on a bus route, then the entire street is essentially a stopping zone. As I boarded the bus I told the driver in my very best Spanish where I needed to go, to which he nodded. After about half an hour when the bus reached the end of the line, the motor switched off and I had a look around to discover that I was the only person on the bus, I had an inkling that maybe I had missed my stop. The driver saw me and just shook his head. He was very helpful though and hollered a bus going in the opposite direction and instructed the driver as to where I needed to go, which was all well and good until that particular bus broke down on one of the many steep hills and we had to disembark! With my extensive knowledge of motors from looking at them with the bonnet closed, I'll say the fan belt went.

The terrific upshot of this extensive bus journey was that I got to see the whole city for only a few hundred pesos (about 60 cents in Australia). The city itself is comprised of brightly coloured homes and buildings built on impossibly steep hillsides, giving the appearance that they are built atop one another. Many of the streets are simply walkways that no vehicle or bicycle could venture down, so nooks and crannies abound. You may be wandering down a seemingly hidden path or set of stairs when a restaurant or shop appears. This amazed me, for unless you knew it was there, you would never find it. It seems that most people around here travel by foot, therefore, these shops, bars and restaurants do a steady trade.

As I have been walking around the cobblestone streets of Valparaiso I have felt like I have been walking through a living canvas, such is the artistic presence here. Graffiti is everywhere, but not the ugly and pointless tags you see in cities like Melbourne and Rome, but real art that brightens the place up even more. You would be hard pressed to find some dull concrete in Valparaiso. Even many of the lamp posts are covered in mosaic designs and there is even a section of the city which is an open air museum for murals, which sprawl across houses, footpaths and so on. Art galleries and artists seem to be everywhere you turn and there is a definite character and 'feel' to this place that is impossible to ignore. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage site and I can see why. Some people may not warm to its charms, but I love it! The landscape is so steep, that the city has many elevators on the hillsides (over 100 years old) to make travelling uphill easier. They are a pleasant way to get around and are ridiculously cheap at 100 pesos. It's a romantic city that has captured me and if I were to live in Chile, then this would be the place.

On my first day I chanced upon a restaurant that had sweeping views of the ocean and the city, so I decided to have a meal and let my eyes absorb the scenery. For some reason when I travel, I seem to be rather brave (or stupid) when it comes to what I eat. Mystery meat on a stick on a train in Thailand comes to mind (I think it was a bird due to the claw which was wire-bound to the stick); the raw fish dish I ate in Moorea only a short time ago is another example. Well, I decided that I needed some steak, as I hadn't had any in quite a while and the continent is much cheaper than the islands I had been visiting, so it became an affordable option. Not being completely conversant in Spanish, I managed to recognise the meat section and identified a steak meal, so I promptly ordered it. It was steak tartare - raw steak! I was starving and I figured that since I have been eating raw fish of late (the best meal of the trip, prior to this one, was a delicious raw fish dish on Easter Island, consisting of a fish endemic to their waters known as Kana Kana), I thought I'd give it a go anyway. I am SO glad that I did, for it was absolutely delicious and ranks in my top three meals that I have ever eaten (couldn't beat the decadent five course meal at Einar Ben restaurant in Iceland and I don't know if anything ever will). The fillet steak was finely minced and must have been marinating for a long time. It was accompanied by dill, raw egg, lemon juice, black pepper and capers and was a delectable delight that I can still recall as I sit and write this description (I feel like I'm one of Pavlov's dogs at the moment).

I have filled in the rest of my time by wandering the hills of the city, which in many respects is like Cinque Terre in Italy combined into one big city of nearly 300,000 people. During one such stroll I visited one of the unique homes of the famous Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. The view over the city and the ocean from the top three levels of this five story house are spectacular. The inside of the house is what really grabs your attention though. He had an obsession with the sea and sometimes you feel like you're in a ship, peering through a porthole. He seems to have been an eccentric fellow, for when he would have guests, he would often change appearance a few times throughout the evening. One such example would be when he was behind the bar, where he would dress as a barman with a painted on moustache. He was an avid collector of items from around the world and there is even a carved wooden horse from a carousel in the lounge!

I have also enjoyed hearing some local live music in the bars around town, which I have ventured to with other folk from the hostel. Added to this, there is a cultural festival happening in the city at the moment, which runs from late October till early December. This festival includes live open air concerts for free every night in one of the main plazas, which has been an unexpected bonus that has enhanced the atmosphere even more. I must say, after being warned by all and sundry to be careful in Santiago and Valparaiso, I don't know what they were worried about. I have felt safe all of the time and feel much less safe in cities like Melbourne and London. Admittedly I don't wear a watch or anything flashy to draw attention to myself, but everyone I have met and had a conversation with has been incredibly friendly. I only spent time here because in order to fly to Equador from Australia, Santiago is where you first land on the continent. I am now regretting only allowing six days to have a look around as Chile has so much on offer, such as Patagonia and the Atacama Desert. I will definitely have to return one day.

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Comments

[Josh]

Nice
Sounding awesome Val.