I suggest you listen to this song while reading this post, it always gets me in the right mood for South America, even though this band is from Europe. Lol.
Not five days after
reaching basecamp of Aconcagua, over 14,000 feet above sea level, Ryan and I
found ourselves the following weekend at 0 feet above sea level. That is, on
the beaches of Chile.
A large group of us
took the bus trip over the Andes, through all the switchbacks and down into the
heart of Chile in the capital of Santiago for a night, then headed to the coast
and the beautiful city of Valparaiso for a beachfront experience only found in
Chile. Valparaiso (or fondly called Valpo by us Gringos) was thoroughly
explored by my dear friend Yona on a previous trip and she served as our tour
guide for all the good spots while we were there. On this trip, a great deal of
my focus and attention was absorbed by my three best friends as we faced the
encroaching reality of having to leave for the States soon, which would split
us across thousands of miles. To deal with this horrifying thought we consoled
ourselves by taking lots of pictures and laughing constantly to the point it
hurt….
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| You go girls. |
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| Riding up one of the elevators. |
Valpo is a beautiful
and influential city in Chile. While a poorer establishment, it’s actually the
legislative seat of the government of Chile, and was also the first city in the
county to have a Fire Station and a school for girls. What’s most striking
about the city though, is its unique conformity to the land and its amazing
acceptance and promotion of public art.
Valpo is built on an expanse
of large rolling hills that have amassed themselves around the harbor where
shipping and commerce now takes place. In fact, the natural harbor is in part
why Valparaiso grew to be such an influential city in the first place as
commerce and trade provided wealth for early traders. Those individuals built
the city up and around the hills and landscape of the area, resulting in
winding streets and steep sidewalks that sometimes turn into stairs or even
elevator cars for pedestrians. The city has certainly turned tough in the
economic downturn Chile has faced, and we were cautioned to never take the
stairs at night. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful sight seeing the lights from
the homes dotting the hillsides and glowing out into the harbor. This was the
best shot I could get.
During the day
however, Valpo was incredibly beautiful for other reasons.
You know how Boulder,
CO thinks it’s all artsy and hipster and eclectic? Well clearly none of the
hippies of Boulder have visited Valpo. In this city, art is everywhere. If you have a home or a
business with any inch of space publicly (or I suppose privately) visible, you
hire someone to paint a mural. And these are not just any murals. Check it out.
So ya, just walking
around the city was like visiting an art gallery, except that the sun was
always beating down, seagulls calling overhead, and boats and waves ebbing and
flowing in the bay. The way of life here just accepts art in all its forms as a
complete and utter part of the culture, and I found it to be quite beautiful.
The chicas and I dreamed of starting a hostel there and how fun it would be to
paint and run and (in Lorri’s case) DJ the hottest spot in town. La Girasol we
want to call it, and I’m not ruling that plan out as a possible career path as
odd as it may sound.
Needless to say, sand
boarding, viewing art, playing in the waves, and eating a seafood dinner with
Ryan was very different than the experience of last weekend but certainly was
another I won’t forget. Or the very cheap delectable fruit and veggies we used
to make exotic vegetarian dinners at our hostel. Or the epic card games. Or the
sunset over the harbor. Or my best friends always, Las Chicas.
Stay tuned for two
more posts coming up, a sneak peak of the next is below.
-Lisa en Argentina
