Writings By Date| Strutting through Valparaíso and Viña del Mar | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
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| Ascensor Artillería |
We continued along the single street-wide valley, and up the neighboring hill, Cerro Concepcion, to grab a quick lunch at a restaurant with a cool view. (Bear in mind, in Latin America the only thing that makes a quick lunch quick is finding the place...everything else, including ordering, eating, and waiting for the bill, takes days.) We left and took Ascensor Concepcion back down to the main section of the city. This funicular was in far worse shape than the last one; we watched anxiously as the walls shook themselves away from the warped wooden floorboards, and as the door slid back and forth by a few inches, failing to even come close to sealing shut.
Amusingly, just before we set off for that ride, I looked through the window into the operator's booth and saw a calendar with a painting of Mary and Jesus...hanging directly next to another calendar featuring a young, topless blonde. No need to wonder whether or not they actually work on fixing these things from time to time.
Back at sea level, we decided it was time to head to Viña del Mar to see the prettier part of the coast. Erin called the B&B our host in Santiago recommended, and we secured a room there. Getting there was quite easy: we could take a collectivo for sixty cents, or a commuter train from the port for about a dollar and a half. While the train was more expensive, it made things much easier by cutting past all the traffic, reducing a 20-30 minute trip to about 10 minutes. The train was also immaculately clean, reflecting its relativeness newness, and lack of use by tourists and lower-class residents. The only challenge was figuring out where to get off, since none of the stations had signs saying what they were. There wasn't even a map on the train car telling us the route. Fortunately, Erin was wise to look at a map and count stops before boarding at the port.
The train was also convenient, because it dropped us off only two blocks away from the B&B. We arrived right on time, and rang the doorbell outside the iron gate. In a few seconds, we were met by Brian, the dry-witted and laid-back Canadian owner. He invited us in, and we immediately fell in love with the charm of the turn-of-the-century inn. The house was covered with hardwood floors, and filled with beautiful Asian antiquities; light music played in the common room, while Brian asked us about our travels so far. We dropped our stuff off in our room, then came back down to ask about shopping options, and met his wife, Lia. We started exchanging stories, and we learned how Brian left Canada in the 70's to do some mountain climbing in Chile, but then met a woman (Lia), and ended up staying. Hey, that story sounds familiar! The two of them talked with us for well over an hour, asking all kinds of things about our trip, as we asked them about life in Chile. Very important tip for visitors here: don't ask about Pinochet!
