The Climb to the Top
Travel Day: 3 / Santiago Day: 2
Cerro San Cristobal We decided to hike up Cerro San Cristobal, which is the largest "hill" in Santiago. It's right in the middle of the city so when you get to the top you have 360 degrees views! They have a gondola that takes you to the top but when we got there the line was over an hour long wait. We figured why not get a little exercise and hike up the mountain? Reviews said the quickest hike up was about 45 minutes. What they didn't say was if it rains the night before, you get to hike up on a trail that is all mud. We looked at the map and they have a paved road that goes up but it was about 4 times as long. The hike was long (3 miles to the top!) but so beautiful to be able to walk and see everything! The haze slowly lifted and we saw more & more of the city.
Once we (finally!) reached the top, there was a giant statue of the Immaculate Conception which reminded us of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil! There was also a church that was from the 19th century and they hold outdoor mass every Sunday! We decided seeing it on Saturday was close enough. We didn't think we would be able to hike up to the top again for mass the next day. It was amazing to sit at the top and just look out over the city and see the landscape and the different parts of the city. Thinking ahead, we brought a slice of chocolate cake in the backpack to eat when we got to the top. It tasted SO good after the hike! Few things are better than a slice of chocolate cake after hiking up 3 miles!
Gondola Ride The gondola ride back down the mountain was the first time we saw blue skies since getting to Chile! We got amazing views of Sky Costanera (the tallest building in Latin America!) which was next on our list!
Sky Costanera Taking an elevator up 67 floors we stepped out to completely floor to ceiling windows and the most amazing view! When we purchased tickets the guide said we couldn't see the mountains today and asked if we still wanted to go up. So thankful we said yes! After about 25 minutes of walking around and taking a million photos, the haze on the mountains started to clear and we could see the tops of the Andes Mountains! It was such an amazing experience watching the mountains appear in front of us. They were HUGE! We were so stunned that we had been unable to see them until now considering their size!
Uber Adventure #2 At Sky Costanera there was reliable wifi and we decided to attempt Uber again to get home. First driver went right past us, didn't even pause as he went by. We figured maybe he was having a bad day and tried another one. This one arrived and everything went well until he started to drive. You would have thought we were extras in the movie Fast & The Furious: Santiago. He drove like a "bat out of hell" as my wonderful mother, Harriet, would say! The issue was EVERYONE drove that way, it's very typical for Chile. Turn signals apparently don't exist and everyone thinks they have the right of way. Thankfully, we made it home in one piece! Except I needed a glass of wine after that adventure! Bellavista We walked to the Bellavista neighborhood which is known for its amazing street art and very colorful buildings. It did not disappoint! Everywhere we turned there was another building vibrantly painted.
Patio Bellavista Stumbling across "Patio Bellavista" was the best decision! It's a hidden gem where there are tons of restaurants with patios that all open up on the back so the patios all face each other and there are cute little shops in the middle. Eating in Chile had been an experience so far so when we found Zocca which had vegetarian options we were thrilled! They even had a waiter who moved there from Sydney who spoke English! Victor suggested which wine we needed to try and which beer Dan needed to try. The wine was AMAZING. It broke our heart to know that it is not available in the States! Dan had a steak that was "life-changing" and made going to Chile completely worth it! On our way back to the hostel, we stumbled across an outstanding street performer group, a Chilean version of a drum line with dancers! It was an awesome way to end our day!
