Catty in Cali (Parque El Gato De Tejada) - Travels in Colombia 01

El Gato Rio by Hernando Tejeda with the lovely Vivian checking out the photographer, Cali, Colombia

Well, Cali is not catty at all, it is actually very nice. Cali is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department of Colombia. It is a major city with over 2,300,000 residents. The Cali River runs through downtown and features a unique sculpture display, the creative felines of the famous Cat Park, or Parque El Gato De Tejada. According to trpifreakz, "The park got its name, Parque del Gato, from the creator of a giant bronze cat sculpture, Hernando Tejada. The giant sculpture, called El Gato Rio – the River Cat, was erected on the banks of Cali River in 1996. El Gato Rio was created in Bogota and transferred to Cali, which already sounds like an impossible feat – the giant cat is 3.5 meters tall and weighs 3 tons. In Cali, the sculpture became the centerpiece of the newly renovated park by the river."

No urban decay this time! These cheerful felines were too good to resist. One morning, when the tour group was organizing at the hotel, I walked down to the Rio Cali by myself and took a series of digital images. Sorry these are just from a mobile phone. These little (big?) guys were a bit difficult to record because of background distractions. At the site, each has a descriptive sign. Later pictures from Colombia will be from film.

Colombia is a great tourist destination. As of early 2019, the towns in the south central part of the country looked prosperous, and the people were friendly and cheerful. Construction and improvement was ongoing in both rural areas and large towns. Traffic is heavy, stores are well-stocked with goods, restaurants are very good. The country appears to be thriving.