Santiago has been described as one of the cities with the most serious air pollution problems in the world. Emissions from a growing number of vehicles, manufacturing industries, and wood-burning heaters — combined with the fact that the city is surrounded by mountain ranges that prevent air drainage — leave Santiago smoggy.    Hot, humid and smoggy! (and I wouldn’t want to experience an air pollution emergency alert day!)

But….. Santiago has some charms to behold.

La Moneda, the Presidential Palace, with the changing of the guard. Such a performance!

The Museum of Pre-Colombian art which fosters understanding and appreciation of of indigenous cultures in pre-Hispanic America. Fantastic ceramics, textiles and much more. I especially loved the ornate headdress (complex system to distinguish an individual’s social status, ethnic origin and political power); the Moche culture’s ceramics (like the cat bottle that would be buried with the dead to ward off harm and help them in their journey to the afterlife); an Ecuadorian artist’s expression of happiness; and the custom of wrapping dead in funerary bundles (both practical – device to assist in carrying the dead to the grave and symbolic – designed to represent a chrysalis of a butterfly).

Museum of memories and human rights: is dedicated to promoting human rights and paticularly, catalogues the excruciatingly difficult 17 years of Pinochet dictatorship, that Chileans encountered. The ground floor display identifies the extent of current day human rights abuses across the globe! 30 countries worth! A museum that provides a testament to incredible human resilience in the face of extreme brutality and repression.

San Cristobal hill: the best sweeping views over Santiago are from the peaks and viewpoints of the Parque Metropolitano, better known as Cerro San Cristóbal. At 722 hectares, the park is Santiago’s largest green space. encompassing a Zoo, Botanical garden, 2 huge swimming pools and extensive kids playground. I took the funicular from Plaza Caupolicán in Bellavista, to the Terraza where there are a few snack stands and extraordinary views across the city.  

You can see the tall Costanera centre tower in the photo. Its in a business and commercial complex that includes a six-floor shopping mall, and three other skyscrapers – two high-end hotels and an office building. The Tower, was designed by architect Cesar Pelli and is 300 metres, making it the tallest building in Latin America and the second tallest in the Southern Hemisphere, pipped at the post by Australia’s Q1 on the Gold Coast by 22 metres.

Centro Gabriela Mistral: this striking cultural and performing arts centre – named for Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral, the first Latin American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature – has concerts and performances most days.  Checked out the rotating art exhibits, the iconic architecture that vaults and cantelevers on the inside (looks like a giant rusty cheese grater from the street), the little plazas, murals, cafes. Gorgeous!