4. Contradictions in Santiago

Really, I think that Santiago isn't very shiny. There are a lot of pollution, the people is angry and egocentric sometimes and it is a bad copy of any city of the United States. Definitely I don't recommend it to any foreign tourist. Chile has a lot of better places to known.

But well, it also has some good things. There are very beautiful places like Santa Lucia hill or the “Forestal” Park. The first one is an amazing piece of nature in the middle of the down-town. It's full of water fountains and sculptures, surrounded with shrubs and trees. It also has paths to walk, benches to take a rest or viewpoints to see the city. The second one is a huge park, also in the down-town. It starts near to “Baquedano” Square (also known as Plaza Italia) and finish in front of “Mapocho” Station. Within the park is the “Bellas Artes” Museum (very affected by the earthquake, but it was recently re-opened) and interesting sculptures. At the weekend, artistic organizations go and do different activities, so it is a special place to visit with children and the family.

There are other typical places, like the Metropolitan Park (San Cristobal Hill) which has the zoo and an old cable car (special for a romantic date). Near that, there is a Pablo Neruda's house (La Chascona) and “Bellavista”, a bohemian and cultural neighborhood.

But, despite of that, and that are beautiful places, some with a tremendous cultural value, Santiago has no identity. People love going to the mall or prefer staying in their houses watching TV instead of visiting and walking around their city. Modernity not only produces changes in the sense of production, but also in the interactions and ways of relating to people. Santiago is a city which pretends to be modern...however; those who observe and analyze the contradictions of the globalization (see the other face of the coin) can say the opposite.