South America 2024, Day 6: The Andes

On Day 6, I left the misery of the evening before behind me and got ready to cross the Andes by bus. The Andes are the longest mountain range in the world and the 2nd highest after the Himalayas and related mountain ranges in Asia. The highest point is Aconcagua at almost 23,000 feet. Aconcagua is actually not too far north of the road I traveled to get from Santiago in Chile to Mendoza in Argentina. The highest point on the drive is about 10,500 feet. So that’s probably the highest I’ve ever been without leaving the ground.

There they are! Like a wall rising from the valley floor.

I got a seat in the front of the bus on the upper level so I could get this best views. The pictures came out great considering I took them from inside the bus. And you can see what gorgeous weather I had. I don’t need to say too much more. The pictures speak for themselves.

Looking up at the famous stretch of the road that has 29 hairpin turns!

Looking down partway through the climb. Each turn has a sign indicating what number curve it is so you can keep track of the climb.

From such a steep pass, there is of course a fantastic view.

Approaching the long tunnel between the Chile-Argentina border. It’s only partially enclosed so that it can deflect debris from landslides and avalanches. Somehow that’s prevents a structural collapse. It’s a physics thing. It also allows for ventilation for vehicular fumes.

Inside the tunnel–technically a show shed.

Heading down towards the border crossing.

The drive itself from Santiago to Mendoza is about 6 hours. Processing at the border crossing increases the total time. I forget how long crossing the border took–under 2 hours, I think. There was a lot of standing in line and then standing around while the bus and its contents were searched. There were food outlets outside the station. A grabbed a snack there. Then it was back on the bus and on to Argentina!

Things are less steep once you’re over the top because the Argentina side is much further from the Atlantic Ocean than the Chile side is from the Pacific. Keep in mind how narrow Chile is.

Still beautifully rugged on the Argentinian side.

One last shot from my spectacular journey over the Andes.

Why would I have flown from Santiago to Buenos Aires if it meant missing out on this fantastic journey? Because I took the drive. I made several stops along the way once arriving in Argentina. First up was Mendoza. It took a lot of figuring out at the bus depot to cash in my crisp, new $100 bill for Argentine pesos. I got a huge wad of small bills. (The way cash works in Argentina is much different from how it is in other countries I’ve been to. Normally I’d just go to an ATM.) Then there was more figuring out to get an Argentinian transit pass, which was good for travel in most places I went to in Argentina. With all that accomplished, it was on to my hotel. That night, I had a terrific, very Argentinian dinner.

[Factual information is primarily gathered from Wikipedia, so you know it must be true.]

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