Both locations are equally beautiful but for completely opposite reasons. Viña Del Mar is a major beach resort city which brags limitless fine sand beaches, towering hotels, vibrantly clean parks, and stylishly expensive restaurants that charge premiums due to their favorable location. Valparaiso is an attractive place to visit thanks to its consistantly evident edginess that it brings to travelers as they have access to creatively decorated cafes, oddly constructed side streets, diverse rustic colors, and a fantastic selection of graffiti art that layers a large portion of the buildings. Valpo is a large port city that also is known for its crime and ability to convert seemingly calm streets into places of darkness. During the course of two days a car stereo thief was chased through a dim lit street and a deceased corpse surrounded by police investigators was seen along a commonly frequented avenue. It was the first time being a witness to reasons why residents of South America stress the importance of caution to travelers.
The biggest reason for visiting these two locations was because Viña Del Mar and Sausalito, my hometown, are sister cities and share an international relationship of some sort. I really wanted to learn how this bond came about and if there was some interesting information about what the two places have done to strengthen their ties. Unfortunately little official information has been discovered and the vast majority of locals have no idea that an actual town named "Sausalito" exists. There is however a large park and stadium named after my hometown along a corner of Viña and a small stone plaque constructed in 2010 commemorate 50 years of international relations which started in 1960. Walking down the wide streets of Viña brings memories of Sausalito because both places have lush green hills, palm trees, waves of tourists, and panoramic views that are very peaceful. The only evident difference is that Viña is about 25 times bigger than Sausalito and thus provides a larger palate of activities for the people who are there. The sounds of soft ocean breaks and the whisper of breeze through resting palm trees make Viña a difficult place to leave.
Valparaiso was filled with a lot of exposure to previously undiscovered experiences. Besides the somber events described earlier the city is still a must-visit location and its densely covered with culture. A good friend name Sebastian lives there with his family and I was fortunate to receive an opportunity I stay in their house. We met each other three years ago in Wellington, NZ and it was great to see a face from an entirely different set of memories. Thanks to Sebastian I was able to explore nearly every corner of the city via foot, bus, taxi, and elevator car. His birthday was on Friday and we went to see a ska band in a massive disco called "Huevo" after grabbing beers with his friends in a hipster bar called "Pajarito". The bassist for the band was his friend and we got to hang out backstage after their show was finished to share some laughs with the other members who are all from Santiago. On Saturday we participated in a BBQ, known here as an "Asada", with a group of people who have been friends for over 20 years. The vast majority of time in Viña and Valpo was dedicated towards trying to understand the conversations of large groups of Chileans. On numerous occasions I had completely no idea what was being talked about and felt like I was doing a mental brain exercise. Chileans speak excessively fast, blend words together, and have a wide menu of slang. Po, Puta, and Huevon are only a few that I have picked up. Despite the language barrier at times the people of Chile are very fun and I am very thankful to Sebastian and his family for their warm hospitality.
More updates will be up soon and I hope everyone had a great weekend! Take care!
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