Another early morning start, but today was a big day for us. Ljubica, Ricardo, and I left their house and picked up Benoit and Claire, and together we drove through the city and onto the highway to Valparaíso. It was a pleasant drive, and Ricardo filled the role of telling us what everything we passed was, so it was very informative too. The area surrounding Santiago is really nice. Parts of it seem dry, others are obviously fertile with the vineyards and farms that are everywhere. And there is a circle of cerros (hills) surrounding the city as well. The Andes are due east of here, and to the west, on the road to Valparaíso, you have to cross through two tunnels in these cerros to get there.
We made a pit stop at a church with a statue of the Virgin Mary, that Ljubica told us countless people stop at while driving between Santiago and Valparaíso. She also mentioned that on festival days, the place is crowded with people going up to the alter to pray with the statue, and ask for a blessing. Catholicism is very interesting in that respect, and even in countries like Chile where a large number of Catholics don't attend church anymore, they still pray to statues and saints like this one.
We continued our drive from there, passing into some heavy fog as we got closer to the sea. Felipe's parents said that this was very common, but hopefully it doesn't ruin our view of the Pacific Ocean and the cities themselves. After about an hour total drive from Santiago, we made it into the city of Valparaíso, which sits right on the sea and is filled with colorful buildings. Our first stop was the Legislative Building which, compared to the old one in Santiago, is very modern-looking. It even has a sort of "A" shape, with a hole in the middle, which I found very interesting. You never think of government buildings having interesting designs (well, except for the Scottish Parliament!), so it's always neat to see one that does. As with Santiago, there were lots of plants and trees everywhere, and a magnolia tree right outside. So that made me feel better, and I explained to my comrades that it's the state tree of my home state. I'm always happy to see one in another country - certainly makes the world not seem so big.
We walked through a park named after Bernardo O'Higgins next to the Chilean legislature, and saw vendors selling antiques (like records, old NES games, coins, etc.) and a bunch of dogs, as is typical of any city here I am finding. At least they're very friendly. From there we parked next to the headquarters of the Chilean Navy, which looks probably the most opposite of anything I would have expected, but then again Valparaíso is a very colorful city, so it works. There was also a statue dedicated to people who had died during the naval battle of Iqueque on May 21, 1879, and also to the naval hero Arturo Prat. This battle was fought during the War of the Pacific, in which Chile fought against Peru and Bolivia and gained control over the northern sector of modern Chile, containing the Atacama Desert and making Bolivia a landlocked country.
It was just a short trip from the monument to the Port of Valparaíso, which was filled with little boats on the harbor that could be rented out for a short tourist excursion. There was also a market of people selling goods, and dogs running about, as is typical. Seagulls could be seen flying around everywhere, which was a nice departure from the pigeons.
We decided to walk just a bit farther along the coast from there and go up to the top of a hill for a better view using a funicular (or ascensore), a type of "elevator" that runs diagonally up the side of the hill, and were one of the main means of transport in early Valparaíso, at least to the sectors at higher elevations. However, today, only one remains functional (this one) after the earthquake and wear and tear over time. As we walked, we passed some sections that contained graffiti, but they had added some murals over them to improve the scenery - it was quite nice, and a very constructive way to deal with a consistent problem.
The walk was nice alongside the actual port, which was full of containers destined for North America, Asia, Australia, and elsewhere. I am told this cargo includes primarily fruit, copper, and wine. Once we arrived at the funicular station, we were able to get into the car, which is essentially a box with two doors (one on either side) and windows on both sides. There were a bunch of kids in the car with us, and you can tell that for them it was exciting to ride in (it was for me too, but I'm a tourist, so it's allowed). As we started to ascend, it was an interesting feeling. It's like the feeling you get on an elevator, only your body isn't sure how to react because you're going up and sideways at the same time. But despite the odd feeling and the creaky noises, it was a really neat ride up, and we got some great views of the whole city from the windows at the back.
At the top we paid an exit fee, and walked around in the upper area of this hill. There was a market full of vendors here as well, selling homemade crafts and other things, and a gazebo from which you could take lots of pictures of the city. I can see why people kept these funiculars running, because it's a great way to see Valparaíso. Even on a day where there's a bit of fog and the sun isn't shining, you can see all the colorful houses and the activity going on in the port. On the way back in and onto the funicular that would take us back to the ground, we passed the wheel that pulled each car up and let the other one down at the same time.
