Colourful Valparaiso, Chile
(Travelled on 18-19 February 2012)
Returning from Puerto Varas, we decided to take the overnight bus (15 hrs) to Valparaiso, a city about 1.5hrs away from Santiago. Valparaiso is the port city of the country and has been designated by UN as a World Heritage Site. The title is well suited considering how colourful the city is.
Our previous hostel host booked us a place right in the centre of the cultural area ie. Cerro Alegre, which is conveniently located with many cafes and shops. Nomades B&B is an interesting hostel with 6 rooms and is decorated with quirky paintings. The hostess was kind enough to check us in an hour earlier as we came directly from the bus terminal. Room cost 34,000 Chilean pesos and they only accept cash. Almost all the places we’ve been at Valparaiso only accepts cash.
Houses are built along this hill and the walk up is steep and tiring. Along the way, we can see the colourful buildings as well as the beautifully painted walls.
Since we’re already in the middle of the hill, the best thing to do is to walk around the hill first before going downhill towards the port. There are several lookout points in the area but the view of the port is partly obstructed by tall buildings and bushes. Still the clear blue seas welcome us on the sunny day.
Walking down hill was much easier than uphill. We spent the late afternoon enjoying the atmosphere – lots of people were at the port, some shopping at the nearby shops, others were simply lingering around. We watched children fishing and one boy got really excited when he caught a fish. Everyone screamed in excitement seeing the fish jumped out of water and the boy excitedly releasing the fish from the hook and putting it into the pail. Large birds flew around the port and in high speed, they dived down for their prey – such sharp eyesights!
Valparaiso is a good option for an overnight stay. Enjoy the colours. Enjoy the sea breeze. Enjoy walking up and down the hill 🙂