San Antonio, Chile

The largest freight port in Chile is also the busiest on the Pacific coast of South America. San Antonio, about an hour's drive from Santiago, is a pleasant city of about 85,000. Its climate is similar to that of Northern California's—and the local terrain is similar to the coast between San Francisco and Santa Cruz.

San Antonio is crucial to Chile's success as a major supplier of commodities, from crops like avocados to copper, which by most estimates account for 40% to 50% of Chile's GDP.

The town is marvelous window into middle class Chilean life. The waterfront is lined with restaurants and street vendors, but is not slick and touristy. While watching families pose for photos, the docks in the background work around the clock unloading and loading ships that will traipse around the Pacific Rim and world.

Nearby is Isla Negra, one of Pablo Neruda's home and apparently his favorite. Best of all, the area is accessible by colectivos, taxicabs that serve a fixed route and pick up and drop off passengers wherever they need to go.