Santiago crisp and clear

Santiagans always complain about smog and poor air quality, known as ‘la contaminación’. It’s true that the air here is not like in the swiss alps and, yes, the city always seemed kinda cloudy to me. Santiago’s geographical location in a valley surrounded by mountains makes it particularly vulnerable for la contaminación. I therefore found its presence normal and not really worth complaining about. However, after it had rained the whole of Saturday (which I didn’t really notice because I slept through it), on Sunday the skies were clear all of a sudden and I was awed by the mountain panorama backdrop and the clear view of all the city from a friend’s 22nd floor apartment. For sunset, I decided to visit Cerro Santa Lucia, a historical hill in the centre, barely 5 minutes walk from my house and I started to realize that this is really quite a beautiful city - at least without la contaminatión.
It is thus very likely that I shall end up complaining about la contamiación just like the average Santiagan, especially when I start cycling to work which I will in a few days.
Moreover, I had my first glimpse at the Santiago section of the Lonely Planet Chile guidebook and there seem plenty of things to do and discover in town, although I can't help but dislike the series' laboured easygoing we-are-hip-gringos-but-we-know-it-all-better-than-the-locals style for the oh-so individualistic adventurer. Admittedly, it's probably still the best guidebook you can get.