It has been 24 hours since I arrived but a lifetime of activity and a new perspective on life (again and again and again). I arrived from Santiago and picked a hostel without consulting the guidebook. Walking down the streets I was amazed by all the street art. This city is a UNESCO world heritage site with just cause. I dropped my bag and decided to look for a hostel that had a great description in the book possibly for the next night. Also, it was far which would give me a chance to get into the city vibe. I wandered the streets getting lost in the mazes. At one point I walked past an artisinal ice cream shop. I had read about the amazing flavors in Santiago but hadn´t tried yet so I decided to indulge myself with a scoop. I went in and asked for the most special flavor (in Spanish of course) and was answered in English with a ánd where are you from?´ I told her and she exclaimed that she lived in Berkeley 40 years ago when ´hippies and weed were just starting´...made me laugh. She then let me try all the flavors and proceeded to introduce me to all the girls working at the shop. Josefina is a 70 year old woman who embodies all that is Valpairiso. The book says that the city may not be for everyone because of the grit but also mentioned the Bohemian lifestyle that is prevalent aka just my kind of city. Josefina said that if I wanted any information about the city to just ask and she would tell me....so I did, duh! She grabbed my hand and lead me outside to the bench to converse. We spoke in Spanglish. At the moment I am speaking English with a Chilean accent and Spanish with an English accent which makes for perfect Spanglish. She is so full of life and her energy made the brights in her eyes brighter. I said that I needed a break from reggaeton and asked where I should go. No problem she said and gave me some names of places with live music, etc. During our conversation she kept pausing to introduce me to people. ´This is so and so and he is a musician. This guy is a musician too and he plays at this spot. This lady owns the restaurant down the street and if you want amazing food you should go there.´ I left both full in stomach and spirit when we parted.
That evening I decided to try the restaurant recommended to me. It is amazing Chilean/ new fusion food with all the products purchased locally and very fresh. I asked for the special of the house and was given Pastilla de Mariscos which is an amazing dish baked in a clay pot with all kinds of seafood, cream, bread crumbs and other ingredients I cant begin to fathom. They also have artisinal beers which were delicous. Possible new favorite beer is Kross Amber Ale with a yellow label. Muy rico!! I was sitting at the bar and started asking the staff what they were doing after work for fun. They gave me tons of info on places to go and then a friend of theirs, also sitting at the bar said she was heading to a live music performance before the club with everyone and asked if I wanted to roll. We headed for a hole-in-the-wall bar that was jam-packed with people so full that we had to stand on the street and listen through the windows. The band named Poder Guadaña was amazing and full of color. The lead singer had a mohawk and orange 80´s glasses, the wind instrument dude who played a melodica among other things had a clean cut moustache and fit, the drummer had dreadlocks. They played a fusion of rock, cumbya and local style that was so great after so much electronic. After their set they came outside for some air and I started a conversation with the bassist who spoke decent English. No, they didn´t have cds for sale but he gave me the link for their music online. He then said that his other group was playing the following night at a club that many people had mentioned to me and he could put me on the list if I wanted. I asked what he was up to later that evening and he said that he was helping a friend, a girl from New York, paint one of the Ascencars (trains that go up and down the hills). They had been working all night, every night for over a week as during the night is the only time they are not moving. So cool!!
Post that we all headed to Mascára for the club scene. There all the people from the restaurant met up with us and we had a huge group on the dancefloor having a great time. When that ended we went to an after hours party near there for more dancing and fun. That night ended around 6AM. Talk about a full day!!
The following day I spent walking around the city photographing the art. I am going to have a dedicated folder on facebook for all of it as it is amazing and there is so much. I said to a few people who all agreed with a laugh that if you throw a rock in Valpairiso it will bounce off a painted wall and hit a musician!!hahaha. That evening I returned to the restaurant of my friends and was fed very well. I ordered the special empanada (Pino) which has meat cooked for hours (word of advice, the Pino usually has olives inside that are not pitted...almost broke a tooth finding that out). So good. Then I had fresh salmon and shrimp ceviche that melted in my mouth. Everyone was opting for an early night and I decided to do the same in preparation for the weekend.
