When I got here, I saw that everyone was literally walking around as they pleased, in shorts, bikinis, flip-flops, and even evening dresses. On the Copacabana beach, you could see everything and hear everything. But the heat, oh the heat. It got the best of me.

In Valparaíso, seagulls are like a separate population. In the air or on the beaches, there they are, always talking and singing and even in small groups chatting as if they were catching up on gossip, like in the middle of a square.

In you, I found a home, I found love, I found adventure, and I found myself too. You are much more than a jewel; you are the entire...