The City of Hills

Valparaiso, Chile

Mac and I spent more time in Valparaiso (aka, Valpo) Chile than we have in any other city during our trip thus far. The reason for our extended stay (24 days!!) in this city was because we were volunteering at a Bed & Breakfast through a WorkAway opportunity. WorkAway is essentially an online tool where potential volunteers can search and apply for jobs that are posted by hosts. Through a series of back and forth emails, Mac & I arranged our stay at Allegretto B&B with the owner, Ed. Our shifts at the B&B were 9:00am – 11:30am, 11:30am – 2:00pm (Mac and I would alternate daily for these 2.5 hours) for 5 days a week, and then 5:00pm – 10:00pm for 3 nights a week – we had 2 days off a week. The mornings included helping the maid staff change the sheets in rooms that had just emptied; clean the bathrooms; do laundry; set up and take down breakfast; and any other odd cleaning jobs. The evenings were spent at reception answering calls or taking care of walk-in guests. Having never worked in hospitality before, it was interesting to see the inner-workings of a bed & breakfast. Though I don’t know for sure if the hospitality industry will have a large part in whatever my future career is, I have a much greater appreciation for it, as well as the running of a small business (this B&B only has 9 rooms).

As you can see from my Graffiti Art post, Valpo is a hugely colourful city. During our days off, or during our free afternoons, Mac & I put in a lot of mileage walking around and admiring the sights & sounds (and smells!). (There are SO many bakeries in Valpo. Panaderias line the sidewalks and their doughy aroma wafts into the street making us stop (more than once!) and buy a piece of bread (or two)). The colourfulness of the city is not only seen in the huge amounts of street art, but also in the brightly coloured homes and storefronts that line the streets.

Valpo is also a city of HILLS! According to Lonely Planet, there are 42 hills here!! The main business district is between the coast/harbour front and the foot of the hills and it’s commonly referred to as El Plan. From there, the cerros (hills) extend to the edges of the city. The majority of the restaurants and hostels in the city are located on the cerros. The main hills are called Cerro Alegro & Cerro Concepcion. (Allegretto is located on Cerro Allegro).

There are a few ways to get up these hills: walking up the steep, sloping streets, climbing up the endless flights of stairs, or paying a small fee to take an ascensor (funicular) up to the top! Though we mainly opted to walk or climb, there were a few times where our legs simply protested too much & we took the less physically exhausting option. They’re a bit rustic, often quite shaky, but definitely a fun experience none the less. There’s even one elevator ascensor! Plus, you really can’t beat the views at the top!

One thing I have to mention isn’t specifically about Valpo, but Chile in general. Some of you may find this very mundane, but I couldn’t get over it! For some unknown reason, the Chilean government decided not to “fall back” after Daylight Savings Time this year. As a result of this, their daylight extends an extra hour into the evening. However, it also means that the sun doesn’t rise until 8:45AM!!!! I would go on walks in the morning around 8:30-9:00am and it felt like I was walking a) in the middle of the night, and b) in a ghost town! Due to the late arrival of daylight, most stores & shops don’t open up until 9-9:30! It was definitely a super weird experience for this (now former) early bird!

Valparaiso is a main shipping hub of South America. This is especially apparent while walking near the harbour and seeing the hustle & bustle of activity at the port. There are shipping secants for as far as the eye can see!!

All in all, our 3 weeks in Valparaiso were fun, relaxing, colourful, and just what we needed. After traveling for 6 months pretty much non-stop, it was great to have a place that we could use as a home base while we went off on our small adventures. Valparaiso offers something for everyone that passes through. Literary enthusiasts will appreciate La Sebastiana – Pablo Narudo’s home; art fanatics will love the abundance of street murals & coloured facades; foodies will drool at the abundance of fine & casual dining options, as well as the awesome street markets selling fruits & vegetables; and everyone else will surely find their way in this bright city.

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Having a laugh with Pablo Narudo

If you find yourself in Chile, I’d highly recommend adding Valparaiso to your list of stops![/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]