Friday, January 31, 2014

The Bamboo Bike

In Valparaiso, Chile we were walking down the street and found this to attract attention.  What an artistic expression of a bicycle.  Somebody has some creativity.  Check out the detail all the way down to a chain and derailleurs front and rear.  How about those brakes?




Motorized Bicycles in Chile

The advances in batteries and efficiencies in electrical motors has caused lots of electrical driven vehicles from cars to scooters.   Old school would dictate a small 2-stroke engine (like from a chain saw) spewing smoke down the road grafted onto a bicycle frame.  If you want to get really fancy, a company could take it on and make it more professional.  While in Chile I saw several of these things and here are some pictures.  Pedal or spew smoke...your choice.




Graffiti or art?

We just got back from 2 weeks in Chile.  What a wonderful country Chile is.  Everyone seemed very happy and I was told by a local that Chile currently has the strongest economy for all of South America.  Don't know if that is true but the people on the streets were very happy.

Everyone has seen graffiti all over walls, garage doors or what not.  Chile is not immune from that either but the Chilean government passed some new laws that have had an impact.  The law basically classifies paintings on walls, garage doors, etc. as art.  Apparently there is different classes of offenses if you are caught putting graffiti on a blank wall or on top of art and if you do it on top of art the penalty is very steep.  This is what a local Chilean told me.  So what has happened is the emergence of art all over.  Here are some examples we saw so I ask you...graffiti or art?