A giant hill and 50 steps later...

So I'm seriously going to have huge calves after this.  I will probably not get thinner because of all the food I am eating here, but if you could only see/walk up the hill I need to go up and down everyday to get anywhere.  Here is a picture, but you really can't see it's magnitude:

Yes, it is 8 blocks long. 8 blocks.  So every day I allow myself about 15 minutes to hike down this hill from my apartment complex at 23 Norte and pass the mall at 15 Norte.

By the way, Líder is their version of Wal-Mart and I've shopped there a lot already! The mall has 3 buildings and two of most things, including two Cinemarks.  The buildings are connected by a skyway.

After I pass the mall, I turn left onto the main street in the city, Libertad.  This street is a major reference point because all of the other streets are oriented around it.  Towards the sea, the streets start at 1 Poniente from Libertad and increase; towards the hills, they start at 1 Oriente and increase.  Once on Libertad, I continue walking a couple of blocks to where the UAI bus picks us up between 12 and 13 Norte.  If it is after 12:30, I have to keep walking all the way to 4 Norte.  

Of course, if I am running late or it is dark out, I can always take a micro (city bus).  Right outside of my apartment complex sits Parada 23 (stop 23).  The micro costs about 370 Chilean pesos, which is just under one US dollar.  As long as I get on one that says Libertad (there are usually several street or landmark names written on each bus), I am good to go all along Avenida Libertad.  This street ends just after Plaza de Viña when it intersects with Álvarez, which is a street near several of my friends' houses, bars, and clubs.  On the way home, I need to make sure to get on a bus that say H. Naval - for Hospital Naval, which is just beyond my apartment complex.  I can also take a colectivo - a taxi with set routes that are shared by however many people need to stop and can fit - or a radio taxi - a normal taxi.

So I wait for the bus at 12 Norte or 4 Norte.  I am looking for a bus that says only UAI.  Sometimes the bus is very prompt, sometimes a little early or a little late.  You never really know with the public transportation around here.  Once on it, we will take a 10 minute bus ride to school that includes a hill that would KO my hill in seconds flat in a boxing match.  Hopefully I will walk all the way to school one day and I can post pictures.  However, the view from the school is utterly worth it.

View from school at night!

Overall, it takes about 30 minutes to get there.  On the way home, I have to go through the whole process backwards.  Not so bad until you get to the hill.  When I arrive at my gate, I use my key or the guard buzzes me in.  Then I walk down to the end of the row, use another key to get into my building, go up 3 flights of stairs, use my last key to get into my apartment, and go up one more flight of stairs to get to my room.  Finally home!  Some other people have to take the Metro (subway) in addition to the micro, school bus, and walking, so I guess I am lucky.

My bus stop and city at night.

Bridge I sometimes have to cross.

My apartment complex by night.

Front door to my building.

Walking along the row of apartments to get to mine.

View from the stairs.

If you like looking at maps like me, I took some screen shots of Google Maps to put things in perspective:

Chile/South America

Viña in respect to Santiago

The entire Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, and Con Con region.

Viña.

My route to the bus stop.