Didn't really get up to much today, went for a walk to the old harbour to check out the market and to see what's actually going on on the waterfront. The whole central part of the harbour is used for some construction and transportation services so you can't see past the dust, lorries, cranes and cargo holds. In the distance at the old harbour you can see some of the Chilean's naval fleet, there are quite a few ships and I think you can get closer but its right the way round the city to the over side of the horseshoe shape. The Valparaiso banking district and stock exchange looks much like London's, just dirtier and the buildings are no where near as tall. I've noticed that Valparaiso has very interesting architecture, from the large grandiose old buildings to the more modern wood and glass clad buildings, to very old falling apart mansions in the middle of streets to the slightly more impressive congress building, like a big square with a hole in the middle. I was taking photos even though I have been told to be very careful in Valparaiso because random muggings are apparently quite common, makes me feel very safe that piece of information. So I took some pictures of random things then I went for a walk to the congress building to take some pictures of that, I walked all the way around it to find the best place to fit it all in, I found a nice spot round the back that was quiet but not too quiet to be risky in any way,i got my shot but decided I wanted picture from the front of the building. I walked around one side of it, through a bustling park but couldn't get a good shot because of trees and being too close to it. As I went round the other side, I ended up outside the bus terminal which happens to be right opposite the congress building. I have been told by some people that I met that the bus terminal in Valparaiso is very dodgy, when I first arrived it seemed fine, but when I went for a walk it was full of beggars, buskers and generally dodgy looking people. I decided not to draw unnecessary attention to myself so I missed the opportunity to get a good shot of the congress building from the front, it had a massive, weird looking sculpture on the front side.
Waking away from there, I think I inadvertently stumbled upon the Valparaiso red light district, it was right next to a market I had just read about before I left the hostel to go for a walk, I hadn't planned to go there but I did. It must have been the red light district, it was so seedy, I mean just behind the fruit and veg stalls were the most unattractive looking women I have seen in my entire life, ugly is a far too nice descriptive to say about them. They made the prostitutes in the Barcelona red light district look like glamour models and if you have ever seen them then you know how ugly these must be. I'm positive they were prostitutes as they were standing in doorways, were all dressed up in denim suits and mini skirts, they looked battered and beaten, had scars and burns on their faces and I think were being watched by men in the distance. They were all saying something to me as I walked past, I just ignored them but I can imagine the translation of what they were saying being, 'wanna have a good time' or something along those lines. I definitely wont be going there in a hurry, during the day was bad enough I can imagine at night it being an awful lot worse.