Cerro San Cristobal - Take 1

Often fellow astronomers coming down to observe near La Serena stop in Santiago for a few days to visit the various instiutions. In addition to the perks of having a constant stream of visitors working on a marvelous array of science, it also provides wonderful excuses to explore Santiago.

In the center of Santiago is Cerro San Cristobal, with one of its peaks topped with a statue of the Virgin Mary. For a Santiago adventure with one of our visitors I suggested walking to the top to take in the view. Some how I figured it would be a nice paved path, not to difficult of a slope, no need to bring a water bottle or wear sneakers. Nope. The most direct route to the top is up a wide dirt path that can get somewhat steep in places. Next time I go, I'm bringing at least a liter of water and wearing thick socks with sneakers. Clearly I as not the first person who made the mistake, about two thirds of the way up some enterprising Chileans were selling bottles of water. At the top one "peak" is a large statue of the Virgin Mary, the other is a botanical garden with native plants.  Exploring everything up there will become the "nothing else planned" Saturday plans for a while. 

Despite not realizing that this would be more of a hike than a stroll, the view from the top was completely worth it.

Palm trees plus Andes.

At the very top is a status of the Virgin Mary, her arms outstretched, looking south over Santiago. There is also a small church with signs asking for silence (silencio) so people can pray if they wish. As you walk around the feet of the Virgin you see all of Santiago at your feet.

Statue of the Virgin

The picture below shows the view from just below the Virgin looking south. The Andes are too the left, the coastal range to the right. One of the coolest parts of this view is you can trace Linea 4 and Linea 5 by the tall apartment buildings and development that have followed the expansion of the metro. Just south of the San Joaquin PUC campus, Linea 5 turns to the east (left in this image) and they meet. Linea 5 ends and Linea 4 continues even further south into the distance. 

Santiago at your feet.

On the way back down we decided to give our knees a break and take the road, which ends on Pedro de Valdivia in Providencia instead of Bellavista, but a walk through a lovely old section of Providencia and a quick metro ride fixed the navagation error. On the way down the other side of San Cristobal there is a marvelous view of Las Condes (Sanhatten) with los Andes behind. The billowing clouds spilling over the tops of the mountain range have been there for a few days and are even more impressive when you look back down the valley you just hiked out of.

Las Condes. The really tall building is the Costenera center,
the tallest building in South America.

Awesome clouds and the Andes looking over Providencia
and Nunoa.