After surviving my first few days in South America, enthralled by the hustle and bustle of the city, I decide it is time to take the adventure to the coast for a bit of a more relaxing atmosphere. So I hop on a bus to Valparaíso.

Valparaíso and Viña del Mar are on the West Coast of Chile and are less than a two hour drive from Santiago, making them popular weekend destinations.

Valparaíso is a port city and is a declared UNESCO World Heritage Site. (During the gold rush of the 1800s, Valparaíso was the most important and main port city for traveling to California. After the opening of the Panama canal, the industry and economy of this port city were severely impacted.)

        

Viña del Mar, on the other hand, is a beach town just North of Valparaíso.

First Impressions

After a quick and easy jaunt from Santiago, I arrive at the bus station. However, I do not find myself immediately in a relaxed seaside setting, as I may have hoped. Instead, the struggle to arrive safely at the hostel by public transportation begins again. This time my attempt goes a bit more smoothly, although the chaos surrounding me is still something out of this world.

With my basic Spanish skills slowly coming back to me, I hop on the local bus. I ask the driver if I am going in the right direction and if he can tell me when my stop comes. Then I head to the back to experience my first of many rides on the micro (the local bus). The local bus situation in Valparaíso is interesting to say the least. The busses are small and incredibly crowded. No one seems to know which busses go where without asking the drivers, and “stops” seem to be wherever someone decides to get on or off the bus, oftentimes while it is still in motion.

After being on the bus for ten or fifteen minutes, I begin to worry that the driver forgot about my request to get off at Urriola (he did) and that I missed the stop (I didn’t). I ask the man next to me and he kindly tells me when the stop is coming; although I misinterpret him and press the call button too early. This results in the entire bus yelling at the driver to keep going until the next stop. Whoops, sorry guys! But thanks for the help. 😉

I hop off the bus and begin to trek my way up to the hostel with all my gear. I quickly realize that Valparaíso is a very hilly city. After climbing a fun and colorful set of stairs, I arrive at Casa Volante. The hostel has a cozy and homey feel, fitting with the name, and I settle in quickly. I head to the market for some groceries, make a quick dinner, share a few cervezas on the terrace and head to bed.

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Valparaíso and La Sebastiana

After enjoying the Tours for Tips walking tour in Santiago so much, I decide to try it out again in Valparaíso. I walk down the street to the morning tour and we wander through the hills of the city, learning a bit about it’s culture, heritage and its UNESCO designation. Again I get to experience the pleasures of the micro ride and the uphill climbs through the city. On this tour, I first begin to really see how extensively the street art pervades this town. Among its winding streets and the already colorful homes on the hills, the street art really seems to bring an added sense of life and vibrance to the city.

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I return to the hostel and run into a couple of people who are getting ready to go wander, so I decide to join in. As we walk, I begin to appreciate that the best way to explore and discover this city is by getting lost. We stroll aimlessly for hours, encountering endless amounts of cafes, bars, artisan shops, boutiques, and galleries, all tucked away in their own colorful corners of the city. By late afternoon, we are on the other side of the city and make it to one of Pablo Neruda’s houses, La Sebastiana. I’m not typically one to like tourist attractions, especially those that cost money, but I decide to take a chance and pay to enter the house, which has been converted into a museum. The house is very peculiarly decorated and the details provided about the poet offer interesting insights into his life and works. Plus, the view from his study at the top of the house is absolutely stunning and one can fully grasp why he chose this location for one of his homes by the water.

Back at the hostel, we have a traditional Chilean asado (BBQ) for dinner. After dinner we decide to check out some live music. We head back to a bar that we had noticed earlier in the day advertising live music. However, upon entering, we realize we are not in a bar at all, but rather have arrived at an opening for an art exhibit at a gallery and studio (La Mancha). There is freshly created art hanging everywhere, free wine, and live music being performed by friends and artists alike. At the request of one of the artists, we make our way outside to listen to his friend perform for the group in the street. She is very talented and even plays a few English songs for us. It turns out to be an unexpected, yet perfect start to our evening. We end the night at a rooftop restaurant/bar (The Clinic) with Pisco Sours. (This drink is known throughout South America and there is controversy over whether it originated in Chile or Peru. In my opinion, the Pisco Sour I had was WAY too sweet for my liking. However, we experimented with a homemade recipe and were able to re-create a pretty delicious tasting cocktail on our own). Sweet drinks aside, the bar had spectacular views of the bay from their terrace.

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Realizing the splendor of the city and the relaxing atmosphere, I decide that two nights is not enough and add an additional two nights at a new hostel, just up the stairs. I continue to explore the city by foot and take it all in, while enjoying being able to take my time. With the same group from the hostel, I also manage to take in a few more sites outside of Valparaíso:

Viña del Mar & Reñaca 

We decide to take a beach day and head North. Hopping yet again on the crazy micro, we drive through Viña del Mar, which appears very clean, affluent and resort-like. There are plenty of boutiques, parks and plazas to enjoy, just steps away from the beach.

A bit farther North of the center of Viña del Mar, we make it to Reñaca beach. We choose to head a bit farther past the main strip in the hopes that it would be a bit less crowded and offer some great panoramics of the area. The beach was plenty full, but we had no problem finding the perfect spot to take in the spectacular views and chill for a few hours.

La Isla Negra

It’s my last full day here before heading to Puerto Montt and we make an impulsive decision to jump on a bus and head down to La Isla Negra. This is a small beach town where Pablo Neruda has yet another house (his three houses are in Santiago, Valparaíso and La Isla Negra). This one is directly on the water. Once we arrive in town we grab some empanadas (of course!) and head to Pablo Neruda’s house. The views from the house are remarkable. This time, we opt out of paying to see the house and instead decide to check out the shore. We spend the day climbing rocks along the water and walking along the beachfront. We even end up taking a short horseback ride along the water. It is a perfect way to round out my time on the coast.

Moving On: Reflection and What’s Next?

My time in Valparaíso is winding down and I am so thankful for everyone I have met on this portion of my trip. Everyone’s story is so unique and one of my favorite parts of traveling is hearing those stories. I recap how many important and wonderful conversations I have had over the last few days. It has only been a week, but already I am beginning to realize what those who say “travel changes you” really mean. There is a freedom and an openness that comes with travel and it has the luster of new experiences, crazy adventures, beautiful landscapes, and interesting people. But there is also the internal aspect of traveling that is hard to describe. I continue to meet a ton of new people and to learn from them, but I also have a significant amount of time spent alone. This time alone, with no other obligations to cloud your mind, really forces you to look inside yourself and to begin to decipher, unpack, and repack who you are and everything you think you know about yourself. Solo travel requires this introspection and I am just beginning to scratch the surface, although I am sometimes scared of what I might find. Coincidentally, this has also been one of my first realizations: that it is OK to be afraid. As much as I consider myself an independent person, this does not mean that this comes without fear. Fear is a driving and powerful force and can be used to persevere and to accomplish. As I continue on this journey I hope to embrace this fear and begin to dig deeper: deeper into myself, deeper into my travels, and deeper into the world.

My next step in this metaphorical deep sea dive will begin with my first long haul bus ride (about 15 hours – which yes, I am scared of) and will drop me at the doors to the wonderful world of Patagonia.

Appropriately, Pablo Neruda wrote a poem call El Miedo  (The Fear) that attempts to capture and describe fear and the acceptance of it. So I will leave you with that (English Translation below).

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El Miedo

Todos me piden que dé saltos,

que tonifique y que futbole,

que corra, que nade y que vuele.

Muy bien.

Todos me aconsejan reposo,

todos me destinan doctores,

mirándome de cierta manera.

Qué pasa?

Todos me aconsejan que viaje,

que entre y que salga, que no viaje,

que me muera y que no me muera.

No importa.

Todos ven las dificultades

de mis vísceras sorprendidas

por radioterribles retratos.

No estoy de acuerdo.

Todos pican mi poesía

con invencibles tenedores

buscando, sin duda, una mosca,

Tengo miedo.

Tengo miedo de todo el mundo,

del agua fría, de la muerte.

Soy como todos los mortales,

inaplazable.

Por eso en estos cortos días

no voy a tomarlos en cuenta,

voy a abrirme y voy a encerrarme

con mi más pérfido enemigo,

Pablo Neruda.

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 The Fear 

Everyone is after me to exercise,

get in shape, play football,

rush about, even go swimming and flying.

Very well.

Everyone is after me to take it easy.

They all make doctor’s appointments for me,

eyeing me in a quizzical way.

What is it?

Everyone is after me to take a trip,

to come in, to leave, not to travel,

to die and, alternatively, not to die.

It doesn’t matter.

Everyone is spotting oddness

in my innards, suddenly shocked

by radio-awful diagrams.

I don’t agree with them.

Everyone is picking at my poetry

with their relentless knives and forks,

trying, no doubt, to find a fly.

I am afraid.

I am afraid of the whole world,

afraid of cold water, afraid of death.

I am as all mortals are,

unable to be patient.

And so, in these brief, passing days,

I shall put them out of my mind.

I shall open up and imprison myself

with a most treacherous enemy,

Pablo Neruda.

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Until next time,

xx Christina

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Some Tips

•  From Valparaiso to Santiago – I used TurBus for my trip and it was very comfortable. There are multiple companies with frequent departures everyday. The buses leave from the main terminal in Santiago at the Universidad de Santiago Metro stop.
•  Mirco – local bus – The micro really is the easiest way to get from one place to another within the city center of Valparaíso (if you’re not walking). While it may seem intimidating at first, just ask the driver if they’re going where you need and they will tell you. Once on the bus, they (or others on the bus) are also very helpful at telling you when you need to get off, especially if you stay near the driver to remind him. It’s also the cheapest option.
• Hostels – I would definitely recommend Casa Volante. It has a very homey and comfortable feel and they have a terrace to enjoy drinks on as well as weekly BBQ offered to the guests. I also visited a friend at Hostel Po which was very good and have heard great things about Nomada Eco and Pata Pata as well.

Quick Links

• Casa Volante – http://lacasavolantehostal.com/
• La Sebastiana – http://www.fundacionneruda.org/es/la-sebastiana/informacion-visita
• La Isla Negra – http://www.fundacionneruda.org/es/isla-negra/informacion-visita
• TurBus – https://www.turbus.cl
• The Clinic – http://www.bartheclinicvalparaiso.cl/