Santiago, Chile. Saturday November 25th 2006.

This morning I decide to head out to the Parque Metropolitano, the largest open space in the city. I am going to take the funicular up Cerro San Cristóbal to the Virgin that towers over the city.

My driver Ramόn is busy telling me about himself. It turns out that his son was the victim of a violent attack when on vacation two years ago which left him with brain damage. This story is horrific, but not a story of horror in South America rather the venue is Canada.

Ramόn is explaining that his son was in a coma for fourteen days and then in hospital for four months. As such he had to sell everything he had worked for all his life to meet the costs. As he said, you will do anything to help your children. Now, in his late fifties he is back where he started thirty years ago with house payments, car payments, furniture payments etc. By the time I leave the car the story has brought more than one or two tears to my eyes. The simple fact is that his son is alive and as he says he thanks God for this every day.

I decide to take the funicular to the summit of San Cristόbal passing the zoo where we actually make a stop to let off and to collect passengers. The two trains that ply this route pass about two thirds of the way up on a narrow section of track.

As we climb you get a true sense of the expanse that is Santiago, though you can barely make out the Andes because of the smog.

The virgin representing the immaculate conception is a stunning sight. In the base there is a small chapel just as was the case under the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio. The chapel, currently dedicated to the memory of Pope John Paul II is surrounded by buckets of flowers.

From up here the Andes are slightly clearer, but only slightly. I pass a lovely hour watching and listening to the open air youth mass in the plaza. There is also a beautiful Capilla or Chapel up here where there is a less enjoyable 'adult' mass being conducted. Inside the chapel the Stations of the Cross are magnificent carved as they are into the walls.

The complex at the top of St Christopher's Hill is actually much more than the tourist attraction of the Virgin Mary. There is a retreat house, a monument to Calvary, the main outdoor altar where the youth mass is being conducted and the chapel.

The youth mass proves for me to be a very moving experience with the banners blowing and so many young people enjopying themselves it actually does bring more than a few tears to my eyes. I am not particularly religious but this is a truly spiritual experience and the first mass I have known with applause and cheers.

To get the full experience I will descend via the teleférico. This teleférico is some 2000 metres long and has 94 cabins capable of transporting 960 people per hour, and what a view over the park and the city.

Its lovely looking down and seeing families picnicing in the sun, people cycling, people treking and at points the carriage only just skims the trees.

Today is a beautiful sunny day in Santiago and I head for the centre of town and the Plaza de Armas. Like almost every Plaza de Armas I have seen, this central square is the architecturally stunning centre of the city and the grand style of downtown Santiago does not disappoint.

This city square feels very European with men sitting around playing chess in the shade of a tree or in the bandstand. I walk through the arcades that surround the square and find huge numbers of people dining at the plethora of booths.

I decide however to take the weight off my feet and head out of the sun to dine at Marco Polo on the square.

My key destination today is the world renowned Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino. This is where I will reaquaint myself with the Chavín culture that I first encountered in Peru. Like all the Chavín art I have seen the emphasis remains on the texture and the contrast between the bright and opaque sections.

This is a truly fantastic museum and it is amazing as I traverse the globe to see the similarities that exist between ancient cultures that knew nothing of each other...the elaborate furnishings that accompanied death, the importance of the animal kingdom, the role of symbolism etc.

In this museum I learn that the origins of civilisation in Mesoamerica lie with the Olmec.

As one could argue with regard to modern society; civilisation reaches its peak when the social, economic and political conditions favour the rise of strong hierarchical societies able to control large contingents of populations.

As is the case today, the Olmec culture achieved this through urbanisation, architecture and the arts. The development of such a wide field of artistic endeavour including astronomy and mathematics is symbolic of the high levels of civilisation that existed in Mesoamerica long before European conquest.

What is very interesting is the importance and political power of art throughout history and the use of art and architecture to reinforce class division within society as portrayed in iconography.

A fascinating fact I learned today is that the artifical mummification of the Chinchorro culture is actually 2,000 years older than Egyptian mummification.

The Inka empire which ran from Ecuador to central Chile was achieved not only by warfare but also by annexation agreements. An interesting and far-sighted development was that whilst Inka shapes and recording methods were adopted, local cultures were actively preserved by use of local indigenous designs.

Also at the museum from October until May 2007 is an exhibition about the importance of headwear in conveying non-verbally social, political, economic, ethnic and gender messages. The Gorros Del Desierto exhibition serves to remind of the symbolic importance of clothing. Clothing remains a key identifier with a group and in the Andes the most distinctive symbol has been headdress.

Santiago Cathedral is next stop on my list for today and I get there in time for Saturday evening mass. Situated on the Plaza de Armas I really was stunned by this building.

As you enter the cathedral you are drawn to the exquisite side chapel dedicated to Our Blessed Mother. It is both formal and inviting at one and the same time with painted ceilings reminiscent of an English country house. This is a beautiful cathedral and so different to all the others I have seen across the continent. It is really like a grand European museum building in style and it has a most welcoming air.

The crypt containing the tombs of previous Archbishops has an ultra modern feel like the entrance lobby of a major office building.

Tonight I am heading to the trendy restaurant district of Bellavista to dine at Azul Profundo. The restaurant has a very intimate atmosphere and they really have tried to create a feel of the sea. The service is a bit slow initially and it does not really get any better. It is a seafood delight according to the menu and I order a Cousiño-Macul Don Luis Sauvignon Blanc 2006 because I intend on making the Palacio Cousiño my first port of call tomorrow.

The mussels are interesting, set as they are in some form of congealed cheese. I have got to be honest the food here is nothing to write home about, but I do further my Santiago connections by drinking mineral water (Por Venir) from the Casablanca Valley where I was yesterday.

I have to say that the best food I have had in Santiago in terms of quality and price has been right here at The Atton in my hotel restaurant.