Santiago from the Hills

When in Santiago, it's hard to forget that it's a city set at the base of the Andes. Just when you do, you look down the street between European style buildings and there on the horizon are snow capped mountains.

Santiago lacked the colour we had expected until we reached an area on the other side of the river. During the evening the brightly painted buildings are the backdrop for a thriving cafe and pub scene, but when we walked through around lunch time it was quiet.

For a better look of the city and to escape the traffic and pollution we'd decided to wander up through the Parque Metropolitano to the Virgin Mary statue at the top of the nearby Cerro San Cristobal. The dirt track that led up there seemed a little abandoned, but was lined with pretty spring flowers that covered the steep hillside.

We climbed quickly, getting a good view over Santiago, but of course it was the mountains that drew our attention. Despite the pollution it was clear enough to see the chain around the city that stretches north to Bolivia and south to the Atlantic.

From the top of the hill looking into the distance we were convinced that the some of what we thought was mountains must surely be clouds because they seemed too high compared to the others. Then slowly we spotted the snow on the tops and the jagged line of the peaks.

Down the bottom in the colourful Bario Bellavista, the late afternoon had already brought crowds to the pubs. The footpath was packed with artisans selling jewellery displayed on blankets on the ground and pedestrians wandering along the sunny street as they probably did most Saturday afternoons.

Next Stop: A unique Chilean town