Here we are, day number 6 in Chile. We left the capital of Santiago several days ago and arrived in Valparaiso (literally ¨"go to paradise") on Monday afternoon. This city is definitely a place everyone should see before they die. The city is a port on the Pacific responsible for a lot of Chile´s imports and exports, and was a major stopover in the route around Cape Horn before the Panama Canal was built. The city rises up from the bay at an alarming angle and is dotted with and ringed by huge hills. The vista of the city as you walk up the hills is breathtaking, both at night and in the morning. The houses in Valpo are all painted in bright colors - it reminds me of pictures of Greece that I have seen. And, just like in Santiago, there are stray dogs everywhere - but more on that later.
After receiving a not-so-warm-welcome in Santiago, we were starting to consider whether or not the famously insular Chile was the best choice for a journey to South America. Both of us wanted to take some time and stay in a place and get to know the people, and the reticent nature and crazy, choppy, lightning fast Spanish of the Chileans was frustrating that hope.
But Valpo has been much different thus far. The highlight of our day yesterday was our trip to the market by the bay, where we met some very friendly vendors who gave us advice on not getting mugged, then suggested some cooking methods for the two most beautiful artichokes we could find, then split their lunch and coffee, and finally took us up on to the deserted roof of the building for a spectacular view of the city (all thanks to Melissa´s Spanish I might add - my "es muy bueno!" only gets us so far).
Today we planned on taking a bus to Quintay, a little deserted beach south of the city where you have to hike through a pine forest and neglect "Do Not Enter" signs to bathe in seculded pools and hang out with otters. But on our way to the station, we had a run in with Vito. He was about as tall as me standing, understood no English, and had a warm tongue.
OK - so Vito is one of the many street dogs that roam the streets of Valpo and protect their turf. But there was something different about this guy - so much so that our conversation had chnaged from "The beach is going to be beautiful today" to "How much could we afford for rent per month" in a matter of 15 minutes. Honestly, we both fell in love and, like so many gringo travellers, had decided to stay with our beloved in Valpo. We made appointments with a realtor, checked out some houses, and found a vet. All we had to do was get Vito on the leash (or rope as it were) and take him down to the vet.
This proved more difficult than we first imagined. We encountered very little in the way of snags in the beginning - I even was the head of my own street dog pack for about a half hour (thank you Cesar Millan) - but Vito refused the leash and just would not follow us the mile across town to the vet. So we went into a retaurant, and Vito waited for about 15 minutes, and then chased some dogs around the corner and vanished - maybe for good, maybe not. But one thing is certain - that pup would rather be wild, stinky, and homeless than at the end of a leash.
We can relate!
