Santiago's Not So Buenos Aires

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As some of you know Santiago has very poor air quality. Poor is probably a little but too P.C. considering I couldn't breathe right for a week and a half when I first got here and still cannot exercise the way I would like. Some days are better than others as far as visibility goes but it's never really good.

I climbed San Cristobal the other day with friends. It is a small mountain in the middle of Santiago that, in theory, looks out on the city and the Andes mountains. It was a fun little hike and the giant statue of la Virgen del San Cristobal is interesting if not a little bit odd. But as you can see, the day we climbed was one of the yuckier days. In contrast, the day I went to Pablo Neruda's house at the foot of the same hill the Andes were much more defined. He built his house as a refuge from the city but here you can never really escape the smog.

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