We've moved on from Santiago, but not too far. Valparaíso (Paradise Valley) lies on the Pacific coast and has quite a busy port. Although the narrow strip of land closest to the shore is flat, the rest of the town is build on a number of steep hills and the houses seem to cling precariously to the ground, often stuck out on stilts. Roads going up the hills are in varying stages of development, some so steep and unevenly 'surfaced' with cobbles that they cannot really be used by vehicles (a couple actually have plants growing in the middle including some fine Cannas). Pedestrian access is helped by some steeply stepped pathways and a large number of ascensores (funiculars or elevators) al over the town. The end result of this is that this is probably the first town we have gone to in South America that does not conform to the standard grid system!

We have an attractive and immensely sociable hostel in the Unesco Heritage area immediately above the port, on the twin hills called Alegre and Concepción. This area has developed a name as a rather artistic community, possibly because it became rather run down in the 60s/70s and consequently attracted a lot of hippy or bohemian types anxious for cheap accommodation. The traditional houses have always been painted in bright colours but the latest residents have augmented this by decorating walls and pavements with murals and mosaics. Very recently there has been a move towards boutique hotels and a better class of restaurant but the overall feeling still remains a bit scruffy

We were lucky (for once) to arrive just as the annual carnaval was beginning. We made our way down to a square close to the port and watched the opening act. This, rather surprisingly was a Chilean Irish band, playing jigs and Irish songs. There is something a bit surreal about listening to Danny Boy being sung in English but with a strong South American accent. Nonetheless a good time was being had by all. The crowd were particularly appreciative when a couple of young step dancers performed and this led to some spontaneous jigging all over the square.

After this we moved on to the main square Plaza Italia, where the main events were due to take place. There were three one hour events scheduled for the evening, the first of which, at 9.00, was a musical extravaganza paying homage to the musics of Chile, Mexico, Colombia and Argentine. This was somewhat similar to our concert experience in Encarnación in that a core of musicians were joined by guests for a few songs at a time. The Argentine representative, for example, was the traditionally named Kevin Johansen (actually born in Alaska and moved to AR when he was 10). Another similarity to the Encarnación experience was that nobody had actually timed the event and at 11.30 they were still going strong although the whole show was scheduled to close at midnight and there were two more acts to go on! However, it was very interesting to feel the warmth and respect for the outgoing president Michelle Bachelet who was in the audience (in the seated bit at the front, the rest of us were crammed into the square at what we thought were dangerous levels). Towards the end, Bachelet was seen joining in enthusistically with the raising of clenched fists and singing of patriotic and revolutionary songs, such as those popularised by Vincent Jara, executed during Pinochet’s military coup in 1973.

We were rather keen to see the second act, Aterciopelados, because we had actually seen them once before on this trip! (See, you wait for years to see an eco-friendly, feminist rock group from Colombia and then get to see the same one twice!) Coojee had managed to blag us some tickets for their concert in Brisbane and we were impressed both by them and the enthusiasm of the audience (see our blog entry 43, October 17 2009 for details – thanks again Steve!) It was quite strange this time because now we actually recognise some of the songs! We did not stay for the final act because the crush in the square was getting well beyond a joke. It’s illegal to drink in the streets in Chile and although the police seemed to be turning a blind eye for the carnaval, there was no significant drunkeness; there were just too many people in the square and the streets leading to it! We wandered through other squares taking in the music and dance and by about 2am we were closer to our area but the streets and bars were still very lively. We stopped for a glass of wine and were 'entertained’ by a theatre group going from bar to bar. In the end we knew that the carnaval had beaten us and we climbed the steps and steep streets (the ascensores close at 11pm) up to our hostel and bed.

