Valparaiso, Chile

On the ride from Santiago to Valparaiso, the driver didn’t seem to know how to keep the bus in the middle of the lane, as he stiffly swerved left and right the entire time, so much that if you didn’t plant your skull against the headrest, your head would swing left and right.  I was ready to go up there and teach him a lesson on how to drive. Thankfully, the ride took just over an hour. 

The neighborhood surrounding the bus station in Valpo, however, was not so nice. There were no taxis at the TAXI sign. It took 15 minutes to realize that I had to walk around the corner where they were lined up.  Which was fine enough. But the taxi was beat up and didn’t run well. I hoped we didn’t break down. 

Valparaiso’s main area for tourism is gritty and full of steep hills. Like San Francisco hills. There’s a lot of graffiti but also a lot of really cool street art. There are tons of old colonial buildings (some falling apart), the famous Colored Stairs, and cobblestoned streets. I was glad that I put everything I needed for this short trip into one suitcase and left the other one at my hostel in Santiago, which I’m returning to for one night after Valparaiso.

My hostel, Maki, is on a steep hill. There are no restaurants nearby. You have to climb the colored stairs (about 100 steps) or walk up the steep hill for 10 -15 minutes. 

My room is much nicer than it was in Santiago, but the bathrooms are down the hall. The main sink is 12 inches across and dirty like a gas station sink.  The showers look dirty. There are hairs.

The ceiling in my room is 20 feet high, and when I open the curtains, I can see why buildings and castles in the days before electricity were made with such high ceilings — to let in the light. On a sunny day with the curtains open it’s as bright as if the lights were on.

I explored the colored stairs area (about 100 stairs) and found a few restaurants.  Then I explored the stairway on the other side (143 stairs — I counted). Near the top, I had a beautifully presented ceviche which I discovered I don’t really like due to the texture.