After being in Santiago for a few days, we all went by bus to do a 2-day side trip to Valparaiso, a seaport about 100 miles from Santiago. Originally a bustling fishing village and major seaport, it was a thriving community until the Panama Canal was built and most sea traffic ceased to to come that way.
However, it still kept its romantic charm, consisting of street art, colorful houses and good seafood. We went to taste all three.
Here’s what I got from the visit:
1. Street graffiti is alive (i.e. has a soul) and looking us over. Twilight zone anyone? But it’s a good thing.
2. Dogs in Valpo don’t seem to belong to anyone but are well cared for and well loved– as they should be.
3. You can’t reproduce the vibe of Valpo (as Valparaiso is affectionately known); it is unique. There was a man named David Porter, whose family founded the town of Portersville, Indiana. David Porter, while serving in the U.S. Navy, was in Valparaiso when the War of 1812 was fought there. He loved the town so much– understandably so– that he renamed his town Valparaiso. But none of the charm can be seen in that Midwestern town of Valparaiso, Indiana. Instead one just has to go to Valparaiso, Chile.
