"Chilean Capital" Santiago by Ramonq

click: Chilean music

I never expected the Chilean capital city to have an effect on me that I want to stay a little bit longer. Was it because of the wide tree-lined avenues flanked by stately hispanic buildings, or the the lively pedestrian street malls of Calle Ahumada? Was it the efficient and clean Metro system or the great bars and restaurants in Bellavista? Was it the pleasant precincts of Providencia or those ubiquitous coffee shops with skimpily-clad waitresses? I think it was all that but one thing that impressed me was the grand presence of the snow-capped mountains looming over its horizon. Located at the foot of the Andes mountain ranges, Santiago de Chile, or now more commonly called Santiago, couldn't have chosen a finer spot. In Santiago, you could easily make a day trip skiing on the slopes nearby and then enjoy the city's sophisticated nightlife afterwards. Or even go to the beach in the Pacific coast at Renaca a few hours aways from the city.

My most vivid recollection of Santiago was the stroll up Cerro Santa Lucia a rocky hill park right in the middle of the city. This popular tourist site offers a great view of the city . From up there, you'll be able to get an idea of your bearings on the city. You'll observe that a river, named Rio Mapocho, runs through it; and that the commercial and business sections grew in the southern bank of this river. You can see that Santiago has its fair share of modern glass skyscrapers which affirm to the fact that this city means big business. Across the river, you'll see another mountain park with cable cars running up and down on its slope. And further in the horizon, you'll also notice that Santiago is a sprawling city dwarfed by the presence of these majestic mountains to its eastern horizon. But you'll also observe that this city is choking itself in air pollution because of its love affair with cars. The city's sky is almost always blanketed in smog that the mountains are barely visible.

The city was founded in 1541 by the Spanish conquistador, Pedro de Valdivia as a colonial outpost for one of its remotest colony in South America. From a few Spanish settlers and administrators, plus the indigenous people who populated the fertile haciendas around the Central Chilean region, a mestizo population grew in Santiago, then the largest rural town in the area whose roads were mainly dirt tracks and cultural life was virtually non-existent. From a backwater town, Santiago began to have the trappings of a small city when railway and telegraph lines were connected to its main port, Valparaiso.

When Chile came into existence by the granting of independence in 1810, Santiago became the capital city because of it is right in the centre of this extremely long nation bounded by the Andes mountain ranges and the Pacific Ocean. The new nation's wealth were mainly derived from mining, and Santiago underwent a massive transformation into a monumental proportion. Parks, gardens, bridges across the Mapocho, fine arts museums were built around the turn of the century, the Palacio de la Moneda its crowning glory. Many Europeans settled in Santiago because of the agreeable climate and the opportunities it provided. Santiago still has a European feel about it despite the predominantly mestizo society.

By the late 20th century, Santiago grew vertically as well as horizontally as a result of economic expansion. Scores of high rise buildings around El Golf, which has been given a nickname "Sanhattan" were constructed and posh neighbourhoods that would feel at home in any First World city, were developed to the east of the city. Some of its infrastructure are of world class standards such as spotless underground Metro train system, the freeways, and the pedestrianised street malls in the city centre. Its cultural activities are also well developed with the abundance of museums and cultural centres. I found Santiago to be a developed city, but not quite there yet.

In the outskirts of the city, there are signs of pockets of misery with ramshackle homes and shabby infrastructure. The economic rationalism under the Augusto Pinochet's regime left a legacy of maldistribution of wealth. I met a few Chileans who approved of what he has done to the country and those who hated him. It appears Santiago society is divided and you can witness it by the different lifestyles they lead. But one thing is common, they both breathe the same persistent smog that envelop the city year round, and something must be done about it soon. Now that's something all Santiago residents agree on.

• Pros:Parks and mountain views
• Cons:The smog
• In a nutshell:Grand city by the Andes