Being Tourists

During our 2^nd full day here, Kyle and I ventured out to explore Santiago. We had heard about Cerro San Cristobal from a number of people and it sounded like a pretty major tourist site. Cerro means hill in Spanish and San Cristobal is an enormous "hill" in the middle of Santiago. Personally, I would say "hill" is an understatement. On this hill there is a zoo, a pool, lots of places to grab a bite to eat or buy souvenirs and a nice long hiking trail. All of these activities appealed to us so we took the bus to the red line and then took the metro to a stop called “Banqudano”. As soon as we surfaced from underground, we could see Cerro San Cristobal. There is a huge white statue of the Virgin Mary at the top and as one of the tallest point in the city, it pretty obviously sticks out.

Barrio Bellavista

While walking towards it, we stumbled upon Barrio Bellavista, the most popular tourist "area" in the city. We had heard about it in travel books as well as from both of our host parents. We were cautioned from hanging around there at night but during the day it is perfectly fine. It was full of trendy restaurants and boho shops. We spent an hour or so wandering through (and stopping to purchase a few trinkets) before moving on towards San Cristobal.

Personally, I had no idea what we were in for. I knew about everything that the hill offered but I didn’t imagine the hike to be that difficult. So, I wore my gold boat shoes. We were approximately half way up the hill when I started to get terrible blisters and decided that we would most definitely take the Funicular (similar to a gondola) back down. I will say, the blisters were worth it once we made it to the top though. The view from the top of the hill was amazing!

View from the top

The city occasionally has a little bit of a smog issue (similar to California) so we couldn’t see the mountains as clear as they usually are, but we saw the general idea of them. There were a few stray dogs at the top, but they didn't bother anyone. They just laid in the shade or drank out of the fountains. It was nice and breezy at the top, which was a refreshing feeling after sweating and hiking our way up in 85 degree weather. It was a great experience - I definitely want to go back. Next time I'll be prepared with the proper footwear. The funicular just as fun as the hike though – I definitely recommend it for those who decide to wear their boat shoes!