GLOBAL ODYSSEY 2010 BLOG #21: FOOLS’ NAMES AND FOOLS’ FACES

Cruising certainly has its ups and downs. Coquimbo, no question, the piscos aside was a downer. Valparaiso, on the other hand, was just the antidote! While it was not quite the cheapest tour available, “Best of Valparaiso” was certainly no budget breaker, but offered stops in coastal El Plan, the hilly residential areas of the port, and three rides on the city’s famous funiculars. We were warned about the street crime, clutched purses and wallets close, and despite having friends onboard who had been previously mugged there, survived intact.


What no one, not the brochures, not the guidebooks, tells you about the city, is the street art. Valparaiso may deserve the title of “Graffiti City” of South America – we aren’t sure, because there are a lot of places here we still have to go, but it can certainly hold its own with New York. The scene is apparently so good – or so bad – depending on how you look at it, that some of the legislators are thinking of making it a crime. (Hard to believe that wasn’t done during over a decade-plus of military rule…..)


In any case, when you mix it in with the ups and downs of the funiculars, the architecture, and the city sights, Valparaiso’s got to be one of the coolest places we visited so far.

Most of our time was spent tramping the city streets and taking the cog railway up and down, but we also had the opportunity to pay a visit to Nobel-winner, Pablo Neruda’s house, a modern structure with a “to die for” view of the city. This house is stuffed with goodies in a manner reminiscent of Sir Walter Scott’s Abbotsford. Centuries-old portraits and ship prints, artistically cute (or bizarre) items, it shows how well – without a hint of irony – a Chilean Communist could live! A state of the art headphone takes you around (in much more time than we had), identifying objects, offering readings in Neruda’s own voice, even supplying the tinkling of ice in cocktail glasses. This is a top-flight museum, which in a way, misses the chance to understand itself. Perhaps future years will bring more historical perspective, but we both felt it is not to be missed. While this was substituted for an advertised visit to the Naval Museum, neither of us felt cheated in the exchange.

Just remember though, there is street crime in Valparaiso, so hang on to your money!