Early 2017, I spent 5 months in Valparaíso and Viña del Mar, Chile, an hour and a half from the capital of Santiago.
I allowed myself only 1 photo a day, taken with a disposable camera. Here are the photos I liked the most with commentary sprinkled throughout. Any external photo links are not my own. All of these are but a small slice of what I was able to see, and all photos except one are from Chile.
I would walk the streets of the Valparaíso’s hills, alone, as far I could alone before I started reaching areas where my outsider status might have brought unwanted attention. While walking, I’d use a little self-aware humor to get direct answers from locals: “Para un gringo como yo, cuantas cuadras más puedo caminar sin problemas?” (For a gringo like me, how many more blocks can I walk without problems?). I’d often be told a range, “hm... about 3-4 more blocks”. in which case I’d stop at 3.
La Plaza Aníbal Pinto. Lots of people selling souvenirs, jewelry, and “yerba” on the side. She was selling stenciled art and caught my eye.
I was living in Viña del Mar with a Chilean family. In my neighborhood, I met many people that were deeply affected by the 1973 coup that led to the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet until 1990. Many fled abroad (often to Europe to escape Operation Condor) while those who stayed suffered directly and indirectly from repression, torture, and ‘dissapearing’.
I was told by a teacher that the after effects of this trauma often meant a political apathy, not out of ignorance, but an intentional preference to enjoy time spent together. This attitude lead me to an initial kind of culture shock, and allowed me to practice time in the present over the political tribalism and “go go go productivity” behaviors more popular in the United States at the time.
So, the Chilean ocean gave me lots of opportunities to take breaks and appreciate the ebb and flow of life in Viña (the voice of crashing waves at one of Pablo Nerdua’s houses).
Below was the view above the metro station which made going between Valpo and Viña a breeze.
How geographical constraints shaped Chile throughout time is fascinating. Chile is separated from the rest of the countries in the area because North = Desert, East = Mountains, South = Patagonia + Antarctica, West = Atlantic Ocean, so its culture developed far from other factors that shaped say, Argentina, Colombia or Peru. Here are two images from truesizeof.com that give context to the actual size of Chile:
Relatively, Chile is astonishing "tall" and thin, yeah? These dimensions constrict transportation infrastructure as well, and in part for this reason most Chileans live in central Chile (Santiago alone hosts more than 40% of the country’s population). Valparaíso used to be even more of primary port city in South America than it still is, especially before the construction of the Panama Canal. Travelers and merchants, primarily British and Germans, began stopping at the city for supplies, etc while circumnavigating South America (and as a result, many decided to settle, bringing all kinds of foreign cultures and materials to the land).
With this geographical backstory, let's dive into Food and Drink, Bullet Edition™
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Visual overview: Image Search of typical Chilean food
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Peruvian/Japanese sushi fusion is super popular here, at least in part due to previous waves of Peruvian immigrants who assimilated through their gastronomy. Almost every few corners in commercial and residential districts there's a sushi restaurant offering moped delivery. Peruvians also imported lomo a lo pobre, now a Chilean staple.
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Bread everywhere. Rice is far less popular. They love bread with fresh marmalade, meats, German sausage, and more bread to wipe your plate clean. I gained carb-fueled weight when I arrived, but eventually limited my bread intake to the daily gathering Chileans call "once" (Spanish for "eleven"), even though it happens around 8pm—a late-night bread and tea time.
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Street staples. You can't walk a few blocks without spotting someone desperately trying to eat without spilling on themselves. Meet the completo: hotdog + avocado (called "palta" here, from the local indigenous word, different from "avocado" which comes from the Spanish aguacate, itself from the Nahuatl used by Aztecs) + tomato + generous amounts of mayonnaise. A lunchtime favorite that reappears after people exhaust themselves dancing till 3am.
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Bland food, never spicy. Very few exceptions. Anything labeled "spicy" will disappoint anyone spoiled by readily available Indian, Mexican, or Thai food. Fair warning: any food labeled Mexican in Chile is a tourist trap. It was the first thing I wanted when returning to the US.
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Seafood. Fresh and everywhere along the coast! A strange-to-me food I'd never encountered in the US was Piure—relatively bitter but absolutely delicious in a bowl with salt, lime, minced onion, and cilantro.
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Alcohol. Pisco is king. Pisco sour is a common novelty, but the average Chilean night out means Pisco and Coke. There's light feuding between Chile and Peru over who makes better Pisco—I never noticed much difference. Wine is delicious here, but Chile exports over 75% of what it produces, so you can find it easily abroad. German-style beer is also popular given the German influence. I'd say pisco and beer are most consumed, with wine reserved for special occasions.
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Tea and coffee. British influence means many Chileans prefer tea to coffee. Despite the prevalence of bougie cafés, many opt for instant coffee—Nescafe dominates the market. My Chilean friend Carlos poked fun at the brand: "Nescafe? No es Café." As for mate, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone in central Chile who drinks it regularly, but in southern Chile it's a staple. The southern peoples of Argentina and Chile seem less preoccupied with the politics of their northern capitals—a kind of cultural unity of Patagonia, with national rivalry being a theme of distant urban bureaucrats.
Pivoting out of food-bullet-trivia land, and back to land land, this next photo was taken a short walk from a hostel I stayed at in Coyhaique (a large capital city of the south). The statue behind him is of a giant hand holding mate.
From north to south, Chile has a rich history involving fishermen. I was walking around Caleta Portales during a holiday celebrating a saint the fishermen have traditionally looked to for protection. Vendors lined the streets, and groups played music and danced all day and night. The owner of a small boat (green jersey) spotted me with a camera and offered a free ride—as long as I promised to take a photo and put it online.
We boated along the coast towards Viña del Mar, occasionally pulling up alongside other small boats. They'd pass beers back and forth, chat for a bit, blast music.
The coast was a wonderful place to walk, especially when there weren't special events going on. Curious what might lie at the northern end of the Playa del Deporte…
Reaching the end of the beach, I climbed some glass-littered rock and met Luis—a local newspaper vendor who lived further inland. He came to this same spot every Sunday to watch the sunset. As the sun dipped beneath the ocean, I joked about getting too old. He responded with a motivational story he'd read in the paper about a young kid taking action to clean up the ocean.
This is Reñaca, north of Viña del Mar. Some Chileans call it "cuico/a"—a derogatory term for rich people who are pretentious or snobby. I found the people and beaches quite pleasant.
Out-of-towner capturing an out-of-towner. (Viña del Mar)
Selfie.
Two punky youths I wanted to learn more about while they were hanging in the streets of Valpo. His flashy Sailor Moon shirt caught my attention, but I snapped too early. They were both from Brazil, getting by as street vendors while traveling.
They had a boombox, so I couldn't resist—we rapped in Spanglish for a bit before the metro arrived.
Renovating a house in the eastern hills of Viña del Mar. Didn't talk to him as much as I would've liked—I was in a hurry to catch a bus.
Outside and inside la casa central of PUCV.
Lima, Peru. Bought some juice. Spilled it on myself a block later.
I hope I'll return someday to experience another Chilean sunset.
Maybe to visit those I came to love.
Maybe for another calling.
Maybe for a different photo compilation in Santiago?
