Where are you going next ?
I dunnu, where do you think I should go ?
 |
| Mosaic Graffiti in Valparaiso |
That’s how I found out about Valparaiso and thinking I would
read up the city from the old lonely planet book I borrowed from the hostel, I
was shocks when there was no entry for Valparaiso. Must be an old book but the
newer version had like only half a page long about it. Seems like a passing by
town so I decided always follow local knowledge and just give it a go.
 |
| Funicular |
New friends from the last night partying in Santiago
contacted me and ended up going to Valparaiso together. Danny and Mary. First
stop we hit there and we decided to track my hostel down to relive me of the
heavy load. Walking around looking for the bus we bump into another guy (Tall
German Guy) who was also on the Santiago walking tour. Hi and Bye and on our
way to the hostel.
Valparaiso has a flavour to its city. Even without the
graffiti to add spice to it the city has a charm of its own that few others can
trump it. Winding path snaking up hills and cutting at ridicules corners. Roads
that do not makes sense, café or shops where you don’t expect them to be.
Architecture of the poor using metal sheet and camouflage it to looks like a
renascence style porch building. Funiculars that squeaks and cranks like it’s
about to fall apart and tuck in between building give the city a pulsing heart.
It was a wonder of wonders that this city was granted UNESCO Heritage so late.
Valparaiso was also the first danger I came across in Chile.
A friendly kind of danger that one would have thought everything was safe.
Apparently there was this neighbourhood just beside the touristic area that the
people were very protective and would not even allow other neighbourhood people
to enter let alone tourist. Danny, Mary and me took the funicular into that
district and was immediately warned by the attendant in full vigour but since
we could not understand her Spanish we understood it as to beware of
pickpockets.
Half way up the hill two girls whistle at us and waved their
hand and tried to tell us something. We had no idea what it was but when the
hand signal of cutting one's throat came out and pointing towards the direction
we were heading we finally understood that it was dangerous not in the sense of
pickpocket but you could get into serious trouble. In a way the whole experience
was so friendly that although we almost walk into a pit it did not feel like
it. It’s as if the internal scuffle does not include dumb tourist unless the
tourist decide to ignore all the warnings and proceed anyway.
Still the city of Valparaiso has lot to offer with hidden
Gems that no books can capture entirely.
 |
| Valparaiso - Chile |
No comments:
Post a Comment