Argentina…Again
Day 180
Finally the time had come to move on from Valparaiso. A place it would be very easy to get comfortable in for a few weeks or months. Maybe another time though, the pull of visiting a new place, Mendoza and returning to Argentina was strong.
We left the Luna Sunrisa by taxi at 8am with our new friend Tom the Irishman. The three of us had already purchased tickets for the trip to Mendoza the previous day so when we arrived at the bus station we easily boarded our bus and were soon off. About 4 hours into the journey we passed the town of Rio Blanco. The trip was beautiful but as we climbed a series of 29 hairpin turns to the ski resort of Portillo it became spectacular. Huge mountains loomed above us and there was snow everywhere. These are the highest mountains in the world outside of the Himalayas. It was the most impressive part of the Andes we had seen yet. The bus drove through a tunnel and people skied down the mountain over top of us. Soon we entered the Argentine border control.
As we climbed off the bus waiting to go through customs I had to pick up some snow and toss a few snow balls. I like winter and since I missed winter last year, so this was quite a sight for myself. As with most border crossings, this one was simple and soon enough we were barrelling down the Andes to the warmer plains and the city of Mendoza.
It was a strange feeling pulling into the bus station. The same station our travels abruptly ended just 5 months ago. Jordana, Tom and myself grabbed our bags and found a taxi into the city centre. After checking out a few hostels that were full we decided Jordana would wait with the bags and Tom and I would search for acceptable accommodation.
“I feel like I could write a guidebook on Mendoza already.” I said to Tom as we left the 7 place that was either to expensive, dirty or full. At least we got an introductory tour on the city centre. It was a pleasant tree filled city. The buildings were mostly recent constructions due to the earthquakes that have destroyed Mendoza a few times. In the end we decided the second hotel we had seen, Hotel Necochea was unfortunately the best of the bunch. It was an OK price, $30 but not what you would expect to get for that in Argentina.
The three of us headed out for some pizza, Argentine style. Well maybe just Mendoza fast food style. Thick crust, loads of greasy cheese and large slabs of anchovies. With the $1 pints or chopps as they are called here, I wasn’t complaining. Actually the pizza was tasty and as we enjoyed it outside with a bottle of local Malbec wine it was a fine way to return to Argentina.
Tags: Argentina, Chile, Malbec, Mendoza, Portillo, Ski
Michael Coroneos
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