Santiago

Of Chile's population of 17,000,000 people, Santiago has 7,000,000.  It's a large, busy city that sits in a valley under a smoggy sky, much like Phoenix.  The city has shantytowns in many areas where immigrants build makeshift houses.  The area in and around Santiago is where the first Spanish explorers claimed the territory for Spain.

A woman who experienced the Allende and Pinochet eras in Chile talked to us about those tumultuous times and how they have affected her country.

Here is a glimpse of Chile's capital city.

View of the city from atop its biggest park

A popular way of getting up and down hills

There are attractive pedestrians walkways

The city is planting trees and creating green spaces to help alleviate the pollution 

Tomorrow we fly to Easter Island for 3 nights.  Our guide says it's the most remote place on earth, 2,000 miles from anywhere!