After some hesitation, we decided to follow through on the tour I had booked, even though it meant asking for early “entry” to the breakfast room so we could get to Plaza Sotomayor (yes!) to meet our guide by 9 am. We walked down, down, down (the ascensor near us is under repair. Valpo has 30 – the most in the world – but only 8 are working now and they’re repairing so 15 will work and they can reclaim the title) and easily found the tourist dock. There were little tugboat-type boats lined up with adverts about how many people they could take on a harbor tour (a 3 hour tour?), but we’d already done the boat thing.
Christian, our guide, showed up a few minutes past 9 and off we went. His tour is all about seeing authentic Valporaiso – no tourist stops – and doing it by walking and using public transportation. And boy did he make good on his promise. First we rode the train around the horseshoe of the bay to the fishing docks. We took our time walking through to see the fish, crabs, conger eels, reina, squid, octopus, salmon, hake, etc, laid out on tables.
Inside the building everything was neatly laid out. We headed outside and could watch the colorful boats being brought up, and the finely strung nets being unrolled and fish and crabs (and the occasional baby shark) falling into the bucket of the day’s catch.
Fascinating. We asked questions and enjoyed a few unusual sights: seaweed that looked like huge tubes tied with string into rectangular packages, sea urchins being piled up (evidently they’re the only exporter of urchins in the world?), and weird orange looking funky stuff that I still have no idea what it is. Due to the busy nature of life these days, not everyone has the time or inclination to clean their fresh seafood anymore, so stalls along the edge of the parking lot sprung up about 10 years ago, and here are folks cleaning fish, mussels, clams, etc, for a dollar or so, or just for tips.
By each entrance to the market were stalls selling all the ingredients to make ceviche: cilantro, onions, tomatoes, lemons, tomatoes and ginger. Many of the stalls were selling their own versions, in small plastic containers for eating on the spot. So sorry I’d eaten breakfast!
Next, Christian walked us over to the pier, and when we looked over: sea lions!
A whole bunch of fat fuckers rolling in the surf. The fisherman throw them fish over the railing to keep them on the shore, because if they’re further out in the water, they’re competing for the fish and get in the way. I have a video that I’ll post when I return home, but a photo will do for now.
We were told that the waves are much larger and closer to shore at the moment because of El Niño…usually the sea lions just hang out. It was fun to see them growl at each other some times. The babies stayed out in the water, but whenever the waves would come in, they’d all get pushed in as a group and it was fun to watch. Occasionally the fisherman would throw out fish heads, but the lions would have none of that. They don’t like the heads and it’s not like they couldn’t smell the tons of fish just 100 feet away!
Leaving the fish market, we hopped on the microbus over to the city market. Great public transportation, and only about $0.14 per ride. The city market was filled with fresh produce, fruits, regular choclo (corn) and huge choclo that’s used to make some kind of local dish.
Also stalls with olives, cornichons, pickled artichoke hearts (yes, T, I had a few for us!), dried nuts and fruits. After wandering through (pretty easy to get through because it was a week day – weekends are nuts, he said), we stopped at a hat store on our way to the trolley stop. This store (once again) was a hidden treasure in Valpo – dating from the mid-1940’s and carrying some beautifully woven Panama and driving hats. The forms and machines for creating custom hats (the last artisan who did so died about 15 years ago) were everywhere and it did harken back to more genteel days. A sporty, cotton driving cap like the wool one that was Leo Baydush’s (and I’ve been wearing a bit) called to me, but I resisted. After many compliments, and our exit, we found ourselves waiting at the trolley stop. The trolley system is from the 1950’s and we entered at the first stop and watched as everyone boarded and exited.
Christian chatted with a couple of women who’d boarded and they commented they liked riding the trolley because it’s slow and gives them time to rest before on to the next errand. I could see that.
Off at the end, we stopped in a German meat/sausage house that’s been in business for over 100 years. Stationed at the front door was a gentleman who is friends with Christian’s father and was selling bread that was cooked underneath a fire. Like a fat pita bread, we munched on that while waiting in line to purchase a couple of tastes.
The store was still run the same way it always had been. Kind of like the Carnegie deli, I had to take the ticket from the woman who prepared my order, go to another window where I paid and was given a “paid for” receipt to take back in exchange for my order. Ham pate and a few slices of smoked, jamon. Then we walked over to the longest ascensor and waited our turn in line.
The cars can hold 25 people, but they only let 10 at a time these days, to help prolong the life of the cars. The first ones were discovered by a mayor of Valpo who went to Portugal and witnessed funiculars that were run by water. The cabin at the top of the hill had a container that was filled with water, and that weight caused the cabin to go down and hoist the other up. Pretty clever, eh?
From the top, we had quite a view of the harbor, the naval ships (the Naval Academy was just hearty at the moment), an incredible number of shipping containers being moved by 5 large cranes (each replacing 1,500 jobs when they arrived), and Ecuadorian ship, tourists boats, and soon, a cruise ship. You can see the panoramic view behind us here:
Down back to the street by foot, we next hit the bakery de la Marena, which Christian stated flat out makes the best bread in the entire city (pan batido). Evidently it’s all about the crunch of the crust. We purchased 4 rolls, then walked to his friend’s restaurant (he tries to practice sustainable tourism, so no flyers, no commissions from stores, and helping his community with their businesses). The proprietor sliced two of our rolls and brought the slices out with a salsa made from cilantro, raw onions, and who knows what else. I pulled out the ham pate, which had the end sliced and then I just squeezed it out onto the bread.
Pretty darn good. We ordered sandwiches for lunch – I had fried hake, Lance the chocorera (sliced meat with peppers and other veggies)
and Christian ordered tongue. Ooh! I tasted it, but the idea was too weird for me (unlike a goose’s liver).
Tour over, we hugged and went our separate ways. We walked along the Wall Street of Valparaiso, and over to the next square so I could sample the best ice cream in the country, but once you’ve had huckleberry at Sweet Peaks in Missoula or Amorino in France (or anything in Italy), it’s all down hill. We wandered through the streets and headed up a different ascensor to our neighborhood. Coincidentally, right where we got on we saw the Cervezeria that’s known for its beer and live Jazz during the week.
We spent the afternoon napping and relaxing, then headed back to Altamira (the jazz club), where we listened to tunes, had a flight of beer (sour, American pale ale and Brown ale):
before settling on the creamy stout (me) and American Pale Ale (Lance) and chorrillana . Check this bad boy out – it was nasty and so good. How could you go wrong with a plate full of papas fritas, covered with carmelized onions, egg, chunks of roasted pork and beef, and little fried spicy sausage tips?
First set over and tummies (so) full, we headed out and onto the ascensor in a few steps. A bit creepy at night, let me tell you. More creaks and groans than me after a really long hike!
Walked through the meandering streets, enjoying the graffiti murals as always, and in for a good night’s sleep.