Returning to Chile has been disorienting. So much of the infrastructure is the same but let´s face it, 20 years is a pretty long time. I visited about five years ago but only stayed in Santiago for a few days. This trip is all about Santiago so really trying to relearn my way around.
Rivers and mountains and venerable institutions have a way of forcing a city out of a grid pattern. So, for someone like me, who sadly does not have a good sense of directions, getting a grip on where everything is in a non-linear city is tough!
Mostly I have walked since arriving, but today I rode a bike. In the last several years Santiago has incorporated many separated bike paths on streets big and small to its traditional street and sidewalk grid. The big and wide sidewalks (perhaps the thing I love the most about Chile) have been reorganized to add paths for bikes and in some cases, a separated lane on the street.
What happens when you give people separated facilities? Well, for starters they ride bikes. So many people on bikes? Mostly the younger generations, but an equal amount of women and men.
But the other thing that happens is they when don´t have a designated bike path, they just go on the sidewalk. And in some cases, wherever they want! It is a bit like riding at Stanford. Everyone rides and they make their own rules.
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