We made it safely back down to the bottom, and walked back to the car, where Ricardo and Ljubica suavely talked their way out of a parking ticket. Apparently the whole plaza we parked in is closed for cars (signs everywhere, but we never noticed them), even though there were definitely people there directing us to park. Strange. We drove a few blocks away and stopped at a fantastic seafood restaurant for lunch. I got a local fish called a reineta with some rice (Have I mentioned that rice here is strangely well-seasoned? I don't get it; it's always so bland in the states), which was delicious. However, the seafood dishes Ricardo and Claire got were beautiful! They took the shells of mussels and clams and spread them around the outside edge, and put either the meat with vegetables or a stew in the middle. Sadly, I didn't take a picture of that, but Ljubica did and put them on Facebook (haha).
After lunch, we made the short drive to Viña del Mar, which Ricardo and Ljubica said runs right up alongside Valparaíso, so they are practically the same city. Except they are not at all. Valparaíso is more old (antigua in Spanish) and more business-like, with an active port and government offices. Viña del Mar ("vineyard of the sea") is more of a resort town, with new condominiums, gardens everywhere, beaches, and resorts. We made a stop at the welcome sign, which has a somewhat-functional clock made out of plants (only the second-hand works) but it's a beautiful area.
This was the first place during our drive we encountered traffic, and tons of it! Apparently this is a holiday weekend (tomorrow everyone has the day off), so everyone came to Viña for vacation. Once we finally made our way through traffic, and found a parking spot, we walked into town toward the water. It really is a beautiful place - flowers and palm trees everywhere. It kinda reminds me of Panama City Beach, only a bit less trashy. Maybe similar to somewhere in California? We walked through the "Casino del Mar", which was a nice place but very similar to what you'd see in Biloxi. Except they charge a $3,000 pesos ($6) entrance fee. What the heck? So you pay to lose money? That's weird. Why would people do that?
Once we walked all the way through the casino (I say that like it took that long, but it was relatively small compared to some of the ones in Biloxi), we came upon the rocky Pacific coastline of Viña del Mar. It was beautiful. And it was great to feel the splash of the sea on my face again and to smell the salt air. Always reminds me of home! A number of people had gone about transcribing bible verses and other sayings on the rocks here as well, which was neat to see. They did it in a very nice way, so it wasn't like the other graffiti I've seen elsewhere on this trip.
As we walked a little farther down the boardwalk, we got to the actual beach, which was a very interesting consistency. It was much bigger grain-wise than the sand we have in Mississippi (which I realize is hauled in in trucks, but it's the same in Florida as well), but it also was somewhat sharp. You could almost sea the ground shells in when looking at the sand, so I'd guess that was the reason for it. I guess this gives away the fact that I took my shoes off and walked in it, haha. Benoit, Claire, and I decided we had to stick our feet in the Pacific Ocean, and so we went for a walk barefoot. It was SO COLD. I'm told that the Humboldt Current, which runs along the coast of Chile from the Southern Ocean, guarantees that the water is almost always cold, and people only go swimming in the summer. I can believe it! Like...super super icy cold it almost hurt. But it was great to be able to say that I've done it, as this is my first time to see the Pacific Ocean. As we left the beach and continued walking, there were also some sand sculptures that people had made. One person even made the little squirrel from the movie
Ice Age who's always after the acorn. It was great to see.
Further along the boardwalk, we came across some more beaches, gardens, and much more vendors selling a number of things. There was also an area of "games", that had a bungee jumping thing and a pool filled with water that kids could run around in while inside these giant inflatable balls. It was hysterical to watch them run really quick and then inevitably fall as they either outran or fell behind the movement of the ball. But we had a good time walking, and even though the sun was hiding, it was still a nice view and not too cold.
Once we'd seen as much as there was to see in Viña, we headed back to the car and began our drive back to Santiago. On the way, we passed a bunch of palm trees that are native to Chile only, and apparently produce some type of honey, so that was neat to see. We also made the attempt to stop at a vineyard, since due to the holiday many are closed tomorrow and I wanted to see one. But these were closed today, unfortunately. It was still neat to see all the grape plants in rows for miles, from one vineyard to the other. I'll have to go on my next visit here, for sure. We did succeed in finding some Chilean sweets that Ljubica wanted us to try, and we had them after dinner once we got back in Santiago. For dinner, she made us "completos", which are one of Felipe's favorite foods. It's basically a hot dog like we have in the states (exactly) with mayo, mustard, and ketchup, plus sauerkraut, avocado, and tomatoes. It's pretty intimidating once it's made, but it's pretty darned good. So yes, Felipe, I had a completo. :)
After we were finished, and had long discussions on American policies, the earthquake, 9/11, passports, and a bunch of other random things in Spanish that I could understand most of, Benoit and Claire left to go home, and I checked some emails and went to bed. A long day, but definitely a great one for seeing Chile!
