Just over an hour away from the bustling cosmopolitan capital of Santiago lies the UNESCO port town and street art haven of Valparaiso. For years painters, poets and philosophers have headed to this bohemian mecca inspired by its relaxed attitude and faded charm. Where everything is a canvas and everyone’s inner photographer comes to life snapping away the riot of colours, graffiti tags and pretty pastel coloured houses lining the steep streets. We, as many before us, were no exception.
Apparently since the UNESCO award all buildings must remain, from the outside at least, as they did when they were certified. Meaning this colour pop port town has even more charm from its crumbling houses or deserted wastelands. As it is so steep there are plenty of funiculars dotted around the town (similar to the one we took in Santiago zoo) that take you up high with the option of slides for shorter routes down. Weeee!
We stayed in a fab hostel up on a thigh burning street but the view, especially from our room, was worth the burnt calories to get there. The owner, a chatty French man, told us all about his life over here and how he misses good French cheese the most which then got us reminiscing about all the food we missed such as fish and chips, pate, proper tea and chocolate *drool*.
We had a walk around the town stopping at edgy hipster cafes, snacking on fresh cupcakes and coffee, taking in the sea air down by the harbour and rambling along the bright lively streets. Dinner was an evening picnic of empanadas, which we actually bought from some guy’s car boot who had installed a fully working oven in there! And a cheap but tasty bottle of red watching the sunset and the lights sparkle.
Being so close to the sea we had to try some fresh fish. So despite the rain the following day we stumbled down to the port and found a small busy Spanish-speaking only restaurant where we had a starter of mussels, fish and potatoes and a shot of pisco sour for just £3 each! Billy bargain I just wish all of Chile could be this cheap.
It is easy to see why so many have succumbed to the rough around the edges style of this town. From the drunk guy playing love songs on his beat up guitar to young teens trying to sell their art work on the corner, crumbling colourful houses plopped in-between spray painted alleyways, and gulls greedily hanging around the fishing boats down by the murky waters. Now excuse me as the creative juices flow while I head off to pen an ode to Valparaiso!
