Santiago de Chile is a vibrant city of 5 million people. Though it's sandwiched between the Andes and the coastal mountain chains, I didn't feel being in a place squeazed for space. On the contrary, its wide tree-lined boulevard, glistening pavements and tall colonial-style building all convey a sense of space and grandeur. Order and cleanliness seem to pervade everywhere, and the country is visibly doing well economically. However, I did not experience the cultural dynamism and the joie de vivre as in Buenos Aires. Stragely enough, walking through the poshy neighbourhood of Vitacura, I almsot felt like in a suburb of a Japanese city. Well, my impressions may be wrong, but lying on the Pacific coast and as a member of APEC, Chile is certainly quite far away Europe.