Discovering Chile's Active Life
By: Jonatan Campos
Chile is a large South American country situated along the Pacific Ocean in the west with the Andes mountains in the east bordering Argentina, and the Antartida in the south. I went to its capital, Santiago, and the weather was warm. Going in summer is a good choice to discover the various activities that the city offers.
From the airplane, I saw a chain of mountain ranges known as the Andes. When I exited the airport, I saw the mountainous surroundings. In the Andes, I noticed the national preserve parks where you can go hiking, breathe fresh air and enjoy the dry, warm South American summer weather.
In the middle of the city, the best views are from the peaks and viewpoints from San Cristobal Hill. Since visitors are on the bottom of the mountain, there are many mediums to get to the summit, whether walking, jogging, cycling or taking the cable car. Its meandering path gives the sensation of enjoying many green trees, colorful and fragrant South American flowers. The effort to reach the peak is worth it because the curved and sloping pathway was not easy. There is a panoramic view of the entire city where visitors can see a contrasted modern city from one side and its periphery from the other.
In Santiago, it is essential to have a bicycle because downtown traffic is like Los Angeles’. They have a modern metro line that goes through their main interest places, but some Chileans prefer to use their bike to commute. There are many bike trails and signals to allow more people to go out with their bikes. Around the city, I could see many expensive and professional bicycles. Going for a ride bike allows touring the friendly, versatile and busy downtown.
I enjoyed going for a walk every day in Santiago, and it was beneficial because of its places rich in culture where tourism is attractive. Santiago is known for its several green spaces between so many apartment buildings, crowded main streets, business towers and massive shopping centers. I had the unusual but nice experience of staying in an apartment and having a park down the elevator.
The parks consisted of a green area that gathers many groups of people to play soccer and basketball in its colorful and tentative cement court, jogging around the dusty and narrow track surrounding the extensive grass where a fountain decorates its surroundings.
Santiago is multicultural in food aspects, and the snacks that stand out are the completo (Chilean hot dog) and empanadas. Chileans tend to use Pebre, a hot sauce, to accompany any food. According to Authentic Food Quest, Pebre is a seasoning made with tomatoes at the base and topped off with chopped onions, chili, chives, garlic, coriander, oil and vinegar. It is usually served in a little clay dish and has a nice spicy bite. Visitors will find it on any respectable restaurant table.
My favorite part of Santiago was the accessibility and expansiveness of its parks to motivate citizens and tourists to get involved in physical activities. It was nice to interact with people from every part of South America and discover their gastronomy and culture.