Valparaiso, Chile - Day 1

Valparaiso, a Unesco Site, is an artsy bohemian town about an hour and a half northwest of Santiago along the Pacific coast. A cluster of winding streets, massive hills, and cable cars permeate the city. They have artists galore and homeless people aplenty.

Valparaiso is definitely not for everybody. It’s a very overcrowded city; the streets are narrow and people are everywhere. There are rough edges not just at the city edges but throughout the city. Of all the cities that I’ve ever visited, it’s one easiest cities to get lost in as the streets names change a couple times for the same street on one stretch of road, most of the streets are extremely windy, there are few main streets to walk along, and the city is built around multiple hills and along a bay which adds to the confusion. Certainly, the flock of homeless people laying around the entire city also makes it somewhat difficult to ascertain the “safe” areas from the somewhat “shady” areas.

For the shutterbug, wanderlust takes over and exploring the numerous side streets on each hill can become a multiple day activity. The artistic graffiti, colorful houses, and small art galleries on the hills are a joy to discover with each street providing a glimpse into the local art work and often crescendoing into the next find.

Valparasio, Chile - Day 1