Valparaíso and its different colors
Aktualisiert: 8. Apr. 2023
Day 23-28 (26.11.-01.12.22):
Before our flight from Guayaquil in Ecuador to Santiago de Chile on 25th November we discussed where to spend our first days in Chile, which were also our last days without the bikes.
We decided to postpone a longer stay in Santiago until March or April 2023, when we expected to have our bikes dropped off for their return trip to Hamburg, and instead spend some days in Valparaíso at the coast.
First we had to get there.
Due to our late arrival in Santiago at 9pm local time we chose the safe option to stay for one night in a hotel close to the bus terminals instead of directly continuing to Valparaíso. In the end it was a smart choice: immigration at the airport took 2 hours, the queue was almost as long as the ones when entering the US or any queue at the moment in Schiphol. It was close to midnight when we left the airport building and took an Uber to the hotel. No dinner for us but at least a good night´s sleep in a comfy bed.
The next day we enjoyed a late and extensive breakfast before we walked to the bus terminal to catch the next bus. While it was incredibly hot in Santiago for days at this time of year with 30 °C in the morning, we were greeted with clouds and a cold wind in Valparaíso in the afternoon.
When we arrived with the cab at our hostel in Valparaíso, B&B el Navegante, our driver asked „Aqui?“ meaning „Here?“ with the Captain subtext translation „Are you sure this is the right spot, because…, well…, it doesn´t look at all like a place to stay.“
If you have no idea, what Captain subtext means, we strongly recommend the British series Coupling from the 90s :).
He had a point: from the outside the building didn’t look very inviting. But from the inside it was amazing and perfect for us considering we wanted to stay 5 nights.
The area where the hostel was located was in the middle of a beautiful part of the city. Everything was in walking distance, the rooms were bright and spacious and the owner was super friendly and helpful.
Valparaíso is famous for its unique topographic situation, its bohemian culture, its hillside historic districts; its flamboyance, street art and chaos, you can easily get lost in the city´s maze of escaleras. And in 2003 it has been declared a Unesco World Heritage Site. Much of it looks improvised, but in a charming way. The only thing less beautiful in the city is the ubiquitous dog poop from the (too) many domestic and stray dogs.
A close view and a bird view on the city.
There is always a steep hill and colorful staircases around the city to explore. On the left one piece of art from @unkolordistinto and in the middle a staircase with song lyrics "Latinoamérica" from Calle 13.
The first two days in Valparaíso I was still fighting a cold I caught while hiking in Las Cajas near Cuenca, and we kept our activities to a minimum, such as a short walk along the harbor and coastline.
By the third day, I was feeling better and we planned a street art tour with a local guide. On a two-hour walk through Cerro Alegre and Cerro Concepción, we learned a lot about the different types of graffiti and murals and also learned to recognize the different styles of the artists. We especially enjoyed the works of UnKolorDistinto, a couple that makes art together.
Street art diashow
The last two days were a bit of a blur. As mentioned in the last blog post, we received bad news from home at the end of November while we were still in Valparaíso. It was a blessing for us to be in a city and a place to stay where we felt like quite at home, like a safe haven.
It's hard to come up with a good closing sentence, so I'll keep it short.
We enjoyed the city and its atmosphere very much and tried to prepare as much as possible for the bike pickup in San Antonio on December 1, which was the end of the first milestone of our trip.
Change of status, from backpacker to biker.
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