Donde McDonalds?
Sunday, September 21st, 2008Day 177
“Safe journeys my Canadian friends!” said Brian as we made our way out of the Green House in Santiago. Why was this guy always around to greet you? It was as if the hostel hired Brian to greet and bid travellers safe journeys. Either that or Brian really just doesn’t want to leave Santiago. I mean its not a bad city but its far from a place you’d want to hangout long. Jordana and I however were ready to leave Santiago and the reason was Valparaiso.
We walked a few hundred meters to the Santa Lucia metro stop and rode the line 11 stops to the Pajaritos stop where, conviently a bus station is also located. There we purchased a ticket for the 1 1/2 hour trip west to Valparaiso. Within 15 minutes we were comfortably seated as we watched the Santiago suburbs turn into vineyards and then to tall pine forests.
Valparaiso, if you have read or know much about Chilean poet Pablo Neruda then you probably have heard of this seaside city. Or maybe you saw it in “The Motorcycle Diaries”? Or maybe you just have no idea where or what Valparaiso is. I’m somewhere in the middle. I know of Neuruda, haven’t read his work, and I do remember this city from the scenes of Che Guevara’s trip through South America in the movie “The Motorcycle Diaries”. I mention these two things because this are the types of people that are drawn and inhabit Valpo. (Yeah I’m calling it Valpo from now on, not sure if anyone else does but I like it)
Just as we approached the city the clear blue skies filled with a misty fog and soon we were engulfed in a wet mist. This added to the mystic the city already carried for myself. We grabbed our bags from the bus and hailed a taxi. Our taxi wound its way through the tight streets of Valpo to the Luna Sunrisa hostel, where we found a beautiful bright hostel with a friendly owner. We quickly dropped our bags and went searching for lunch. Just down the street we found a funky cafe with great coffee and good food. After lunch we set out to explore Valpo.
It was quickly apparent why people like Pablo Neuruda made Valpo their home and why those people make they city what it is. There’s a very bohemian and anarchic feel to the narrow streets and the beautifully painted murals lining the walls and brightly painted buildings. Add to this that the city is built over a series of 42 steep hills that rise out of the Pacific Ocean and it all creates one of the most unique cities I’ve ever seen. 15 ancient looking funicular rails shuttle people up and down the hills or cerros. Its sort of like San Francisco, except picture San Francisco with a whole lot of anarchy to it all. As we strolled around the quiet streets the foggy mist really added to the beauty of the colourfully painted buildings.
I have heard a few times that you either love or hate Valpo, I can understand that now. Its far from polished and not always clean. Some of the worst slums in Chile are here. If you called it ramshackle I wouldn’t argue much. However its also the cultural capital of Chile and its a very inspirational place. Only being here a few hours makes me want to start writing poetry or take up painting. To bad it doesn’t change the fact that I have trouble drawing stick men, and poetry? Ha! I don’t want to lose my readers. Another redeeming feature, lack of U.S. fast food chains. They are like a disease in latin America. When you get one they all show up and then multiply by 100. When McDonalds opened a few years ago here in Valpo locals just didn’t go. Or as we were told today, “locals went, but only to toss their trash and use the toilet.” So McDonalds left. It wasn’t politically motivated its just that people in Valpo aren’t the McDonalds eating type. That’s the feeling one gets instantly from Valpo, unique and independent. Things are just different here and its a different I like.
Michael Coroneos