El Peral was built in 1902 & as you can see all the machinery is original. This could only be seen at the top once I had ridden it. I might have been a little more cautious about getting on if I had seen this!! The oldest running funicular is Ascensor Concepcion which was opened in 1892!

Riding El Peral funicular. There are 28 funiculars in the city but only 3 are in working order. They exist to manoeuvre the hills on which the city is founded. A very bumpy ride!

Love this photo of the mixture of old & new. The glass cube building, which to me look like a tiny version of the Barclay's tower in Canary Wharf, was built by an American shipping company on top of it's 19th century office in 2001. The company initially sought plannng permission in 1998 & were told to get lost. They went back & told the city planners that in that case they were shutting up shop & moving to another port 100km away. Permission was...

This amazing house was owned & decorated by a wealthy Italian family. If you look closely you can see the beautiful wood & stone carving. Sadly with the opening of the Panama canal, Valparaiso's fortunes declined & have so continued up to today. Therefore these magnificent buildings are left to rot & decay. Valparaiso is without doubt a city of faded glamour.

Escaleras Cienfuegos...164 steps of pain. Once beautiful but like so much of the city, now neglected & covered in dog muck!