The 90-minute bus ride from Santiago showed us a gentler side of Chile. We haven't compared its wines to those of Argentina but the vineyards are more pleasing to the eye. The landscape looks very California. Small farmhouses with orange trees, olive groves and fields of corn sit between large vineyards and eucalyptus trees hang onto the eroded hillsides,
Sunday afternoon in Valparaiso is one great market. Vendors squat on every open space on the busy sidewalks, selling everything imaginable. Scraps, flyers and plastic bags blow among the pedestrians. Kids lined up for sweets and a visit to Papa Noel while around the corner a soup kitchen served a larger, less fortunate crowd. The air smells of dead fish and garbage from an alley. This is not how a WHS site should look.
The only remodeled building in the historic district
We can only hope that Valparaiso will grow into its World Heritage status. When a dozen strangers warn, "Cuidado con su camera!" there is probably a very good reason to hang on to it tightly. The historic section suffers from the seediness of the nearby port. Many of the buildings have the potential - the "bones" - to be charming but for a lack of TLC. A lot of tender loving care. And to think, we considered staying here instead of Santiago.
