One factor in Artillería’s recent development may be the
fact that it has a working funicular in a city whose reputation relies, in
part, on this unusual but entertaining means of public transportation. When I last
updated Moon
Handbooks Chile, though, “Valpo” had nine functioning
funiculars of the 14 that remain (there were originally 33, but the rest have
been dismantled). Today, though, Ascensor Artillería (pictured at top and below) is one of only four that
remain in service. The El Peral, Turri, and Reina Victoria funiculars all serve
the conspicuously tourist-oriented areas of Concepción and Alegre.
Maintaining and operating an antiquated technology, of
course, present challenges, and a couple others could return to service
shortly. On the other hand, UNESCO has reportedly threatened to revoke the city’s World Heritage Site designation
if authorities don’t make a greater effort to restore the remainder to a usable
state. In fact, the ascensores make it easier for everybody – not just tourists
- to get around this hilly city.
Meanwhile, thanks in part to its funicular, Cerro Artillería
has gained attention as an accessible area of new businesses – such as the
up-and-coming restaurant Casa Cuatro
Vientos (pictured above), in a landmark house with spectacular views of the harbor (their
annual New Year’s Eve dinner offers the best views of the city’s legendary
fireworks show). Other cafes have arrived, and Martin and Lisette have set up a
separate cooking class business, Chilean
Cuisine, in a luminous loft apartment just across the alleyway from their
B&B. I attended one of those classes (pictured below) on Friday and, when I have time, I’ll
give a more detailed account of it.
Climate Change: From Santiago to Valpo
No, this will not be a polemic on global warming, though I
share concerns over the environmental crisis of our time, and Chile’s one of
the frontline countries threatened by climate change. Rather, this article will
describe the dilemma of those who travel from hot, sunny Santiago,
to cool, foggy Valparaíso (pictured above).
Recently I gave slide talks on Patagonia
and Buenos
Aires in the Santiago B&B/hostel La
Casa Roja (pictured above and below), which gave me the opportunity to answer a wide variety of
questions on those destinations. It wasn’t limited to that, though, and several
people asked me about the best excursions in and around Santiago, and one of my
top choices was Valparaíso, the country’s most colorful and unique city. Though
I’d always recommend staying overnight or longer, bus service to Valpo is
frequent (about every 15 minutes) and fast (two hours) and, making it an ideal and
inexpensive day trip.
There is one surprise, though, that unsuspecting visitors
need to know. Though it’s been hot in Santiago the entire month, it normally
cools off at night, given its 550 meters above sea level; that hasn’t been the case
for most of March, and that means many young visitors are only lightly dressed.
If they’re going to Valparaíso for the day, that can be a problem – it can get
cool or even chilly here.
That’s because, like San Francisco, the twin cities of Valpo
and Viña
del Mar (the famous beach resort), sprawl along a Pacific shoreline that’s
only a short distance from the cold Humboldt Current. That
helps create the convective fog known as the camanchaca, similar to the
afternoon fogs that spread inland over San Francisco – and legendarily leave
Midwestern tourists shivering in their shorts and tee shirts. On the coast
here, the daytime temperature here is typically 10° C (18° F) cooler than the
Chilean capital, especially when the camanchaca comes ashore. Even if it’s
clear and sunny, as it is today, it’s advisable to carry a sweater or jacket in
this naturally air-conditioned city.
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