Valparaiso, Chile

January 21, 2008


As our daily program explained, “Valparaiso, one of Chile’s most important seaports is fast becoming one of the most visited cities in Chile. Built upon dozens of hillsides, Valparaiso has interesting warrens of streets and cobblestone paths that have made it a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site.”

This was my second visit to this bustling sea port. I was here three or four years ago with my good friend Margaret Neely when we visited her daughter, Laura, who was doing her junior year in Santiago. In fact, as I boarded the bus for my day’s excursion, I immediately recognized a certain square that we had visited then. It was nice to return.

This visit offered me a new and “exclusive” adventure. Shortly after boarding the ship, I got a very nice letter from the cruise director inviting me to a special and “exclusive” luncheon at a winery outside the city. His invitation indicated that I would be joining other passengers booked on “back-to-back” cruises…those of us going on to Africa. I had heard rumors that there were anywhere from 16 to 28 of us doing both trips and was pleased to learn that I would soon get a chance to see who else would be part of that voyage in this “exclusive” luncheon. Well, was I surprised? This special luncheon was limited to only 226 people on ship! Very exclusive…after all there are only 700 on board. Bus load after bus load of us were invited. It seems that if you had booked into one of the upper level suites, or if you had booked early, or if you had done this or done that, you were a member of this “exclusive” group. So I am still unclear as to who else will be traveling to Africa with me.

Exclusive or not, we had a delightful day in the Casablanca Valley about an hour’s ride outside Valparaiso. We were taken to the 150 year-old estate of the Matetic family who bottles a full range of Chilean wines on their pristine property. As we entered the gates we were met by scores of gauchos, or cowboys, in full riding regalia, who escorted us into this beautiful place. Young bright-eyed and smiling children greeted us with long-stemmed flowers and walked us to the gardens. Each child was cuter than the next and so proud to be a part of this special day. Their parents were proud too as many of them lined the “avenue” taking as many pictures of their children escorting the “gringos” as the gringos took of them. I remember, in particular, this one little girl dressed in a colorful yellow dress with her hair plated in long thick pig-tales with tiny flowers worked into the braids. She was so cute. As we passed through the restored hacienda, whose beautiful suites can be rented by the night or week, we marveled at the exquisite and charming manicured gardens. A colorful band of men….some very young performed to the accompaniment of an old organ grinder, complete not with the expected monkey….but with some brightly colored tropical bird! The men all carried drums on their backs which they struck with sticks that were attached to their feet, so as they danced they created their own rhythm. As the tempo increased they soon spun into a whirl going round and round in a frenzy which reminded me of the whirling dervish black-hat dancers that I say some years ago in Bhutan. So entertaining.

As we made our way to a delightful luncheon served under a huge tent we admired the llamas grazing in gardens and strolled over ponds filled with beautiful water plants.

It was indeed a great day….now if I can only meet those going to Africa.