An introduction to Chile starts in Santiago

I’ve been planning my trip to Easter Island and Punta Arenas for about a year. I hadn’t given much thought to my time in Santiago. I really thought I would be too tired to do much, but I guess the benefit of only a two hour time difference is I wasn’t too exhausted. I couldn’t check into the hotel until three so I had about four hours to wander around. Lucky for me Sky Costanera was a five minute walk. Sky Costanera is the tallest building in South America and has some amazing views of the Andes, Cerra San Cristóbal and all over Santiago. I just walked to Cenco Costanera which is a massive shopping center, went to the lower level, bought my ticket and ten minutes later was heading up to the 61st floor and then the 62nd floor which was open on the top. I love my tall buildings, and I loved it that it was not crowded at all. There is a restaurant and a little gift shop, but not a lot else. 

A view of San Cristobal

On day two I took the hop on hop off bus which was an easy way to navigate Santiago. Okay maybe I shouldn’t use the word navigate since it’s not skill when I get someplace, it’s more dumb luck, but it was easy to get around and see some other sights. My main goal for the day was to take the cable car, the funicular and get to Cerro San Cristobal. Mission accomplished.The views from the cable car were tremendous. Getting from the cable car to the statue of the Virgin Mary was maybe ten minutes or so up some uneven stone steps. It was very crowded at the top and not conducive to contemplation, although there is a small chapel. I took the funicular down and waited for the bus. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, so all that was left was to prep for the early morning pickup for the airport.