-After a very early start leaving Easter Island (3:30am wake up for a 4:00am airport arrival), we were flying back from Easter Island. Colin and I decided to just make this a total travel day and once we landed in Santiago, we made our way on a public bus to the main bus station and then took a 2 hour bus to Valparaiso. Colin is all down for saving money where we can and taking public transport which is great. A few guys at the airport were trying to offer us direct transfers to Valparaiso for about $100 total, and we did it ourselves for about $15 total. Much better deal and about the same amount of time.
-I have to laugh as I love to chat with other travelers and anyone that has been traveling with me knows I always and asking for hints and suggestions and making notes. Ends up that my dad, brother and I ran into a couple at Iguassu Falls in early February and after talking to them (and finding out they live in Orinda, CA), they gave me a recommendation for a great B&B in Valparaiso and that is where Colin and I are. So we are staying at The Yellow House B&B and it`s overlooking the port where we can look at all the cool boats and water. Plus we have the nicest owner that has been so helpful with ideas and logistics to make the most of our time. Martin is originally from Australia (so he has to be nice to start with) and has been living in Chile for 7 years so very helpful for us.
– Since we arrived on St. Patrick`s day, I really wanted to go out and find an Irish Pub to celebrate…now knowing if the locals really celebrate here. I thought it was worth a try, and Martin told us where the only Irish Pub was in town and we were off. First to dinner and then to the pub around 10:30pm. We thought we would be early for the night time crowd, as this was a Monday. Sadly, when we got to the pub, there was a short line in front of us and two other girls said they had been waiting there for an hour and they weren`t allowing anyone else in until 40 more people left and they place was small and no one appeared to be leaving, so we decided to head out as we were exhausted from our long travel day. We were told this is the only Irish Pub in the region and people were in line since 3:00pm to get tickets for the night time events. Oh well…we tried to celebrate with the Irish.
-Valparaiso is about 70 miles west from Santiago and is the most popular coast destinations. During the 19th century, it was the one of the wealthiest port towns in the world, but after the Panama Canal was completed, the city sank into poverty and that poverty is still all around. As we walked around the city, the higher up you go in the hills, the more poor you get and the highest places or just shacks with very simple living. Many people told me that Valparaiso was similar to San Francisco, and I can see why. Lots and lots of very steep hills (and I have lost my San Francisco climbing muscles and was always out of breath). I used to be able to walk up and down the SF hills in my high heels to work, and now I`m huffing and puffing as I walk in tennis shoes!
-The city still has remains of beautiful Victorian architecture, and surprisingly all the buildings are painted in different and very bright colors. It was very fun to walk around and see the rainbow of homes including one block that went from purple to blue to green, yellow and red. Not sure why there was no orange, but it was still a pretty street. One benefit to the steep city is there are ascenores (or funiculars) everywhere. We heard there were 15 in the city, yet only about 6 of them are really working and are safe since the tourist use them. In one day, Colin and I used 5 of these 6 ascenores to get up and down the steep hills. It is crazy as the oldest ascensors were built in the late 18th century and still run today (yet they are old looking and I`m surprised they still function)
-Colin loved all the run down buildings, but I didn`t as much. I loved the colors, but so wanted them to get repaired and brought back to their previous splendor.
Walking tour of Valparaiso:
– We started off at the Naval Command Headquarters, which was the large blue building and this used to be the residence for many presidents. Locating the tiny ascensor that was no longer marked (since the sign fell down years ago, Martin told us what to look for to find it). we boarded the smallest ascensor that held about 6 people and found a couple that was just married and had 2 photographers taking photos of them all the way up and up at the top of the hill, so we got to be part of the wedding in a way. -at the top of Conception Hill, we wandered the streets and enjoyed all the brightly colored homes, a few churches, more stray cats than I have ever seen (yet they were still so cute!) and we just got a little lost as we enjoyed the views and buildings. that`s half the fun of a new city.
-After a little lunch at the top of the hill, and for me lunch for a hot chocolate and chocolate ice cream cup. Not the healthiest, but I wasn`t feeling great and ice cream always makes me feel better so that was my lunch and I did feel better!
-Martin had told us about one of the oldest ascensors that was 90 degree vertical climb and pretty neat to see the whole city from the other far end, so off we headed. Plus we had to walk in an underground walkway which was more like a cave than anything else with water dripping down and all. Once at the top, we really got to see a lot of the poorer areas. More brightly painted homes with laundry hanging out the windows and so many stray dogs following anyone that would let them. It didn`t really look like a great part of town, so we enjoyed the view, took lots of pictures of the homes below and headed back down.
