The problem with Chile is that all roads lead to Rome, or at least the Capital Santiago. Visitors get left with the impression that Santiago is Chile. This not by accident. Many Chileans that live in Santiago, under light interrogation will admit that they have never seen much of the rest of Chile. We are not speaking about deep Southern Chile and Patagonia, but places in the Central region. We have also spoken with many foreigners that have lived in Chile for years and have never ventured much further than Santiago and a few of the more famous Central region attractions such as Vina del Mar and Valparaiso. Here we want to make a few suggestions for things and places you might miss in Central Chile if you simply take the advice of your Santiago travel agency.

By Benjamin Witte

Santiago's antiquated though in many ways emblematic bus system is set to take a giant leap into the 21^st century when, starting in February, the much heralded and oft criticized Plan Transantiago goes into full operation.

Chile is a highly centralized country. All roads really do lead to Rome (a.k.a Santiago). If you want to do anything official in Chile, it will likely be processed through offices in Santiago. This is slowly changing as Chile decentralizes, but it is a slow process. However, the recent boom in copper and other exports still means the majority enters Santiago and stays there. The economy of Santiago, including building booms and baby booms reflect the move in the economy.