We had sampled pisco in Valle del Elqui and were soon to taste wine in the heart of Chile's Central Valley, but in Santiago it was all about the 'terremoto', a potent pint of sweet white wine with a scoop of pineapple ice cream. The name refers to the effects on your legs as you stand after drinking a couple, slightly ironic in a country plagued by tectonic hazards! The bar, La Piojera, is packed with noisy regulars and has attracted past presidents and poets.

Santiago is a fantastic city . In celebration of Chile's bicentennial, the city poured millions of pesos into its infrastructure and created sleek new cultural centres, museums and parks. This is still a work-in-progress and unfortunately the Plaza de Armas was mostly boarded up. However, the construction works didn't detract from the clean, leafy boulevards, elegant 19th-century buildings and the odd glittering high-rise.

Founded in 1541 by Pedro de Valdivia, Santiago remained a small town until the nitrate boom in the 1880s. Thanks to its smart architecture, the February 2010 earthquake caused comparatively minimal damage in the capital. We did a walking tour around the main city sights, and found this to be a very informative way to learn about the city. A particularly shocking event was the bombing of Palacio de la Moneda, Chile's presidential offices, in September 1973 as General Pinochet and the military overturned the government. A highlight of the tour took us to Barrios Lastarria and Bellavista, the centres of Santiago's cafe and bar scene where we later enjoyed a 'chorrillana' (chips topped with grilled onions and meat) with a carafe of wine at the lively Galindo . We took the funicular train to the top of Cerro San Cristobal where a quaint church and outside congregation area allows for Mass on a backdrop of stunning views across the city,

The next day we set off on a beautiful sunny Sunday morning to Barrio Brasil. Sunday seems to be the day of activity in Santiago as we had to mind the countless cyclists and joggers. We visited Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos which was a very sobering experience. The exhibits expose the terrifying human rights violations and large-scale 'disappearance' that took place under Chile's military government between 1973 and 1990.

Santiago's Mercado Central certainly looks like a traditional market building with its wrought-iron gates from the outside, but on entering is packed with people dining on seafood lunches. We got involved...Next was a trip out on Santiago's excellent Metro system to the business district which houses the tallest building in South America at 300m, Gran Torre Santiago. Below this building is a massive, modern shopping mall; opposite the building is the World Trade Centre and the Radisson Hotel. We kept in tune with this high-end vibe of Santiago and treated ourselves to a bottle in a Barrio Lastarria wine bar to end our time in Chile's capital.

Onward bus to Valparaiso, with Jessica(!), 2hrs.