One of the features of Valparaiso is the Funiculars, called simply elevators. Apparently there used to be 15 of them, but only 5 still work. One, Ascensor El Peral, was right by our apartment.
It’s motorized, of course, but the two cars are also counterweights to each other, with a cable that rolls over a giant wheel at the top.
Riding it was only a little scary, and one time when we went up, one of the stray dogs joined us.
No one seemed to think it unusual that he just came along for the ride.
At the top, he hopped off and went on his way.
After my posts about wiring, which seems pretty much the same through both Argentina and Chile, you might think I’d be nervous riding a motorized tram up the steep hillside.
I was somewhat reassured when I saw that the wiring for the tram for once was all in a conduit. That is until I looked a little more closely at the conduit…
It just sort of trailed off into a whirl of empty webbing, no wire inside at all. Nonetheless, we rode without incident, and heard that this particular ascensor has been running without incident since 1902 and is maintained annually.
In Santiago, walking down a main boulevard, I had the ultimate view of the electrical system, which they were repairing.
The electrician was very friendly and agreed with me that electricity in Santiago is muy complicado.