We Made It:  Over the Andes By Bus

Yesterday we left the peace and comfort of our Mendoza Inn home for Chile via bus.  I already miss our wonderful innkeeper, Francisco and his sweet dog, Soki!!  The last night of our stay we had a backyard Parrilla dinner that we prepared and shared with another American couple, Dilek and Kevin, who like us, are traveling for six months. The steak, rustic potatoes, fresh tomatoes and grilled zucchini were fantastic, and Francisco’s daiquiris were the best I have ever had! I hope that if you ever travel to Mendoza, you will think about staying at this wonderful inn, where you can totally relax for as long as you like.

Unlike us, Dilek and Kevin are young and at the beginning of their adult lives, celebrating the time before starting new careers, a family and going to grad school by taking a break wandering South America, New Zealand, and Asia.  It is nice to see the world through their well-educated (masters degrees at MIT & Harvard) eyes.  It will be fun to follow them on their blog and exchange stories of the travels we both have ahead of us.

With all the reports of a scary ride through the Andes, we were prepared to risk life and limb just to test our mental and physical composure.  Of course entering Chile was our ultimate goal.  While there are several very scary, hair-pin turns (that have no guard rails) going down the steep mountainsides, our skilled bus driver took them at a careful speed and maneuvered the bus so well it felt like it was just gliding down the hills. Even when the bus was on the wrong side of the road with a semi coming head on, I only cringed, held my breath, and looked away two or three times during the thirty odd turns that were made.  I think you will see by the pictures that the road does twist a bit!!  

We bought seats on the top level, front row, with the hope of having an “E” ticket ride over the “big hill.”  We were told that a panoramic window was a must to catch all the beauty in a big way.   But unfortunately, the window was covered with a mesh sun screen coating that shaded the hot sun and also most of the view from us and my camera.  The only intermittent good views were captured from the side windows as we made turns, and I must admit there is a lot of beauty in the Andes. During this time of the year the mountaintops are bare and rocky with colors of reds, greens, and purples, reflecting off the sun-lit sides. Unlike the Rockies, there are no tall fir trees, only the occasional scrub brush and cactus due to the warm, dry summer temps and high altitude.  Mt. Aconcagua, the only peak with snow that we could see, is the highest peak in the Americas rising 22,841 ft into the sky. I couldn’t help but wonder about how all the mountains must look with snow covering them.  During the four hour crossing I had flashbacks of excerpts from the book Alive and could see why crashing in the snow of this rugged high altitude terrain could be deadly.  In spite of rumors to the contrary, our stop at the border crossing was uneventful and quick.  We were, documented, baggage searched (by an adorable yellow lab) and back on the bus in less than 45 minutes.  We had heard rumors that it could take up to two hours or more to get through.  I think we lucked out by being the first bus to stop.  It wasn’t long after our trip through immigration that other buses showed up and the lines began to grow.  However, I felt lucky to be on a bus because the line of cars going through customs was easily as long as the ones at the Tijuana border crossing. 

Our first stop in Chile is Piero’s hotel in Renaca.  This little Pacific beach town reminds us of downtown Hermosa in a way, with bathing suit stores, rustic restaurants and young hangouts, and American music wafting through the streets.  Like Hermosa, it is nestled along a bay, but instead of flat terrain, Renaca has a lot of high-rises, homes, and condos built into the sides of steep hills.  It is hot during the day here, but the ocean temps are similar to our beach water this time of the year—cold!!  We are very happy to have a hotel room on the 4^th floor that overlooks the ocean.  We have a pretty ocean view, only slightly marred by a tall Burger King sign.  We can see Vina del Mar and Valparaiso peninsula in the south looking so much like our Palos Verdes would from Hermosa Beach.  We can also see container ships and cruise liners that travel in and out of the Valparaiso harbor.  So far we have discovered that the food here is not that inexpensive.  We ate at a local, ordinary Mexican food restaurant where we ordered a margarita, pisco sour (was told that I had to have one in Chile) and two tacos and salmon dish that cost a total of $53.00 including tip.  We will be searching out a good seafood restaurant for tonight’s meal.  We hear that the seafood here is fantastic! 

Tomorrow we head to a B&B in Valparaiso that is run by two sisters who have a home filled with Antiques in the hills overlooking the city.  We only have three days to decide what other areas of Chile to explore.  Should we travel by car on our own or go on a bus tour??  That is difficult to say because these next ten days of the trip have not been planned. So if you have any suggestions quickly send them our way!!  On the thirteenth, we are headed to the big city of Santiago to enjoy whatever historical places we can find there.  Then we leave planning to others (finally) for ten whole days when we fly to Quito, Ecuador on the 16^th for a Galapagos tour.  Swim with the seals?  Why not!!   There are a lot of pictures posted with this new blog so you will have to scroll past old blogs to view them.  I wish I had another way to display them to make it fit with each blog but with my limited computer skills this is the best I can do...enjoy!