Trip to Valparaiso . Saturday 7 October 2017.

Chile is a beautiful country, blessed with hilly places and mountain peaks, as well as valleys deep and all the seas. Valparaiso represents the description of beauty of Chile. The original name of the territory was Valle del Paraiso or Valley of Paradise, due to the admiration visitors from other countries felt in front of the natural charm of this great, beautiful city.  

Valparaiso is the main harbor city of Chile which has a port suitable for large vessel.  Before the opening of Panama canal, this harbour was very important as it was a strategic place on the routes communicating Europe with Pacific coast. As such the harbor  opened to international trade, which had been limited to commerce with Spain and its other colonies. It had been a required stopover for ships crossing between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.  In the tourist scope, it is considered “The Jewel of the Pacific” for its natural charm and history. For its history, architecture and cultural diversity, UNESCO declared Valparaiso as  “World Heritage” in July 2, 2003.

Our bus left Buin-Maipo at 09.00 and arrived in Valparaiso at 11.15. The first place to visit was a Museum House called “La Sebastiana”, former house of “Pablo Neruda” a famous writer and poet well known to Chileans and the world. The house was built at Florida Hill which consists of four  floors. The first floor: entrance, the second floor: dining room, living room. The third floor: bed room, bathroom and the top floor: study room. In the visitors’ entrance in front of reception office the visitors could enjoy the view of Valparaiso.

The fact about Pablo Neruda: Pablo Neruda was born and died in his beloved Chile. Born: 12 July 1904, Parral, Chile, Died: 23 September 1973, Santiago, Chile He lived many years of his life abroad. he was a diplomat representing his country. He lived in political exile. In 1971, Neruda won the Nobel Prize in literature. Today, Neruda is considered by many to be the most influential Latin American poet of the twentieth century. In 1959 he made a request to his friends, to find or build a house in Valparaiso.

He wrote: “I feel the tiredness of Santiago. I want to find in Valparaiso, a little house to live and to write tranquil. It must have some conditions. It cannot be located to high or too low. It should be solitary but not in excess. With neighbours hopefully invisible. They should not be seen or heard. Original but not uncomfortable. With many wings but strong. Neither too big or too small. Far from everything but close to the public transport. Independent but close to commerce. Besides it has to be very cheap. Do you think that I can find a house like that in Valparaiso?”. And…. Yes… we have seen ourselves, we were able to see every corner of his historical former house…………………..

After visiting the museum we continued to explore the city, walked around from one place to another. Of course we visited the full gran Valparaiso with the bus. Gran Valparaiso consists of Valparaiso,  Viña del Mar and  Villa Alemana).

On our way home we stopped over at Sanctuary La Vasques. It is a place for pilgrimage. Every year Chileans from all over the place came (even walked) to this holy place.

It was a busy day, we left Vina de Maarnat about 17.00, stopped over at Sanctuary and arrived Buin at 20.30 pm. 

(Bro. Martinus Dariyo)