WHO THE *BLEEP* ARE YOU people? (THEY ASK IN THAT TONE)
(For FAQ's click here)
BELIEVE IT OR NOT... WE WORK FOR THE CITY -- ERASING GRAFFITIS.
...JUST KIDDING.
We are a company created by Professional Tour Guide/ Sommelier/Graff Artist/ Local Tattooed Street Thug* Al Ramirez, founder of Al Ramirez Wine Tours / Valparaiso Wine Tours, who arrived back to Valpo from NYC in '06.
VSA tours was co-founded by Jekse and Cines, a couple of local graffiti artists who are doing some great things lately, helping Valparaiso become one of South America's most painted town... the guys can't stop painting! they go by "La UKD Crew"; they been painting graffiti and tagging South America since they can remember. Why? ask them when you meet them!
Our guides are in charge of making sure you have a great experience.
...JUST KIDDING.
We are a company created by Professional Tour Guide/ Sommelier/Graff Artist/ Local Tattooed Street Thug* Al Ramirez, founder of Al Ramirez Wine Tours / Valparaiso Wine Tours, who arrived back to Valpo from NYC in '06.
VSA tours was co-founded by Jekse and Cines, a couple of local graffiti artists who are doing some great things lately, helping Valparaiso become one of South America's most painted town... the guys can't stop painting! they go by "La UKD Crew"; they been painting graffiti and tagging South America since they can remember. Why? ask them when you meet them!
Our guides are in charge of making sure you have a great experience.
Al studied wine, so he's a sort of a weirdo. "Oranges! Apples! Peaches! Grass that was cut at 6 am by an old man in a wheelchair wearing golf shoes and tennis shorts"... (That, according to us, is Al talking about some Chardonnay or whatever)
He also paints (not great, but don't tell him that). He likes to walk around like he's the boss because he "created the Idea", "The first ever Street Art Tour Guide in Chile", and "everyone copies him"... but no one here is trying to hear it. If he gives you a tour, act like you liked it (nod and chuckle, while looking away)... then come back and take a real tour with the other guides. |
A comedian once said "this world we live in is unbelieveable! I went in to rob a liquor store, and when I came out someone had stolen my car!"
That car thief could very well be Jake1 (see the pic/evidence above). He's the type of person who would boil a Frappucino/Iced Coffee just to rebel against the system. We've seen him go into a vegan restaurant, and ask for a lamb chop. Come on, Joaquin. This needs to stop. |
This is El Seba or Sebastian. Just look at the picture and the bio will speak for itself.
He is the one who gets yelled at the most at the office, and asks waaaay too many questions. We dislike him. Very much. He's the type of person who will be telling a story, such as, "So, I told the stupid police officer not to dare talk to me like that", and the police officer will be standing behind him without him knowing it. Then he'll spend the night in jail, and come out the next morning only to pee in the street and get thrown back in within minutes. |
"Dammit, Eddie" is one of a kind. He's the type of person who will put his finger full of spray paint in the birthday cake, and say it wasn't him -- yet... everyone saw you, Eddie!!! There's a painted smudge on the #"$%[¨[* Cake, for #$%#* sake!!!
... Whoo; got that one our of our system, didn't we? Anyway, Eddie loves the Green Lantern, and occasionally wears the ring and points it at people... yes, that's right. If he does the tour in a Jedi robe, don't be scared... just walk away, and take the tour with another company. |
El Lego... Well, he's one of our new acquisitions. He came highly recommended by Jake1 as his "Hick Counterpart"... We thought that was so scary that we hired him.
Lego is our do-gooder, who is very responsible, with a dark sense of humor which at times is very creepy, and we're seriously thinking of never inviting him to the anual VSA pajama party. Lego is an avid player of "Call of Duty", or whatever games those are, where you sit behind a computer, yelling curse words at a bunch of zit-faced 15-year-olds. Good Luck with Lego. |
EL Duce is Probably one of the strangest people we know. He doesn't look threatening, but he's actually quite weird.
He goes to staff meetings, and yells out loud, when everyone is quiet and listening to the information... So, naturally, everyone jumps, and he laughs like he's high. Duce spent a long time painting on the highways and having vehicles yell at him "Why don't you go paint your mother's kitchen, you #$%&¨*%&!!!!" He also used to do Graffiti on buses, yes buses, so he is a hated member of our community. Welcome aboard, Duce. |
Chris Lennon is the exact opposite of everyone in our crew. He is a super friendly, and a lovable person, so we keep him around because someone has to talk to the police.
Lennon was once walking by a far-right wing rally, full of furious agitators, who were breaking stuff, and they asked him what his name was; he got nervous and replied "Lenin"...yeah, that had to hurt. Lennon also does "Tours-For-Hugs", so we don't call him that often, since we can't buy beer with hugs. At least not here. |
"UnKolorDistinto" as they are known around the globe, are a couple that paint together (all day, every day).
- No, they are not siamese twins. - If you sit and listen to one of their mixtapes, you'll most likely fall asleep. - They work as workshop tour instructors here and there. |
El Pollo is our Hype Man. He's in charge of putting our flyers in your hotel or hostel or B&B, etc.
El Pollo is a specialist. At the tender age of 36 (He looks young because he eats tons of garlic), El Pollo sold his entire school raffle tickets, and he won all of the prizes! We'll keep him around for a long time. |
Mr. M&S is a criminal... a thug who mugged one of our guides, and now works for us (Yes, he mugged a job from someone).
He doesn't speak english, but he understands it from his travels through Ritoque, where everyone says "Sorry, Hermano" instead of "Disculpa, Bro" or "Esto es super cool" instad of "oh que piola"... so when we tried to talk smack about him he understood us, and mugged us all. Anyway, now he's our guide in Spanish. Does the tours on Saturday, and when he feels like it on Sunday. He always shows up late or last minute. SOS. |
We also want to thank everyone else who makes this possible. From the crews and artists that have backed us up from the beginning, to the cool hotel owners and managers, to the DMC's who give us work, to the wandering traveler who doesn't fit in with the "sheep tours" led by other tourists and act like they're locals, and to the haters who hate us on a national level...
THANK YOU. You all make this possible.
THANK YOU. You all make this possible.