More Valparaiso; winery and return to reality

By Ali Karim
This post is part of a series called Santiago & Valparaiso November 2015
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Spent more time wandering around old town Valparaiso; got some good shots of the hilly city and the artwork, Ascensers etc.

Old town gullies and cobblestone roads

Steep, steep

multi-colored steps

Went for a boat tour of the harbor. Could not find parking, so drove around. Then spotted a parking attendant with reflective jacket etc guiding cars around an open area in the middle of the square where other cars were parked. He came over and the rate was 1,000 peso’s per hour (about $1.25), so gave him a 5,000 peso note. He gave me a 1,000 peso note back, and said he was going to get change and come back.

Well, he never did, and after talking to another driver who had parked; and told him we were waiting for the change and how to find the the guy; he simply said “Welcome to Chile”. We were informed that this was a NO parking area, and was only used for very short term parking of minutes vs hours. Its OK to get taken for a ride, but only once per trip 🙂

Main square with “parking”

One highlight in Valparaiso was “La Piedra Feliz” or the “Happy Rock” night club, which was recommended by the night shift guy at our B&B. Did not speak English, but understood “night club dancing”. This was a place for old foggies like me (well 30’s and up) where they had 4 different club areas; one was a Tango room, where they taught and danced Tango; not busy. Next one was the Salsa room, where again, they taught the Salsa and had Salsa dances. Tried remembering our Salsa dance steps…..

Main floor of La Piedra Feliz was a comedian and so skipped this (my Spanish is not good enough ). The last room was the best; it was the Cueca room. Cueca is a traditional/national Chilean dance, described by Wikepedia as “ The Cueca tries to reenact the courting ritual of a rooster and a hen. The male displays a quite enthusiastic and at times even aggressive attitude while attempting to court the female, who is elusive, defensive and demure.”

Most of the people here were middle aged and the dances were all short; about 2mins long. The locals were all friendly, and danced with different partners, and invited us to dance with them, and showed us how to do the Cueca with scarves.

Can you imagine me for Dilshad doing this dance with the locals and each other? Had a great time; it was 2AM by the time we left.

The Chilean national dance, Cueca, with live band

Cueca for Ali Karim

Night time view of Santiago

Cafe’s everywhere

Nude sunbathing

Harbor tour

Vina Del Mar

 

 

Selfie. Note the bags hanging on the balcony; what does one do when there is little room available in the Hostel?

City view

More city views with artwork

Ascenser Reina Victoria

Steep view from the Ascenser

Lunch in the market; great seafood

Headed back to Santiago the next day, and on the way, stopped at the Undurraga Winery for a wine tour arranged by our friend, Sara Zomer, through her friend, Armando. We had a private tour by David, who spoke great English, and was extremely knowledgeable about wines and the business of wine growing, and wine making. After wine tasting, the winery gave us each a bottle of wine and a crystal wine glass to take back with us; very nice touch, thanks to Armando and Sara.

Recommended
Visit the Undurraga Winery for a memorable winery tour.

Winery Tour

Wine tasting at Undurraga Winery with David

Time to head back to DFW. Great short trip in Chile

This entry was posted in Chile, Santiago & Valparaiso Nov 2015, South America

2 thoughts on “More Valparaiso; winery and return to reality

  • Pingback: Valparaiso - Ali Karim Travelog

  • Joelle August 8, 2017 at 2:14 pm Reply

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