Boldly Go Solo

If you are prone to vertigo or have weak legs, the port city of Valparaiso, Chile, may not be the place for you. The city, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has more than 42 hills, some of them heart-poundingly steep. But if you can deal with some leg work, or find a nice taxi driver, you will find interesting and intricate vistas up many a winding road.

I had just one day to visit Valparaiso from Santiago. I debated whether to take an organized bus tour or go on my own. I chose the tour, mainly because I didn’t get my act together to research bus schedules or what I should see.

It was a good choice. It turns out that buses pull in to the lower city. Then you have to find your way up the hills to the sights. If you’re looking for something in particular and start up the wrong vertical street, it’s a steep investment in going the wrong direction. 

You can get up hills by foot or by ancient ascensor, the Spanish word for funicular. Check out this video of a ride up an ascensor. It really gives the feel of the experience:

Our tour’s first stop was at one of Pablo Neruda’s houses. The Chilean poet had three. The two others are in Santiago and La Isla Negrita. The Valparaiso one, La Sebastiana, is on a steep street that our bus driver got the sweats navigating. I found myself wondering about how the strength of the emergency brake and its ability to hold a huge vehicle on that steep a pitch.

Neruda’s airy four-story house faces the sea, which he loved. The "crazy house full of stairs," as described by the Pablo Neruda Foundation, is packed with nautical knick-knacks. I mainly know Neruda from the Italian movie, Il Postino, about a postman’s admiration for the poet, who comes to the postman’s village for a season.

I bought a book of poems in Spanish, with the English translation on opposing pages, to educate myself on Neruda’s poetry and to try to learn more Spanish. After the museum visit, our
group set off on a walk, up and around and down and through streets and alleys, many adorned with colorful graffiti. Luckily, a knowledgeable guide led the way.

Some professional photographers were in the group and when they spotted a good shot I mimicked it. It’s another reason I enjoy being
with people for part of my travels rather than being alone the whole time. I benefit from others’ skills.

We ate lunch at a touristy place. After all, how many one-of-a-kind, hole-in-the-wall places have room for 20 or 30 people arriving at once? Okay, score one for the downside of group travel.

Afterwards, our guide took us to an old church and an
indoor food market that was nearing closing for the day. Two sights I probably wouldn’t have found on my own. Score another one for the upside of
groups.

While lingering in a main square down near the water, the guide pointed out a military building. The door was guarded by two
officers. Nearby, two dogs lay sleeping on the steps. Not
something you’d see at an official building here in
Washington, no sir. Chile and Argentina seem to have a laissez-faire attitude
about street dogs.

The day trip was a wide-ranging, if short, overview of a major Chilean city. I’m not sure I could have fit in so many sights, or insights, if I’d been on my own.

Photos: Ellen Perlman 

1. House near the top of one of many hills in Valparaiso.
2. Rooftop view of Valparaiso
3. Military building (Armada de Chile, Comandancia de Jefe, or Chilean Navy, commander’s headquarter’s…I think) with sleepy guests who ain’t got no respect.