Life in a year full of Saturdays: Valparaiso - where urbanisation and mozaics got into a long term relationship

Valparaiso (Chile)
24 April - 27 April 2015

The first time I heard of the city of Valparaiso was when I was struggling through evening shifts of telemarketing for Heidelberg roof restoration. I was one of those pesky callers that would contact you in the middle of your dinner and entice you into a ''free roof inspection as our consultants were now in your street''. Of course quite a few people would say to me "I'm looking out my window now and I can't see anyone', and yes, they were right, but lets just say that their ''originality'' quite often meant that a miniskip bin would be turning up on their front lawn come the weekend. This by the way has nothing to do with Valparaiso and the tenuous thread that I'm going to utilise here is that I once worked with a lady at the roof restoration company that would mention the city in expressive discussions in her native Spanish to another lady. At the time I thought Valparaiso was just the name of a common female friend that they had, suffice to say that my assumption was a long way off the mark.

What Valparaiso now is and what the city once was are indicative of what befalls a city when luck shines upon you for a short while and then the economic roulette wheel comes up odds when you need evens. The port used to be a burgeoning and dynamic port city at the start of last century, acting as a major stopover for ships plying the Atlantic-Pacific trade route from Europe to the west coast of the US. What the economic Gods giveth however they also taketh away without regret and thus with a fully functioning Panama canal a few thousand kilometres north cutting travel time between the great oceans by a full moon cycle and some change Valparaiso was left to die a slow, painful economic death.

So, what's your answer when economic hardship befalls you and you're only able to call upon the famous green ink of the greatest poet of the 20th century? Well, you'll have to scroll down and figure it out from our photos...or manage to read on a little more.

Valparaiso - Chile

What we found in Valparaiso and what it is now also very well known for are its steep hillside districts that rise abruptly from the port area, its labyrinth of cobblestone streets, small alleys and random roads, its rickety funiculars that rise about 20 mtrs at a time but save possible heart failure and of course its city street art. This place is now filled with interesting, unique pieces of street art which are interwoven with the spectacle of often bright, oddly coloured buildings that at times can be ornate and stunning but in other moments (areas) are shabby, worn and sometimes precariously positioned on the steep Valparaiso hills.

Valparaiso - Chile

View from Camillla 109 B&B, Cerro La Loma - Valparaiso - Chile

Valparaiso - Chile

What this art brings to this city I think it directly proportional to what it aims to take away. This city is a seaport and as is common amongst points of transit for sailor people, i.e., those spots where the men of the sea hit land and so too their crude desires. It appears now that for whatever worn or faded seediness you may feel whilst walking through this town, the artistic, bohemian endeavours of the new avant garde is funneling away and as long as that remains the pervasive tone of the town then tourists like me will make the journey to check it out what that dichotomy brings to the table.

And personally I have to say that I found Valparaiso to be both interesting and impressive. The hills form a natural ampitheatre around the still busy port and its multi-coloured houses of lime, yellow and red cascade down its green slopess and flow into the Pacific. Its streets force you to stop, look, take photos, retake them and then prompt you to ask yourself "why the hell can't I capture this image the way I want?". The resultant internal conflict only being resolved when you promise to yourself that you'll finally do "that" photography course when you get home in however many months time. It's still on the bucket list by the way.

Valparaiso - Chile

The hills of Cerro Allegre and Cerro Concepcion were the most interesting places for us to investigate and luckily were only a short hillside walk from our B&B on La Loma. Each little narrow street or drop in elevation brought with it a new gallery, restaurant or bar where it became obligatory for us to test the bartender's skill at fixing a Pisco Sour. Just between you and me, other than the Boca anomaly where we did have the best Pisco Sour on our journey (as a once off), the best consistenly made Pisco was in a little boutique hotel right in Valparaiso. Of course, I can't tell you the location because that would be an easy giveaway but if you want to try something that comes close then go to The Harley House (entrance on Exhibition St), Melbourne - happy hours 4pm - 6:30pm (just in case you're wondering).

Hostal Acuarela - by street artist (Mono Type) -Valparaiso - Chile

These were SO good!!! Valparaiso - Chile

Funiculars - Valparaiso - Chile

Valparaiso - Chile

Our walking tour through the city on the first day took us to many of the cooler street art displays in the town. It also brought to our attention that the city itself was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage centre back in 2003. As the guide explains to us, cool in the fact that the city receives funding from the government to maintain its current modus and also in the fact that tourist such as Inga and I are drawn in by what the city offers but difficult in other ways in that potential new business and construction are now dictated by both the regulations and increased financial cost of operating under UNESCO heritage guidelines. Sometimes your newfound blessing can also be a curse.

From an outsiders perspective however its easy to quickly be captured by both its vibrancy and bohemian sense of cool. Its one of those places where it seems where constant discovery would chase you incessantly if only you had the time. This kaleidoscopic vision sure ain't boring!