Upon leaving the restaurant I hear my name from across the street. It was Josefina with her grand daughter. She asked if I was in a hurry or if I wanted to see her house and neighborhood. OF COURSE!! She took me to the area none as Concepcion and showed me the oldest paseo (train car station) and the oldest house then showed me an incredible hotel that her friends owned. We were taken for a tour inside and it was beautiful. Then we went back to her house for a glass of Chilean wine and some conversation. By the time I left, I had a full sheet of paper of things I needed to do while here. I decided to walk by Piedra Feliz to check it out on my way home. Every room in this place has different live music. That night was a great jazz band upstairs in one room, a mixed group in the other room, salsa in another room and classic flamenco in the main room. It was there that I finally realized what city this reminds me of. Actually not a city as there are no others like it but if you have seen Moulin Rouge then that is as close as it will get. Everyone is a character here and everyone is full of life, color, music and love.
The next day I spent exploring more of the city including the ports and ascencars. I called Rodrigo, the bassist, to ask about being put on the list and he said no problem. No, he didnt need my last name as it was too complicated to convey over the phone but they would be expecting me and I had a plus on the list too which was perfect because there is a very cool guy staying in my room name Niman who is living in Italy, from Iran and is about to study here. We headed to Piedra Feliz at midnight and when I walked up to ask about the list the guy, without even looking at the list, says to me, ´´you must be Daniel, come on in.´ Niman exclaimed that I was already famous here. Rodrigo´s other group was amazing Cuban music and now I am inspired to go there on my next voyage. One of the lead singers was an exact replica of my buddy Matt to and I could not get over it! In the back room was an amazing Janis Joplin cover band that killed it and upstairs was a great electric guitar blues band who was also ripping. Post Piedra we headed back to Mascára for some other music. At one point we started dancing with three girls from Santiago and Viña who were all really cool. They all studied or are studying Psychology and wanted to practice English. Sure, they had boyfriends but we just wanted to dance and meet people so we all got on really well. After the club I escorted everyone to the after hours for more fun. Unfortunatly one of the girls had her wallet taken from her bag that was on the ground but had it returned by a bouncer at the end of the night without money but with all other cards. After hours was fun and a little wierd as everyone there was incredibly drunk and probably on other things by the look in some of their eyes. We bounced from there and escorted the girls to the bus station. One was pretty drunk at that point and, while waiting for a colectivo, decided to run and try to catch one before it pulled away only to fall directly on her face...and not in a funny way. She broke a tooth and messed her face up really bad. The girls had to call her father and it was all very surreal and scary for everyone. I feel so bad for her and it was not the way we wanted to end our evening.
The following day I went on a great walk. I started at the cemetary on top of the hill then walked along the rim of the hill to Pablo Neruda´s house. I was fairly ignorant about him but now am inspired by his poetry and flair. His house was super custom and showed how much he loved to entertain and host. I wish I could have attended one of his parties. Post Neruda´s house I went to the Museo a Cielo Abierto. I asked at information what the hours of the museum were and the girl laughed at me as the museum is in the streets and always open!
That evening Nima and I headed to the painted ascensor to meet the artist and see if there was a fiest there as she was wrapping up her work. Nicolina is a New York based international artist who is the first person to paint an ascensor EVER! At the bottom we asked where the party was and they said at the top. At the top we found no party and asked and they said it was at the bottom. Then we realized that it was actually in one of the cars so when we were at the bottom it was at the top...hahahah! Nicolina was there and a group of musicians who were all very nice. After that, Nima and I headed to La Piedra Feliz for more music.
I fell in love with Valpairiso and hope to return. The city is magic and full of amazing energy!
No comments:
Post a Comment