Valparaiso, Chile

Unless otherwise noted, text and photos by Ed Hedemann (click on photos to enlarge)

SANTIAGO

VALPARAISO

PANAMERICAN HIGHWAY

LA SERENA

SOLAR ECLIPSE

La Serena and harbor Overview of Valparaiso and its harbor. Note funicular track (lower right).
shipyard cranes Valaparaiso is a major seaport, with container ships continually loading and unloading.
funicular car Funicular car on the way up to our hotel. Because Valparaiso is so hilly, funiculars were built over a century ago to make navigating the city easier. Rides cost 15 to 50 cents.
descending funicular car Funicular tracks are usually very steep.
colorful houses on hill However, Valparaiso is probably best known (at least to tourists) as the city of brightly colored houses and giant murals. Everywhere.
gateway sign to Open Air Museum Gateway sign to Museo a Cielo Abierto (Open Air Museum), a section of Valparaiso with many colorful murals.
mermaid and man with drum  
mural on tall building  
Ed above red mural steps Photo by Ruth Benn
doorways with 3 fists Instead of a welcome mat, these doorways display another message.
mural of girl watering a flower Photo by Ruth Benn
mural of a cat head  
Valpo boy Photo by Ruth Benn.
Power to the People mural Political messages are sometimes part of murals.
mural of roosters and birds  
totem with indian, drum, bird  
Ruth inspecting pheasant mural  
under the sea mural  
store making empanadas Assembly table in popular downtown empanada store.
dogs and their boxes Dogs (homeless and otherwise) were a ubiquitous presence on the streets and roads of Chile. The ones here in Valparaiso's business district are shown with a line of carboard nests.
hummingbird Green-backed firecrown hummingbird.
sign in bar Sign in bar the night before driving 250 miles north to observe the eclipse in La Serena.
www.eclipsewar.net • ehedemann (at) hotmail.com