Valparaiso

It's hard to imagine that a town just over 100km from Santiago could be so different. But Valparaiso might as well be in a different country.

We arrived on Sunday afternoon while the street markets were still in full swing. Compared to European Santiago, the only thing we could see that had anything in common with that part of the world was the thick jackets worn by the people on the street. The streets were dirty and full of rubbish, stray dogs slept on every corner and the inhabitants seemed less happy than those of the capital.

Valparaiso is said to be a unique city in Chile and it isn't because the waters of the Pacific Ocean lap onto it's shore. The waterfront is a working port full of container ships that's separated by multiple fences and a train line. What's unique is the brightly painted buildings clinging to the steep hills behind the flat central business district.

These are reached by a series of 15 ascensores (escalators) and multiple sets of stairs.

The first staircase we came to we climbed, a stray dog huffing and puffing alongside our every step. Midway up, Jeff compared the climb to the stair case going up the Eiffel tower with it's 678 steps. By the top, it didn't feel that much different and the view was equally good, expect maybe not as pretty. The bright blue cranes of the port dominated the horizon and the buildings of the city seemed to crumble before our very eyes.

 

Down on the ground there was rubbish and dog poo everywhere and it quickly became abundantly clear that this was quite a different neighbourhood. Artistic graffiti covered the walls and everyone who we passed starred at us. We followed the main street as I was unwilling to turn down the side alleys, but we soon turned back as it seemed like we were getting nowhere.

Next we chanced upon the Ascensor Concepcion which happens to be the oldest in the city. Catching it up, we found ourselves in a totally different neighbourhood. Here the footpaths had been swept, there was no graffiti in sight and all the people who looked at us, were also tourists. In fact, there were hardly any locals in the area apart from those cleaning the streets. This was the side that the city obviously wanted visitors to see.

The brightly painted buildings were well maintained and had pretty details. From the neat terraces we could see the rolling hillsides covered in bright houses. Down below in one of the squares a stage was being set up and after wandering around the hills we arrived just in time for the sound check. The free concert was starting later that evening.

When we returned the square, it was packed with people and the first musician was already playing. He was a guitarist and vocalist signing pop sounding songs all in Spanish that consistently sounded full of angst and passion.

In the next group a woman with a lovely voice sang along to guitars, violins, the double bass and African drums. One song in particular sounded very good and I was surprised that I almost seemed to know what was coming next. Then I realised it was an English song translated.

While we waited for the third band to come on we could hear a drum beat coming from around the corner. Everyone craned their neck to see and Jeff joked that they were trying to compete with the concert. Then they walked on stage, a group of women dressed in indigenous skirts and Peruvian scarves over their shoulders. They were signing along with the drum beat. A moment later they started playing pan flutes and dancing. Compared to the pop music the sound was so unique I grabbed the camera and started recording, thinking “I've got to blog this!”

At the end of their song, another band joined them on stage and the packed crowd jumped to their feet and started dancing along to the new sound of the indigenous and pop music blend. The lead singer quite obviously an entertainer got the crowd cheering and clapping to their next songs as other instruments like sitars and indigenous horn.

At the end of the set the rapt audience was genuinely cheering and shouting for more.

But the main purpose of the concert that evening turned out the be the screening of “Temporary Valparaiso” which we guessed was a short film entry. Between songs from a local artists they showed vintage film of the city, parts of which we could recognise. But we didn't stay for the whole video, instead opting to wander home and experience the real Valparaiso.

Next Stop: The Andes