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Published: March 25th 2005
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valaparaiso
cloudy, and not so beachy Viña del Mar I thought I´d be spending my time in Valparaiso and Viña del Mar kicking back on the beach getting some sun but it is actually colder here than it was in Santiago...and not nearly as clean. Valparaiso is an old fishing village with stray cats and dogs at your heels every step of the way. I thought it was going to be similar to the Italian Riviera but it is more like parts of Mexico, with bright houses stacked upon houses built into the side of hills that drop into the ocean (unfortunately ports and docks instead of beaches). The roads and layout of the city doesn´t really make sense and (from experience) one wrong turn will get you lost and out of breath in no time climbing up the hills.
Luckily I met some good people at the Hostel which made the trip more enjoyable (a loud Irish guy, a hippie from Washington, a fun couple from New Zealand, and three US girls studying in Chile...to include one obnoxiously snobby girl from New York who drove us all crazy). We went out on the town and had some great tapas and wine and then went to a club which
hostel
in front of a great Hostel in Valparaiso. It was a hike to get there, but worth it was really fun. Besides the occational Chilean song, it was the same music as most clubs in the US, with J-Lo and Usher pumping out of the speakers. Music is definitely the same throughout the world, you can be in a corner store in the middle of nowhere and the person behind the counter will be singing along to a Britney Spears song on the radio.
The next night in Valparaiso the hostel manager, Ricardo, taught us how to make the local drink, Pisco Sours (Pisco, sugar, egg white, squeezed lemons and ice blended together). I just hung out at the hostel, played some card games and met some new people. I had about a 2 hour conversation with a guy from Spain studying economics and traveling around in South America. He had some great ideas about healthcare and education, but difficult to understand some concepts speaking only in Spanish.
So I just got taken for 1,000 pesos ($1.50) from some old lady in the park. She startled me while I was trying to read my lonely planet book...not the best idea in a public place as this screams "gringo". She started going on about how if I
Pisco Sours
After learning how to make our first batch of Pisco Sours didn´t listen to her I would have bad luck and not be able to have kids, etc, at the same time waving a cross in front of me. Being 2 days before a religious holiday, I thought I´d listen for a bit and she if she could impose any wisdom on me. Somehow she convinced me to take out a bill in order to bless it and wish me prosperity, etc. She insists that she won´t take my money and then asks me to take out more bills, at which point I figured it was time to leave. She continued grabbing at me and then went off yelling something I could´t quite understand. I had to almost run to get away from this old lady, with my tail between my legs having been taken by an old lady. As I continuned walking I saw more and more of the same gypsies asking to tell my fortune and wish me luck....and inevitably take my money...live and learn I guess.
It´s interesting to see how creative people can get in scamming money...some much more creative than others. In Hawaii they often just sit and ask for money wheras here I´ve seem some
streets of valpo
looking up at the houses lining the hills in Valparaiso with kids playing soccer in the streets interesting techniques. In Viña, when you park your car, whether you like it or not, some guy comes by and cleans it and then leaves a large piece of cardboard on the windshield saying that the car was washed courtesy of him, nearly forcing the car owner to pay for the wash job adn then he removes the cardboard. There are also guys in the street that help direct you into a parking stall, even when you don´t need the help at all, and then tell you they´ll watch the car for you...for a nominal fee of course.
So besides observing the street scams, I haven´t been too impressed with Valparaiso and Viña...I guess it doesn´t help that it´s off season and the weather remains completely overcast. Viña seems much nicer than Valparaiso and has beaches as well. I´m about to go try some Chorilla I think it´s called. It´s a local artery clogging plate of beef, eggs, and onions piled high on a bed of French Fries....mmm I can almost smell it now. Leaving for Pucon tonight on a 12 hour bus ride, hopefully the weather improves.
A few pictures to be attached once I can download them.
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