Exploring Valparaíso Harbor

A full day of exploring this amazing city, a day of pleasant surprises and little moments of joy. I started down the hill early in the morning, walking from my cabaña down to the Plan. The city was bustling with people and traffic as I arrived at Plaza Victoria, a grand square of landscaped gardens that is flanked by the cathedral of Valparaíso and the beautiful Biblioteca Severín. Across from the plaza, I found the Puerto Café, a nice quiet place for a café con leche and a torta suiza.

After breakfast, I walked along the waterfront down to the port, hoping to find a boat captain who would take me out into the harbor. It didn't take long; I met Julio right away and he agreed to take me around the harbor on a 45-minute tour. I was especially interested in seeing the beautiful South American sea lions (Otaria flavescens), which often lounge on the buoys in Valparaíso harbor.

The boat pulled out from the dock and we began a circuit around the harbor, from where the city can be seen in all its colorful glory. Julio's second mate pointed out some of the important places around the harbor and gave me an overview of the history of the Valparaíso waterfront. Soon we passed by a large buoy anchored in the middle of the harbor and a large male sea lion reared up to watch the boat. His head was massive, about the size of a Volkswagen. A smaller female sat next to him and the two of them gazed at us curiously as the boat went by.

Moving in a grand sweeping circle around the inner harbor, we came to the the large dock where the Chilean navy has a number of battleships. After this, we passed alongside the main working area of the port, where massive container ships were loaded and unloaded. We came alongside a Japanese container ship at the dock and as we approached the bow, three more sea lions, a male, a female, and a pup, could be seen lounging on the hull of the ship. They jostled each other playfully, with daddy pushing junior into the water with a grunt, and junior quickly jumping back up to regain his place.

From the middle of the harbor, the view of Valparaíso is amazing, a whole different perspective from being on land. The city and the hills together form a natural amphitheater that curves around the bay. Julio pointed out the area of the great incendio that took place here in April, 2014, when thousands of homes were burned in one of the worst urban wildfires in history. The fire destroyed more than 2,500 homes and left 11,000 people homeless. The highest cerros in Valparaíso are covered in vast shantytowns, where building standards are nonexistent and survival is an ongoing struggle. These neighborhoods went up in flames and now can be seen as empty barren patches along the hilltops.

When I was back on land, I walked from the port up the Cerro Artillería. This hill has an ascensor, but it is no longer in operation. I wandered through the narrow streets, enjoying the murals and the rich arte callejero. From Cerro Artillería I made my way back down to the Plan, passing through the Plaza Sotomayor, and then stumbled up the entrance to the Ascensor Cordillera.

It's easy to miss the ascensor entrances; they have very modest signs and little indication from the street of what can be found through the door. Ascensor Cordillera gives true meaning to the translation of the word ascensor, which is "elevator." The operator opened the door for me and the vehicle was a simple square space the size of an elevator. I was the only person there, so the operator closed the door behind me. Seconds later it began to move and the city slowly revealed itself out the window as the ascensor cranked its way up the hill.

The top of Cerro Cordillera is graced with a small open space, known as Plaza Eleuterio Ramirez, that is truly a piece of heaven on earth. Here I spent the rest of the afternoon, sitting in the shade of the trees, surrounded by arte callejero, reading my book, and watching Valparaíso go by. This serendipidous find really made clear to me the way to see Valparaíso. Just walk, explore, let the city put on a show.

Sitting in the Plaza Eleuterio Ramirez, I heard a rich, melodious sound. The hills of Valparaíso were resounding with the clanging of the propane distributors. These men drive around the city in a pickup truck loaded with small tanks of propane. One man drives while another sits in the back, banging on the propane tanks and announcing their presence to the neighborhood. Some of the men simply bang a stick against the propane tanks in a monotonous rhythm, but others are true artists. They bring out the musical tones of the propane tanks, creating a percussion that forms part of the Valparaíso orchestra.

From Plaza Eleuterio Ramirez, I continued my exploration and soon happened upon another amazing place. The Museo del Mar Lord Cochrane is dedicated to the Scottish naval hero who founded the Chilean Navy and played a critical role in the nation's war for independence from Spain. The museum itself is small, but the building is surrounded by a large terrace that has expansive views across the city.

From here I looked down to the harbor and could see the big Japanese container ship that I had passed by on my boat ride earlier in the day. It was probably a kilometer away, but I could clearly make out the sea lions playing on the hull of the ship, pushing each other in the water and jumping back up. They were tiny in the distance, but I knew right where to look to find them; I felt like I had unlocked one of the secrets of Valparaíso.

From Cerro Cordillera I began an up and down ambulation of the city that was aided by a number of ascensores. I walked up Calle Castillo to Calle Canal, where I found the top entrance to the Ascensor San Agustín. I paid my 100 pesos and descended to Avenida José T. Ramos. I walked a short distance down the street and came to the entrance of the Ascensor El Peral, just above the Plaza Sotomayor. El Peral ascends to Cerro Alegre and arrives at the Paseo Yugoslavo, a beautiful mirador in front of the Museo de Bellas Artes.

I continued my walk and came to a small gallery of amazing paintings and crafts. The Espacio Rojo is run by Cristián, who also has some of his own paintings on display. We had a great conversation about Valparaíso and its similarity to San Francisco, where he had spent some time. I wandered through the rooms of the gallery, enjoying the art and the expansive views across the city from each of the windows.

It was a long day, with the exciting boat ride, followed by a lot of walking and exploring. I was exhausted and just barely had enough energy to buy some groceries and prepare a simple dinner back at the cabaña. Then I spent the rest of the evening sitting on the balcony, reading and writing, and watching the city lights come on across Valparaíso.