Day 18 Grand Adventure - I am not sure exactly what day count it is and such is the challenge managing one's calendar and schedule at sea đ We docked in Valparaiso, Chile, and Jean is hiding somewhere on one of the hills ahead of the ship. It was cool at 15C with relatively no breeze and a damp foggy shroud hugging the surrounding hills.
Once again we ended up moored at a container ship quay and the chaotic disembarkation process began. For half the ports of call on the first of the cruise and this stop the disembarkation and re-embarkation has been so chaotic and disorganized - one would think, that after a few decades of operation, Celebrity Cruises would have figured out how to do this smoothly and efficiently. They could use a few tips from Disney World on how to queue and process people more effectively.
At one point, as one of the main seaports for Chile, Valparaiso was a major area for trade and stopovers for ships heading around Cape Horn; it also was a major naval station for Chile. Close to the harbour are many examples of colonial architecture, although many of the buildings are run down and boarded up. In general, the area seemed to be quite impoverished with many people appearing to live on the streets. For a Saturday it was fairly quiet and not a whole lot of people on the streets. My mission was to locate Jean on that hillside - with no wifi connection or map, the only thing I had to go on was a picture he took from his hotel towards the ship and the name of the hotel (Grand Hotel Gervasoni).
Valparaiso is quite large (I believe it is the second largest city in Chile) and features steep hills and colourful buildings. The streets are quite narrow and had inclines similar to those found in San Francisco. As I trekked up one of the hills I came across some impressive murals and graffiti (even the graffiti had an artistic quality about it) - I stopped frequently to admire the display...and to catch my breath. I clearly have lost all that conditioning from the Italy walking campaign. Along the way I came across a lovely little street market area with fresh produce and general wares. Bananas were each 200 Chilean pesos, which I thought was expensive but turned out to be 30 cents Cdn. However, I would imagine in this neighborhood that 30 cents Canadian would be quite a lot of money for many people.
After a few wrong turns I did finally come across the Grand Hotel Gervasoni and the panoramic vista towards the harbor with our ship moored at a quay behind one of the Viking cruise ships. The hotel had once been a mansion and in its day likely was a pretty opulent place to live judging from the solid carved wood stairs and bannisters and the rooms with ornate fixtures. I found Jean leisurely reading on the terrace and it was time to get to the terminal and back to the ship for the next leg of our cruise...and resumption of my grand adventure.
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