11th January

San Cristobal and Ignacio.

We woke up at about 9.30 today but by the time we had done some stuff on the internet and packed our rucksacks for later it was gone 1pm! We headed out in haste to Bellavista where the entrance to the San Cristobal Hill is situated and after getting a map from the tourist info booth (the lady didnt bother to hang the phone up, just glanced at us and handed the map over and carried on with her conversation!) we walked past the entrance to the zoo and headed up a long flight of steps under the shadow of the hill. Eventually the path levelled out and we found ourselves on a pleasant road winding up the hill with fantastic views out across the city and bits of shade from the many trees planted along the verges. We came to a clearing and stopped to examine the map, aware that we were looking for a footpath off of the main road to climb up to the top of the hill where the huge statue of the Virgin is situated. Thinking we'd probably just missed it we walked back 20m to where a guard was standing idly watching several men with enormous, powerful hoses who seemed to be watering the plants! I took the map and went to ask him if this was indeed the path to which he replied yes, but that it was closed today...I guess for watering?! So a little annoyed that we'd climbed lots of steps and walked about a mile for nothing in the hot sunshine, we decided we'd give the alternative route on the map a go instead. So we turned around and went back the way we had come, enjoying the views from the other direction, until we were back at the zoo again. From here we walked along the road where this time there was no shade at all, although there were a few sprinklers which gave a welcome mist to walk through as the road steadily got steeper and steeper. We didnt miss the path this time and after turning off the road, followed the signs to 'summit' passing several other people stood around resting or snogging (national pass time I think!) and dodging several mountain bikers hurtling down the dusty track. After several stops to catch our breath in the shade of the occasional tree, we rounded a bend to see the path blocked by a huge wooden board about 9ft high with no way around or alternate direction indicated. This time we were really pissed off!!! Not only had we not been able to reach the summit, we had spoken to 2 people who work there and neither of them had bothered to say that the path was blocked!! Muttering and grumbling the whole way back down we did stop to take some pictures and also to tell a group of lads on their way up that the way was blocked...they didnt seem impressed either! Not having enough money in the budget to pay to use the cable car ($2 each) to get to the summit we called it a bad job and went to find something to drink as we were both very thirsty by this point. After procuring a large bottle of coke quite cheaply we decided to cool down and relax by sitting on the grass in the park, this proved to be a lovely spot and we sat for an hour or more people watching and chatting about our experiences so far. When it was time to go we headed back to Roberto's apartment to pick up our bags before going over to another couchsurfers for our last night in Santiago. As luck would have it we were just walking down the street and met Roberto on his way home from work and so were able to say farewell properly, he is a nice guy and we enjoyed staying with him albeit briefly. From here we took the tube to Plaza Egana, unfortunately getting stuck in rush hour again and having to wait until there were less people to get on the second train, then walked the 2km past plaza Nunoa to Ignacio's apartment. He met us at the door and after dumping our bags in the living room sat out on the balcony while he went to fetch some cold beer for us to drink. We quickly got to chatting and Ignacio proved to be a really energetic, enthusiastic guy, such energy you dont often find and it was great to hang out with him. We had decided we'd all go to Klub Mongosta together but first would have something to eat and Ignacio started to cook some pasta for us. Of course pasta is best enjoyed with wine and he readily opened a bottle while we stood in the kitchen carrying on our conversation as he cooked. Before long however the amazingly delicious bottle of Chilean wine was finished and as we sat down to eat he said there were 2 choices...go to Klub Mongosta or open another bottle. As it was now gone 11pm and we were already quite tipsy and probably unable to dance particularly well we opted for another bottle which was equally good as the first. In fact the Chilean wine is so good I counted 3 empty boxes (12 bottles per box) dotted around the apartment, proving that what the tour guide had told us was true and that they did indeed keep the best for themselves! Ignacio's enthusiasm and interest in our travels, as well as yet another bottle of wine, this time a sparkling white, kept us up until the early hours of the morning when finally we were taking it in turns to nod off where we sat and so headed off to bed...at 4.30am!!