How safe is Santiago de Chile?

I ask this question not because I felt threatened, I ask this question because all Santiaguitos who approached me in the Chilean capital advised me to put away my camera because they were afraid I might get mugged. Looking around, everyone seemed to be carrying their bags at the front with one hand firmly attached to it. So, I assume, pick-pocketing and muggings must be quite a frequent occurrence. But if a photographer is too scared to use his/her camera, then they might as well just pack it in. So, the camera stayed out in the open and nothing happened to it. Luckily.

As we were in Santiago just before Christmas, here are two images. One from the cathedral and the other one was taken on top of one of there hills where these is a nunnery.





Walking into town, I found the Barrio of Bellavista. A kind of "Bohemian" quarter with lots of bars and almost every other house was covered in fabulous graffiti. Actually, calling them graffiti doesn't do it justice. They are great street-art displays.