Valparaiso is under a two hour bus ride from Santiago. It is a port city with a great deal of history. This was the major import town for the country before the Panama Canal. Valparaiso was a major stopover for boats traveling between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. After the canal was fully operational, the city of Valparaiso took a turn for the worse in terms of money coming in and business.
I must say I was not impressed with this city when we reached the bus station. The town looked completely run down, which was disappointing because we had heard so many good things about it. We had booked two rooms in a house through airbnb and grabbed a cab there with no problems. Our host was there and showed us around his place. He is an architect and had been renovating his house and rents out rooms. So this house came with two live-in Chilean university students, two girls (also university age) from Mexico, and two young men from Denmark. This made for an interesting mix. Our room was next to the kitchen (which later proved to be the hot spot for loud 2 a.m. meals) and the kids' room was upstairs with most of the rest of the crowd. They were thrilled to have their own room away from us.
The house where we stayed
Upstairs, the level where the kids stayed
Their own room!
The weather was definitely warmer now, so we wanted to take advantage of that. Our host said there were three beaches in the area and he explained how to get there. The buses stopped in front of the house. The problem was that there were so many buses. We hopped on one to get to the main part of town. Trying to figure out what we had to pay, let alone where to get off, was problematic. The driver was talking to me and using his hands as he zipped down these winding, hilly roads. I think that was the last time we took a bus in Valparaiso.
It was Sunday. This did not help our first impression of the city. Most places were closed and you really couldn't get the vibe of the city. We walked around the port and main square, got some groceries, and headed back to our house.
Armada de Chile
Naval boats in the harbor
The next day we tried to find the beach. We went to one that was walking distance. The neighborhood here was also unimpressive. There seemed to be little concern for trash, dog poop and graffiti. We found the 'beach', well, what they called a beach. It was riddled with broken glass and garbage. The kids were pretty disappointed. It was sad because you could tell that this must have been a special place some time ago. You could imagine a lovely walk along the water and nice spots to stop and enjoy the view. That was no longer the case.
Another sweet moment on the beginning of our walk to the beach. Yes, that is a car parked on the sidewalk.
Michael leaving the area...it was just not a pleasant spot
Tsunami zone warning
Kids trying to make the best of it.
We walked back to the house. The highlight of the walk for the kids were the stray dogs. The kids would have taken every one of them back with us if they could. There were so many that I began to give them names. We'd make up voices for what they would sound like if they could talk. It was a fun way to pass the time.
Disappointed in what we had seen thus far and not having a host around to ask questions (he disappeared after the first day), I wrote a friend who had been here recently and highly recommended a visit to this city. I'm so glad I did this. She got back to me immediately and advised us where to go. Valparaiso was about to redeem itself.