Chilean shopping in Valparaiso.

Regardless whether you´re shopping in Valparaiso to find presents for your parents or to treat yourself to a piece of Chilean art to ship back home, you'll find it here. And if you don't guard your travel budget, even the things you never thought you needed.

Although tourism in Valpo still is a baby buisness in terms of years (the bohemian boom came with the explosion of visitors in the 90s), Valpo is already flooded with handcraft shops. At least in the most arty-bohemian, as well as the most touristy cerro - Cerro Alegre/Concepcion.

There is one place that combines various styles of handcraft shops together, with more than a passing resemblance to an art gallery. On the corner of the streets Urriola and Templeman is where "Casa Viejo" is situated and inside await four independently artesenal galleries, with a few products in common but still with distinct differences.

To the left, when you walk in you will find a small shop of four artists: Leonardo Alvarez, Hilda Osses, Astrid Ziniga and Karin Ouiroga. Karin tells me that they all offer different products, She vends the clothes while they also sell glass, leather and woven curiosities. This is "Artesano del Cerro" and they started up in November 2008.

"You can find handcrafts all around this cerro nowadays, but what we sell is not to be found anywhere else", Karin says."Usually handcraft artists sell their things to several shops to increase their chances of purchases, but this also leads to a similarity between the shops. We don´t do this, we just sell our own products here. We can honestly say that everything we sell here is unique",she continues.

At this time during low season they are entertaining, amongst others, customers from France and Brasil, as foreigners make up the largest group of clientele. This changes. during "ferias", the public holidays, when lots of Chileans come from Santiago to Valparaiso and into their shop.

The next shop, after "Artesenal del Cerro", is also to the left. Here you'll find even more glass,items made by Guddrumm Santos. Unsurprisingly the name of this shop is Vidrio del Cerro.

When moving on you´ll find the next shop on your right. It´s kind of hard to avoid the focus in this slightly bigger shop - the room is full, from floor to roof, with knitted clothes. Even a piano is covered with knitted cardigans. The maker, as well as the salesmen, (or in this case the saleswoman) is also the owner of Casa Viejo, from which the other handcraft makers rent their space. She´s had this place for five years. Whatever you could imagine knitted, she´s got it, and her cardigans range from 10 to 20 mil (thousand) pesos,around 18 to 36 dollars.

Last is the tiny artesenal shop beyond the other three. But size isn't everything. This offers the greatest alternative compared to the others as they have a focus on natural cosmetics. Their shampoo, conditioner, oils, soap and make-up is all made in Chile and the saleswoman Suzanna informs me they also offer aromatherapy.

The corridor between these artesenal shops usually has its walls covered with paintings, something you´ll probably see on your way out if you don't notice it before. Maybe, if you're lucky and have a sunny day in Valpo,you'll see shafts of sunlight come through the windows that form one side of the corridor.

This is the equally beautiful interior behind the colourful exterior of Valparaiso.

/Emilie.