Oh No, He Won't Know How to Take Our Picture, He's Too Ugly

Some of the vast collection of "wall art" in Valparaiso, Chile 

 

We left Mendoza, Argentina yesterday and drove over the Andes back into Chile.  

We found out when we got here that the country is on fire.

It seems like the entire country is burning.  The skies are filled with smoke, and our friend Rony, who is travelling with us, kept getting phone calls from people who had suffered great tragedy and loss from the devastating fires. 

 

In fact, at one point, we drove right past the flames. Fortunately, they didn't reach the highway, but we could sure feel the heat.   At times, the smoke almost blotted out the sun. 

 

--------------------------------------------

Might as well enjoy the curves

On the way over the mountains back from Mendoza, we "enjoyed" the crazy road that goes up and over (and through) the Andes, with curves and switchbacks everywhere.  As a matter of fact, they number the curves, I guess so you know how many more you have to endure.  

 

 

And all this in a one mile stretch.  But the road is spectacular.  It rises to 10,000 feet, and on one side the rivers flow to the Atlantic, and on the Chile side, they flow to the Pacific. 

 

 

--------------------------------------------

Oh Hey, one more thing about Mendoza.  You know how I have mentioned the sidewalk danger zones of South America?  Well, Mendoza takes this to the extreme.  The sidewalks there have major holes, some four or five feet deep, and you better make sure you pay attention. 

 

 

Some of these sidewalk holes are serious widow makers.  You could get hurt, or worse.  They affectionately refer to them as "gringo traps"!  

Ha!  Somebody has a sense of humor. 

 

They claim these huge gaping holes are "irrigation canals," but I am dubious.  If you're walking along and looking at your smartphone and ... well ... there are no guard rails or nothing.  You be the judge. 

  

 ----------------------------------------

 

And we arrived in amazing Valparaiso Chile

We drove all the way to the coast, and were delighted to find ourselves in the seaport town of Valparaiso, Chile.  This place is amazing.  Kind of wild and wonderful, with such a variety of things to see and do.  It's built on hills that tumble toward the ocean, so there are lots of interesting views and challenging ways to get up and down. 

 

They have a plethora of "lifting contraptions" known as funiculars.  And well, funiculars are ... fun!  They are kind of like cable cars, only different.  The alternative is stairs.  In the picture below, there were 162 steps from top to bottom (I counted 'em).  And of course, you can see the funicular going up right next to the stairs. 

 

 

Valparaiso is filled with street art.  In many places you might call this graffiti, but here they take it to a new level.  It's very impressive, if not weird.  It appears to be an accepted way of expressing yourself around here.  

 

 

And the art and color of this place is extremely creative.  This scene below is an art installation that is kind of an optical illusion.  Really clever and pretty cool. 

 

 

 

And the night life, well it's off the charts.  So many places to eat and drink.  And just walk around and absorb the scenery.  A very bohemian vibe, this place. 

 

 

Of course, during the day time, it's also filled with inspiring views and historical buildings and art and ... on and on ...

 

 

This part of Chile played a major part in their independence from Spain two hundred years ago.  Many of the buildings and much of the evidence is still standing.  

 

 

The photo opportunities just keep coming at you. 

 

Valparaiso is a port city with some major shipping lines.  There is a big container facility, and a lot of merchant seaman and ships from all over the world.

  

 

It's a really colorful place.  I would love to come back and spend more time here.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---------------------------------------------

Okay, so where did the quote come from at the top the of the blog?

  

Well, we were sitting at a sidwalk cafe and wanted to get a picture of ourselves, without it being and obvious selfie.  So we thought we would ask someone to take our picture.  We observed several candidates to snap this picture, but rejected many of them.

  

At one point, we saw a guy walk by but the comment was made:  "Oh, No, he won't know how to take our picture, he's too ugly ... !"

We got a good laugh out of this - and eventually asked a young lady who appeared to have more photographic ability to snap our photo.  

Maybe that photo will appear in the future ...