a different view.

i can't get over the mountains here. seriously, i'm a little obsessed and i think i'm starting to freak people out, ha ha :)

i've never lived in a place with mountains so close - and not only close, but the kind of mountains with snow caps that you think of as only existing in stories. well, unless you're from a place like santiago, chile :D i can see the andes out my window, snow caps and all (on clear days). and on the way to the office, i can see the mountains on the other side of the city, spread out and glorious in their snow-capped amazingness. i don't know how everyone else walks by on the street and pretends not to notice, but i know that i can't stop staring as soon as i walk out of the labryinth of the metro. call me crazy :)

it's something that has always resounded of something more for me though, being amazed at things that others take for granted. people did it in atlanta all the time. visitors come, you show them around to the places that you walk past every day but then you find something new, something unexpected, something amazing that was sitting under your nose for months or years and you had no idea. it's incredible. this morning (well, afternoon) a friend from the lc here, tomás, and i ran up the cerro san cristobal here in santiago - 6 km, all uphill, ending in an incredible view of the city and all of the snow-capped incredibleness surrounding it. at the top, there's also an area with small shops and food stands and at the very very top, a huge statue of our lady of santiago, or the virgin. tomás, who has lived in santiago for years, hadn't been there in awhile and was still amazed by the view and even a small church that we found up there too where they still have mass every sunday. everything was very peaceful, even with all of the families walking around. i unfortunately didn't have my camera, just the crappy one on my phone, but i'm definitely planning on going back soon to get some shots :) i'm also hoping that the next time we decide to engage in the masochism of running up this hill (more like small mountain), i can make it without having to stop and walk 3 times...we'll see.

so to sum it all up, cerro san cristobal is a must-see in santiago, always be open to discovering the unknown that's been right in front of you forever, and bring your camera to document...always :)