Journey to Cristo Rei

Today I climbed about 500 steps to see the 88 foot tall Cristo Rei (Christ the King) statue. This statue of Jesus stands on top of a huge globe overlooking the ocean. It was incredibly stunning! Although on the way up I had to take frequent breaks to stay hydrated, I eventually made it to the top to see beautiful views of the island 

The Cristo Rei statue was given to East Timor by Indonesia in 1996 for the anniversary of their 20th year of occupation. It was inspired by a similar statue in Portugal also called Cristo Rei and one in Rio De Janiero called the Cristo Redentor ( Christ the Redeemer). 

Here are some photos of the journey:

View from the bottom

Along the beach

Stations of the Cross on the way up

Made it to the top!

Cristo Rei

These two girls asked me to be in a picture with them before I had a chance to ask them to be in a picture with me! Too cute!