Valparaiso, Chile is an incomprehensible labyrinth of criss-crossed byways, steep sidewalks, and multicolored graffiti. The streets themselves whisper secrets to you as you pass; the colorful fingers of spray paint characters reaching for your hands, revolutionary slogans reaching for your ears, the cataract shadowed eyes of street dogs reaching for your heart.
But, that is not what you see. Because from every viewpoint in the hillside town, you can see the ocean. The expanse of green/blue sea that inspired Pablo Neruda to pen "Ode to the sea". The sea that the fierce Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet scanned awaiting attacks, the sea that lines the great country of Chile from top to bottom, the sea that the three of us stare at, open mouthed, as we soak in the sun and our experience here.
Time is running out, and we know it. Tomorrow night we pack our bags and depart on our three day trip that will take us across the South American continent and back to our homes.
Have we learned anything? Are we different?
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