At the top of Santiago

I know I haven't been posting any updates of late. There's a perfectly good reason for this and it's called writing latency. But without further ado, I shall describe what happened two weekends ago.

The weather was nice and warm on Saturday, and I thought it perfect for a hike up Cerro San Cristobal, known for its spectacular views of the city.

There are two ways up the hill. One is to take a ride on the funicular. The queue was crazy on that day, though. Besides, where's the fun in sitting in a stuffy machine-driven container all the way up? I sit in machine-driven containers everyday already. So I took the alternative way. Somewhere at the back of the hill, a hiking trail leads all the way to the summit.

The climb is easy if one follows the trail. If you desired a challenge, you went off the trail and cut through the thicket, like I did.

The dust trail gets narrow at certain points along the way. Not a good idea to take this path on a rainy day.

Cherry blossoms grow wild on this hill. They begin shedding at this time, creating a pretty sight everytime the wind blows.

Left: View of the mountainside. It's hard to see, but somewhere below those pylons, a string of cable cars ferry passengers from one peak of the hill to the other.

It took about twenty minutes to reach the summit, including the time I was lost for after taking a wrong turn. The main attraction here is a huge statue of the Virgin Mary, visible even from ground level in the city.

In front of the statue is an open-air congregation area. I presume they hold Mass here sometimes.

Another view of the congregation area. That shelter-like structure down there houses an altar table.

And here she is, both a religious and cultural icon in primarily Roman Catholic Chile.

Along the way up, as well as on the summit, I was able to find a few panoramic spots.

Being dissatisfied with the overly-touristy feel of the place, I snooped around and found an old path in overgrown with vegetation. Following it brought me to a great vantage point.

And that concluded my hike up the hill. It was almost sundown by the time I returned to the foot of the hill, and I didn't miss a great opportunity to grab this picture before I left for home: