I used to work as a consultant in Santiago so many trips to Valparaiso were a given. Your perspective of that charming, funky, place sure differs from mine. Of course, Latin American cities differ from those in Europe and North America and it seems to me you have brought that perspective to bear in your judgement of Valparaiso
Yes, I am quite sure that my biases impact my writing. That is my purpose for traveling, to adjust those thoughts and attitudes. Did you find from your travels there that the Google photos are accurate? If so, what part of Valparaiso is taken in those photos? I could not find that area. Thank you.
I never rely on Google photos when travelling. And I must say when I first travelled to Chile, Brazil - Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Brasilia, all over Mexico, seeing different areas of a city were a shock. One minute you were in a pleasant beautiful area of tow and suddenly it was abject poverty. It was the sudden transition that took getting used. Mind you, Asia with the exception of Japan is similar. And even though in Europe and North America there are definitely poor slum like areas they are not as suddenly pronounced as in Latin America and Asia.
Great comment, George. Re that juxtaposition—yes, amazing. My first immersion was the market in Guadalajara. Seeing what I then thought of as extreme poverty. I was young. But later in Delhi, it was a whole new ballgame. Your comments—poignant.
I agree. I felt the same way when moving to Türkiye. The poverty in some places is heart wrenching. Seeing the shocking transition provides a different perspective of one's life.
I agree with the above -- it's fascinating to see views of places that most people would not necessarily share. I've been getting travel "articles" on my Google that are AI- generated and include a clearly fake photo that is not even vaguely of the place mentioned! They are pretty easy to recognize.
Valpo is such a funky city and it's interesting to see the contrasts between IG and reality. You're brave for driving there! I haven't built up the courage to drive in South America yet.
Well, my 15 minutes was not much. When I almost crashed into a taxi, my husband took over I was so rattled. Later, I drove on the freeway, which was not a big deal. I can drive in Istanbul, so I believe I can drive anywhere, but Valparaiso proved that isn’t necessarily so.
I think the reality is more interesting than the IG-worthy image, anyway. When we were in Luang Prabang, Laos, we had heard/seen that the sunset views (photos) from the top of Mount Phousi we're not to be missed. At the top, we found hundreds of other people had heard/seen the same. There was really only one perfect vantage point from which to capture the iconic scene--without the hoarders of people with cameras intruding into the frame. After waiting in a chaotic line to climb up onto the perfect rocky outcropping, I took my required famous photo. But my favorite photo from that madhouse scene is the one of the crowd of people clamoring over and around each other for the perfect shot, completely caught up in the IG perfection and ignoring the ongoing beauty of the sunset behind them.
that is wild - the images in your feed compared to what you saw. I wonder where that part is hiding!!
It seems crazy for Valparaiso to have concocted a false identity when it will obviously be exposed. Weird.
No, I think I was lost is all.
I used to work as a consultant in Santiago so many trips to Valparaiso were a given. Your perspective of that charming, funky, place sure differs from mine. Of course, Latin American cities differ from those in Europe and North America and it seems to me you have brought that perspective to bear in your judgement of Valparaiso
Yes, I am quite sure that my biases impact my writing. That is my purpose for traveling, to adjust those thoughts and attitudes. Did you find from your travels there that the Google photos are accurate? If so, what part of Valparaiso is taken in those photos? I could not find that area. Thank you.
I never rely on Google photos when travelling. And I must say when I first travelled to Chile, Brazil - Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Brasilia, all over Mexico, seeing different areas of a city were a shock. One minute you were in a pleasant beautiful area of tow and suddenly it was abject poverty. It was the sudden transition that took getting used. Mind you, Asia with the exception of Japan is similar. And even though in Europe and North America there are definitely poor slum like areas they are not as suddenly pronounced as in Latin America and Asia.
Great comment, George. Re that juxtaposition—yes, amazing. My first immersion was the market in Guadalajara. Seeing what I then thought of as extreme poverty. I was young. But later in Delhi, it was a whole new ballgame. Your comments—poignant.
I agree. I felt the same way when moving to Türkiye. The poverty in some places is heart wrenching. Seeing the shocking transition provides a different perspective of one's life.
I agree with the above -- it's fascinating to see views of places that most people would not necessarily share. I've been getting travel "articles" on my Google that are AI- generated and include a clearly fake photo that is not even vaguely of the place mentioned! They are pretty easy to recognize.
Valpo is such a funky city and it's interesting to see the contrasts between IG and reality. You're brave for driving there! I haven't built up the courage to drive in South America yet.
Well, my 15 minutes was not much. When I almost crashed into a taxi, my husband took over I was so rattled. Later, I drove on the freeway, which was not a big deal. I can drive in Istanbul, so I believe I can drive anywhere, but Valparaiso proved that isn’t necessarily so.
I think the reality is more interesting than the IG-worthy image, anyway. When we were in Luang Prabang, Laos, we had heard/seen that the sunset views (photos) from the top of Mount Phousi we're not to be missed. At the top, we found hundreds of other people had heard/seen the same. There was really only one perfect vantage point from which to capture the iconic scene--without the hoarders of people with cameras intruding into the frame. After waiting in a chaotic line to climb up onto the perfect rocky outcropping, I took my required famous photo. But my favorite photo from that madhouse scene is the one of the crowd of people clamoring over and around each other for the perfect shot, completely caught up in the IG perfection and ignoring the ongoing beauty of the sunset behind them.
I really dislike how Instagram has changed the way a lot of us vacation. I guess I’m sort of happy that I got lost and it didn’t turn out perfectly.
I agree. I'd rather go where the intent is not a photo to show off.
BTW, I am laughing that autocorrect somehow changed "hordes" into "hoarders" in my original comment. 😊
Great story! You touch on an important topic, the gap between the staged look of cities online and what they actually look like in real life.
Interesting to read your actual experience of the area and not what an Instagram influencer wants to show you!
I really do think I made a wrong turn somewhere, but it was dramatically different from what I could find online.
I applaud your bravery in even driving!