A box of crayons to pretty up the world

Gatos y Perros

Blogger is letting me on again. I have seen so much the past couple of days it is hard to navigate around the flotsam.  We arrived in Valparaiso around 2pm, travel was fast and amusing in our chilean version of a geo metro - the chevy spark. I will post a picture of the little dust buster later. I rather like it and am trying to find a way to get it home for Ali.  Anyways... Valparaiso is something of a wonder.  Every available hill is filled with a kaleidoscope of colour.
Andy was right when he said I would fall in love with the architecture.  I am having harsh regrets that I didn't dust off my original 20 year old canon slr and dig up some film for the sheer joy of finding out what develops.  Valparaiso tells a story that is more than a couple centuries old.   There are earthquakes in the cobble stones alongside aged facades sheltering modern steel and cement. There are stories tagged on every available space. There is dirt and desperation but on every street,  at each corner, filling parks and boardwalks, there are some of the happiest people I have ever seen.  More Indios shows in the faces now. Dark, beautiful broad faces as distinct unto themselves as the castilliano faces were in Santiago.
Valparaiso is a brightly hued mosaic waiting to be saudered back together.  I find myself balancing a game of love and hate here. My artistic side is churning and wishing I could leave a piece of me behind amidst the murals with my own contribution. There is a definitive line in which poverty displays itself here. From the angry punk who thought it to be his moral duty to talk aggressively at Andy while flipping him the middle finger to the young girl whom I bought two paper cranes from for 200, pesos. There is work that needs to be done but if ever there was a city whom could be a marvel... it might be this one.
Today we walked and walked.. the dogs here are molting their winters coats... its hard to say if they are treated as well. I think not, but th ey are big and for the most part well fed. Still. They break my heart.  Gatos... there are more here, slim jaded little creatures, careful to only socialize on their terms.   For now.. heres some pictures.