20-21 November 2004

Valparaiso

I only went to Valparaiso for a day and a half, but it was quite the adventure. I originally planned to go to Vina del Mar, a neighboring resort town, but Valparaiso was so beautiful that I'm glad I got sidetracked.

The city is built on several (around 42) big hills like this one around a big bay. It is the major port of Chile and a world heritage site. People usually take the "ascensors" (cable cars) to the top, but you still have to be in shape to live here!

A cemetery across from the ascensor we took to the top of Cerro Alegre, where my host Carolina lived.

Valpariaso is full of beautiful old houses like the one here, and it is famous for how colorful some of them are.

However, up close you can see that the paint is in need of upkeep. That's the other thing Valparaiso is famous for: shabbiness.

Carolina's house. She rents the top floor with her apartment-mate Claudia.

Me, Carolina, and Claudia. The two of them are both professional modern dancers. Carolina teaches and Claudia is in a company that I actually got to see perform. They were amazingly friendly, and I had a great time with them.

As I mentioned, the original plan was to go to Vina del Mar, but when I mentioned to my flamenco teacher that I was traveling to the coast alone, she suggested I call her friend Carolina. I struck it lucky and arrived in the middle of the four day national dance festival (no kidding). Carolina had spent the entire previous day in the theater because her students were performing one of her peices, but when I arrived on Saturday she was taking the day off to enjoy watching other performers. So she picked me up at the bus terminal, took me to a cafe, the theater, and a disco with a group of friends. On Sunday morning she took me back to Vina where I had lunch with her equally friendly family, and then returned me to the bus depot. It was amazing!