I remember arriving in Seattle some years ago just after a big earthquake that everyone was talking about for days. I had missed it because I was still in the sky. A similar thing happened here. I was a couple of hours away on the bus when an earthquake hit Santiago. Measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale, the locals were keen to talk about it, but as one resident told me - this is the world's shakiest city, and earthquakes of this size are common. I can't help sparing a few thoughts for those people living in the high rise blocks though. Must be like living in a time bomb.

There is some impressive colonial architecture here such as the railway station, the central Post Office from where I mailed some memory cards home, the steel-roofed market where I bought fish for lunch, and thousands of grand old houses such as the hostel where I have been staying. There are many others, and they all they all seem to survive the quakes. The awe-inspiring metropolitan cathedral has withstood three major earthquakes since it was completed in 1780.

My guide book describes Santiago as less intimidating than other South American cities, which seems to sum it up quite well. It doesn't have the wild element of Rio, or even Buenos Aires, which is slightly surprising since it is a major learning centre with university buildings scattered everywhere you look. Mind you, many of the students are causing disturbances every Thursday in protest at rising costs of education. Sound familiar? But the police don't mess about here. A fellow traveller found tear gas being sprayed in her direction when she accidentally got caught up in the demonstrations.

With leafy suburbs, landscaped hills offering views of the mountains, and chilled out street cafes in Bohemian quarters such as Bellavista, I would describe it as a very laid-back city. However, it is a bit light on what you might call tourist sights. After a couple of days of people watching at the plaza, and joining in the national pastime of eating all kinds of flavours of ice cream to cool off from the summer heat, I soon felt that I had seen all there was to see here.

Posted from Valparaíso, 27th January 2012.