Valparaiso, this city on the sea, was seemingly created with the intention of providing its inhabitants with an unparalleled level of sensory bliss.  The city grew in size as the port grew to become one of the largest centers of maritime trade on the pacific coast of south america.  The working class mentality that the port brought with it, infiltrated into the very fabric of the city and created a modest community that grew into the modest city that is Valpo ( as its affectionately called by its locals).

A formal description of Valpo such as this does not do justice to describing the essence of the city.  Valparaiso is a visceral collection of streets and cities built on a series of hills working their way up from the pacific ocean.  Its inclined city streets are filled with beautiful and unique art on the walls that represent both the political struggle that chileans face, but also simply the artistic and passionate mindset of the chilean people.

Dogs roam the streets as well.  Different from street dogs you may see in other latin american cities, the dogs seem well fed and are given attention some domesticated house dogs could only dream of.

Activity is always present in the streets of Valpo, whether it be the constant call of vendors on below plaza ecuador, or the seemingly never closed bars that occupy both sides of the infamous subida ecudaor.

Micros (small buses) and colectivos (essentially cheap taxis) make up the majority of the traffic that can be seen on the streets.  what is lacking in pedestrian automotive traffic is made up for with the incessant cultural traffic that Valpo is famous for.  the live music seen is very strong, the revolutionary fervor of its students is ever present.  its not uncommon to see a procession we saw the other night of 10 feet marionette puppets parading down one of the main streets in the center of Valparaiso.

One aspect, maybe the most important aspect of this fine city is its collection of cerros (hills). The center, or plan, of Valparaiso is quite small, easily walkable in a short amount of time. The part of Valpo that is so unique and makes it so interesting is the different cerros that wind their way up from the sea. This is where the majority of the population of Valpo lives.  They are made up of brightly colored houses constructed in an impromptu manner throughout the cerros.

 The city is filled with art.  The art makes Valpo a haven for both the art lovers and lovers of culture the world over.  Every free space is seemingly filled with a painting or mural or picture that depicts anything from a seemingly meaningless guitarist to a full wall mural that shows the popular struggle of socialism and its followers in chile.  The art is a good note to end on because it is impossible to escape from.  It is everywhere, it is colorful, it is beautiful, it is unique, it is creative, but most importantly, it is Valparaiso.

We attach negative connotations to the word gringo in america.  We think of it as an insult. Something that when said, incites in us images of loud obnoxious americans vacationing in latin america.  In chile, the chileans proudly throw this term around in an affectionate way that represents their general disposition, and its explication is a good way to begin a gringo's account of chilean culture.

Chile is a culture of talking, everyone has a lot to say and more often than not, their long descriptive accounts of whatever it is they are talking about ends in a joke of some kind.  Their jokes are sometimes lewd and often the teller doesnt take into account any sort of political correctedness.  But, this is what seems to make chile an interesting place to live and spend time.  They dont speak and act in this manner with bad intentions, they act in this way because they regard you as a friend, and speak with ease to you because of their perceived feeling of closeness.  The people here separate themselves for us boisterous and rude americans because of their hospitable and agreeable nature.  When you meet a woman who is possibly a friend of a friend or something of the sort, you dont simply shake their hand as you would in america, you give them a kiss on the cheek in the manner that you greet and say goodbye to all women here.  It is a custom that fosters a feeling of warmth and intimacy and makes a gringo like myself feel welcomed.

A good way to get a feel for a new culture is to understand its people, something that right now for me is a tad bid difficult because of chileans fondness for cutting off the ends of their words, but what i have understood is a good representation of chile as a whole.  It is a culture where family intimacy trumps all and a good conversation is not something to be cut short.  This epitomizes the essence of the this slow moving passionate country full of short dark haired people.