Travel Talk

Grey Old Day in Port Town Valparaiso, Chile

December 26, 2013July 16, 2019 by SHABL

unesco_valparaiso

Greetings,

I had a good time on Xmas but it was definitely a grey old day in a city which I don’t care for spending much time but glad I saw. This place aka Valparaiso is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of all the old buildings. Seriously, all that’s left is old buildings, so much graffiti you can’t even imagine and random left overs from a port city that has long ago seen its prime. You can learn a lot of facts about Chile in Valparaiso. There is a cool bohemian scene here but it’s like Kuta, Bali; an acquired taste.

valparaiso_streets

We got in and received directions from a gent who now lives in Toronto, Canada; small world. We arrived and hit the streets to do a photo tour. The place looked ready to fall apart in many areas and granted, it was Xmas so everything was closed. There were not many people on the streets and those that were you probably didn’t want to meet. We went into one of the oldest bars / restaurants in town for a drink to see what’s occurring…

dive_bar_valparaiso

This place had sordid characters and a bathroom worse than most. It also smelt rank and the glasses we ordered our drink it came smelling like the last drink. I went out for a minute and some scam got started on me which would have ended in pickpocketing but I could smell their deceit and didn’t fall for it; we drank our beer and left with a bad taste in our mouth.

buildings_of_valparaiso

Did the photo stroll and honesty, the place is interesting looking in a derelict type way with crazy, unique and colorful designs. The more I travel I know what I like and what I don’t; I don’t care for this place beyond a day or so. Most of these photos are shot to avoid showing the sky as it was just a depressing grey which doesn’t lend well to photos. Today it’s sunny as anything and I went on a photo stroll around here and to Vina Del Mar. Vina Del Mar is nicer and more upscale but still not my style.

hotela_reina_valparaiso

From what I understand this place used to be busy as all the ships would go around Cape Horn on their way from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. When the Panama Canal opened up it basically crushed the economy and well it is what it is today which is a bit of a tourist trap and of course, the port still functions but it’s not what it once was. In closing, if you’re touring Chile do come see this place and spend a day marveling at the buildings or dive in and move here if you’re the bohemian type.

Stay tuned for photos of Vina Del Mar & Valparaiso on a sunny day in the next update; a world of difference!

Glad I came but also excited to be catching a 24 hour bus out of here to San Pedro de Atacama…

banco_chile_valparaiso