Valparaiso & Santiago

Valparaiso is all steep narrow streets, steps, and old run-down buildings. Because of this I cannot find a hostel with a secure place for my bike, for the first time it has to say out on the street (which I was expecting at some point). In fact, the streets are a Byzantine Maze of hills and one-way systems, so finding anything is an accomplishment !  Every morning there is a thick fog until about 11am and the ships in the harbour all toot their horns, it really adds to the atmosphere. And that atmosphere is one of faded glory, Valparaiso is one of the few decent ports on this entire Western coast of South America. Before the Panama canal opened in 1914 it saw most of the tall ships before, or after, they rounded Cape Horn. The gently muldering tin buildings are mostly under a protected status, so the whole city has a run down air. It´s now the "cultural centre" of Chile, which appears to mean a lot of students and musicians live here, there is also a lot of talented graffiti around. There is a whole street dedicated to Salvadore Allende (there appears to be in Chile a sense of "collective guilt" about what happened to Salvadore Allende (he was the left-leaning president of Chile who "apparently" commited suicide just after Pinochet´s (CIA backed....) coup in 1973), his image is everywhere represented in sculpture and murals etc...). The horrible irony of it all is that Pinochet`s regime was very sucessful for Chile`s economy, which is still doing well.

I needed to get my bike serviced again, to this end I found a "Moto Shop" at the back of town. The old boy spent the whole time telling me about his bike racing days in the 60´s and 70´s, I get to see all the trophies but I don´t think he was really listening ! This was borne out later when I picked it up, it was beautifully clean ! but not much else seemed to have been done (he seemed to have slackened the chain instead of tightening it up, I put it down to my bad Spanish).




At the hostel I am the only one staying there. This has become the "norm" now as I realise I have gone far enough South enough for it to be the off season ! (late Winter / early Spring). After two days of "chores" I decide on a day of touristing. I take the harbour tour and go right past a RN frigate, it seems a bit odd, they are a long way from home !! Then I take a bus out to "Pablo Neruda´s favourite house". It would be anyone´s favourite house, an absolutely beautiful small scale timber house, in a perfect seaside spot, stuffed full of interesting antiques (like the various figureheads from wrecked wooden ships) and preserved, totally, since 1973. I could move in tomorrow !  In the garden is an old rusty steam tractor made by "Ransomes, Ipswich" (Amazing ! if your from Suffolk...).

The only picture I got of Santiago (weather was not too good)

I moved on to Santiago. It´s a huge, modern, metropolis with everything that goes with it...... Finding a hostel was again difficult, eventually I settled for the "Happy House Hostel" (they would not call it that in the UK !!). As, again, I´m almost the only person there I get to know the staff quite well and they are friendly (and a little bored). The original HHH was partially destroyed in February´s earthquake. Otherwise, there is not too much visible earthquake damage in Santiago, except for a few walls supported by scaffolding here and there. There is another English guy staying at the hostel of around the same age who, coincidentally enough, had the same plan ! and started in Mexico in November last year (though we had not met til now). It´s strangely reassuring when he tells me that, he also, has been plagued by health issues, parasites, the works. He is flying home having had enough (and giving up on Patagonia for now). I did not want to tell him but he had a distinctly yellowish tinge !

Everyone "Fly´s the Flag" in Chile, that flag is everywhere, on everything. I asked about this and it turns out that it´s an unrepealed law from the time of "the generals". You have to, by law, fly the flag. Sounds like a dodgy helping of patriotism to me. I´m also told that the fastest & easiest way to get a mortgage in Chile is to have a bad credit record, so you can prove a good chance of defaulting !! Sound familiar ? It seems the lessons of sub-prime have not been learnt....

I definitely liked Santiago, as cities go it had everything you could need. In 5 days it will be Chile´s Bicentennial (200 years since independence), this is going to be a huge event. I´m tempted to stay, but 5 more days in a rainy city, that seems a bit empty, does not really appeal. And I don´t want to be on the Panamericana Sur (South of Santiago) on a 4 day holiday (that will be the equivalent of Xmas, traffic wise).