Sunday sojourns

Today was a late morning for us haha. I woke up around 12 and Jess and her roommate Ariel around 1!! We shuffled ourselves over to the supermarket, which felt remarkably like Carrefour, the grocery store in Cádiz, Spain. Knowing we had more plans for the day, we only grabbed supplies for sandwiches and were on our way. We didn't even need any cestas (baskets)! I think next time I'll sign up for their membership card and earn some points on my purchases.

After making up our lunches in the cramped kitchen, we relaxed in the lovely courtyard of the hostel (above). Our plan for the afternoon was to hike the small mountain (re: large hill), el cerro San Cristóbal. The hike takes about four hours up and down, and since we were leaving in the hottest part of the day, we were hoping to go for a swim in the beautiful pool halfway up. Also, extreme sunscreen was in order ;) A few more friends joined us, Brendan, Lesley, Jordan, and Shane. At first the going was a little rough, with the heat and the steepness of the hill, but we blasted our way up, passing families and people taking breaks on the side of the road. After an hour, we found the pool, which looked like a paradise, sitting there in a grove of trees. It was a huge, clear blue pool full of Chileans relaxing and soaking up the last bit of their summer sun. We were jealous, but figured since it closed in 40 minutes, it wasn't worth our peso... yet. We'll be back for sure!! Here's us on our journey upward:

We continued on our way, chatting and getting to know each other, and finally, hot, dirty, sweaty, and tired, we made it. The view was increíble. Really.

 It was so clear; we could see ALL of Santiago! What a wide open, awe-inspiring vista. And the virgen statue at the top of the hill was enormous. We stopped for pictures; I went over to the votive section, said some prayers, and lit some candles for my family. See, I do think about you guys!!

Our walk back down was filled with laughing at adorable children, talking to the stray dogs that were everywhere, basking in the sun. Side note, the dogs won't do much when you say hello, but sure perk up when you say Hola! I wonder why.... ;)

We took a shortcut and made it back down in about an hour. Short, huh? I had some dinner, showered, and organized my stuff-again-, getting ready for orientation in the morning with The Language Co. I know I'll sleep well tonight after all that activity today, but I'm sure gonna be sore tomorrow! Yikes, better start getting some rest now. Buenas noches.