-Since it was Wednesday, there was a big local market on the main street, so we were off to look for food in order to cook a great meal. I was in heaven as there were so many choices for fresh veggies and I knew it would be a great Chinese stir fry night (plus I have missed Asian foods it was going to be a treat!). I only wish we were staying longer as I wanted to buy much more, but knew we had to carry it for the day on our sightseeing (and that`s no fun). Ended up being a great dinner as Colin and I chopped, prepped, and cooked a great meal back at our B&B. Mission accomplished!
– The final outing for our LONG day of exploring was to hike up to see one of the homes of the famous Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda. He had three quirky homes and the one in Valparaiso was converted into a museum to honor his work. We heard it was worth visiting his house as the views from the top of his house were amazing, he had an eccentric collection of whimsical knickknacks that he collected while traveling and had build his home with a major nautical feeling, yet he was terrified of the water and sailing. His home even had port holes for windows and really did have the influence of a boat. All in all, it was fun to see it, but the hike to the top of the hill, all 15 minutes straight uphill, was a lot and I was huffing and puffing the whole way up. What a work out! After this, I was ready to head back, enjoy some wine and cook or great Chinese dinner.
Casablanca Wine Region:
-I wanted a full day of wine tasting in Chile, and we finally decided to go to the Casablanca region which is located between Santiago and Valparaiso on the Pacific Ocean. This region is known more for the white wines as it`s a warmer region and is considered similar to Sonoma Valley and the Canerneros region of central California. The big wines here were Savingnon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir…yet most of the wineries we went to also grew red grapes in the south we got got to sample those wines as well.
-First stop was William Cole winery. This was started by a rich American from Colorado who paired up with locals wine makers. It was a little smaller and more boutique and we really enjoyed the wines here.
-Second stop was at Vina Mar. This was a large winery and the one we decided to take a tour of. I`m so glad we did as they were right in the middle of Harvest (Harvest starts in March in the southern hemisphere). So we got to see all the grapes being loaded, sorted, pressed and crushed and even the discarded stems. Each bucket of grapes in my photos was 400 kilos (or about 1,000 pounds). This winery also makes sparking, so we learned more about the process of that as they use both the tank fermentation (cheaper) and bottle turning methods (like in France and much more expensive process)
-Third stop was at Indomita. This had a beautiful view of the valley, but they didn`t want to let us taste. They were short staffed and told us to come back. After a little discussion, we finally got the guy to pour us two wines and we were left to drink. Too bad we really didn`t like the wines much as there wasn`t much to it.
-Fourth stop was at Verramonte. This winery was started by a California family (hence I knew I would like it). Colin and I actually really enjoyed the wines here, plus the samples were the cheapest yet and so we tasted more wines. We had all 6 of our tastes (each) lined up on the bar.
-After lunch, we headed to a local area where our guide Michael know of great empanedas. A local man made them and it was very good. We also enjoyed getting off the beaten path to enjoy this and I got some entertainment with more kittens. The owner made some noise and these cats just came out of no where and were very cute.
-Final vineyard was Casa del Bosque. This place was more elegant and upscale and we decided to taste the whole lot of ultra premium wines and really enjoyed them. We even got our first late harvest taste here.
-The day of wine was wonderful…and we ended up purchasing 5 bottles to drink along our way. Now we just have to carry them around, but we can carry them on planes, so we knew we were fine.
-After the long day, we still made it out for the night. Colin wanted to go to an old restaurant called El Cizano. This place had been around since 1896 and is popular for tango singers that serenade the diners (and some of the locals also join in to sing). It was a fun night out after a long day of drinking.
-The final day we had was supposed to be a restful day at the beach. It was supposed to be 85 degrees out and sunny. So we boarded the metro and took the 25 minute ride to Vina del Mar. This is the rich beach side town that many people from Santiago have second homes. Too bad for us, the sun never made an appearance (well not till 4pm when we were leaving). So Colin and I made the most of it and walked around on the cold beach, had a great lunch and even stopped for ice cream as that makes everything better.
So our 4 nights in this region were great and a lot of fun.
-Colin and I returned to Santiago for two more nights to rest, plan and catch up. I also wanted to see Val, who I met in Dahab Egypt in August. Since she lives in Santiago, it was perfect to go out for a night with her and her boyfriend Alan for a night with the locals. We had a wonderful dinner at one of his favorite sushi places. As Chileans love sushi and avocado…all the rolls are covered in thinly sliced avocados which made me really happy. A great night out and I can`t wait to see Val in the states one day.
Logistics:
Valparaiso
The Yellow House B&B – www.theyellowhouse.cl
The German Pirate – www.myvalparaiso.cl
Santiago
The Casa Rojo – www.lacasarojo.cl great hostel near Republica metro stop…even has a pool!