After Bariloche, we hopped on another overnight bus that took us 17 hours north of Patagonia up to the city of Mendoza, the capital of Argentinian wine country. The city itself reminds me alot of both southern California and northern California for different reasons. The streets are wide and lined with sycamore trees, the houses and buildings have a Spanish feel, and there are outdoor cafes everywhere. It can get pretty hot on a spring day but cools off a lot at night, near frost.We spent our 3 days in wine country as we should have - drinking a lot of local wine. We did this both by going on a wine tour which took us into the Uco Valley and by twice visiting a tasting room in town - The Vines of Mendoza. I'll spare you all my wine nerdery and give you the short story: The Malbecs from the Mendoza region are very drinkable and intriguing, the Merlot of surprisingly good, and the Argentine white grape Torrontes, if made well, can beat out my love Gruner Vetliner any day. The views of the mountains from the flatness of the valley are completely stunning and are best appreciated after a lunch of local meats and cheeses and of course a Malbec.
Before leaving Argentina for Chile, we decided to spend a day relaxing at the Cacheuta Hot Springs. The springs, which are perched in a deep narrow valley in the foothills of the Andes, reminded us so much of Palm Springs that we would have forgotten where we were if we haven't had to take an old South American public bus through the mountains to get there. Which is why I love this country. The bus driver stops many times along the way to talk to friends, take policemen from street to street, and to make jokes with the passengers. We had to pause to let a group of horses cross the road and the street dogs would chase the bus when we passed through a town. This was our goodbye to Argentina, which after 6 weeks, has become a home to us. But we'll be back.(especially since we can - we've purchased shockingly expensive entrance visas that are good for 10 years)
CHILE
The pass through the Andes near Mendoza is the best way to get over to Chile. We orginially hadn't planned on going to Chile, but after landing in Argentina and learning more about South America, we realized how easy it is to get there. So we again, boarded a bus, and headed over to the coastal town of Valparaiso. The drive took about 9 hours and took us through the Mendoza desert, the Argentinian foothills, and then to the intimidating snowy peaks of the high Andes. The Chilean border sits right in a valley in between two impressive mountains which oddly are part of the uber-exclusive ski resort Portillo. The road also passes right next to the highest mountain in the Americas, Aconcagua. (approx 22,000 ft). Some of these photos were taken thru a window which had a decal advertisement all over it, hence the weird texture.
Once you cross into Chile, there is a stretch of road that is made up of 16 hairpin turns. I thought that I've seen curves before, I also thought Ive been nervous about driving on ledges before, but this was on a whole other level. The bus drivers here are really great drivers and do this stuff all the time which makes it quite impressive to watch though a little terrifying at the same time.
After the road evened out, the Chilean land was really beautiful. The foothills in Chile are greener than those on the Argentinian side. Its also much more obvious you are in South America on this side since there are houses and villages built into the valleys.
Valparaiso is an old port town built into very steep hills that sit right on the Pacific coast. The city is known for its funiculars that have been taking people up and down the hills since the late 1800s. The buildings are all colorful and are covered in very impressive and artistic graffiti. I was sad we only had 2 days in Valparaiso as I really enjoyed the artistic atmosphere and the San Francisco-like feel.
mmmmmm mayonaiseeeeeee
We are now in Santiago but are leaving on Monday to start the long journey to Greece. (Seriously, its gonna take 3 whole days and will involve 3 planes, a ferry, a couple of trains and some buses) I'm not really sure that I'm ready to leave South America - I have found it to be such a beautiful and comfortable continent. But I do think that my hardworking fleece and jeans could use a little break while we head up for some warmer weather.
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