One day we took a long and scenic walk from our hostel, keeping high along the edges of the hills and getting good views of the houses and down to the ocean. We were going to visit La Sebastiana, another house of the poet Pablo Neruda. Like his house in Santiago, this was built in stages to his own designs and is filled with his collections. Originally this house was hidden away behind a theatre and was reached via a narrow alleyway and a spiral staircase. Once in the house, the several levels give open views of the ocean, always important to Neruda, and lovely spaces to relax and entertain. It was interesting to see some documentary films made in the 60s of Neruda walking around Valparaíso, to see the extent of the lack of development (those terrible roads up the hills were even worse then!)

 Later that same day we went back down to the lower town to watch the carnaval parade. As you might have guessed, this started well after it’s scheduled 4pm start and went on for much longer than any parade should really last. Different barrios had got together with arts workers to design and implement their shows and the quality did vary a lot! However, it was good to see the enthusiasm (although some of the kids involved in the later sections had obviously passed their best points!) A couple of the baterias were pretty good and attracted big crowds of followers (extending the length of the parade even further). Dispensing with the usual dancing girls, one section had a strange parade of zombie like characters to a funereal tune. This appeared to be a reference to the right wing Piñera’s recent election victory, their float carried the message ‘Pinochet and Piñera – the same result’. To contribute to the festive atmosphere, several sellers were selling bags of 'confettii' (actually the circles you get from hole punches) which the spectators hurled at the floats and each other. By the end of the day the streets were completely coved in the stuff.

We had warned that we were likely to see more of Neruda’s houses and we decided to take a trip to see the third house that he had in this area. As we walked through town to get the bus, we were joined by a large alsation type dog, one of the huge numbers of dogs in every street. This one stuck doggedly with us, even when we crossed the road, went into shops etc to throw him off the scent. At times he would turn round to make sure we were keeping up. Although he seemed to bear us no ill will, he developed a rigid routine of growling menacingly at any solo men approaching him; he ignored women, couples or groups of men, or anyone actually overtaking him. We actually took a wrong turning and had to loop back to the bus station but the dog stayed with us all the way, menacing any men coming towards him. Luckily we managed to give him the slip when we got on the bus.

This one of Neruda’s houses is located in a place on the coast called Isla Negra, although it is not actually an island. We think the name refers to the rocky outcrop in the bay which darkens when it is wet and becomes surrounded by water at high tide. It is not as tall as the others but still has many commanding views of the bay from its different rooms and balconies. It was built, as before, in several stages as the poet felt the need for more space for his collections. The chief talking point in this house is his collection of old ships’figureheads, of which there are fourteen altogether through the house. The majority are in the main reception room which has an intriguing mezanine floor underslung by figureheads. It sounds horrific but, as we have noted in all his houses, despite the collections the houses have a human scale and appear totally comfortable. Neruda used this house right through the 60’s until his illness got so bad that he needed to return to Santiago for treatment. They say that his doctor had suggested that a quiet untroubled lifestyle would extend his life considerably. However the military takeover and the subsequent stress of being a ‘wanted man’ for his left wing views meant that he only survived the coup for a short time.

On our final day we took a ride on the newish Metro train that runs along the coast and takes you into Valparaíso’s sister town of Viña del Mar. As you might imagine from its name, it is much more of a seaside place and is popular with many visitors from Chile and beyond. Unfortunately, the day was overcast and quite chilly, so the true delights of the town were not immediately apparent. We took a walk along the ocean front and watched the waves crashing on the rocks. Some people were paddling but it was clearly not a good place for swimming. For some strange reason there seems to have been a strong Germanic influence in this town over time and many of the hotels and other major buildings look like they may have been plucked from the Rhine. We visited an interesting museum that has a big section about Easter Island and a real Maoi statue outside (since we are not going to manage to get Rapa Nui (‘on this trip’, says JZZ), this is probably the closest we are likely to get to one!). We made our way back to the hostel with a bottle of wine to spend the last couple of hours before heading out. This hostel has been the most friendly and the most sociable that we have encountered in all our travels so far. It has been a real pleasure to hang out and ‘chew the fat’ with so many interesting people... thanks from both of us to everyone we met there!