Leaving Santiago and driving towards the Andes reminded us both of driving through much of California. It was dry, the weather was beautiful, and grape vines and olive groves covered the landscape, with low hills in the distance.
Then we began our ascent into the massive, barren mountains....
This was not fun on a bus!
We passed a couple glaciers!
And Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak in the America's at almost 7,000 meters. It did not look inviting, and good luck to anyone trying to climb that thing!
We came to an indoor border crossing, since most of the time it is snowing in the pass. It wasn't snowing when we were there, but it was plenty windy and freezing.
It was a completely different border crossing experience than at Bolivia. Very quick and efficient and all around painless. And thankfully we didn't have to pay the Reciprocity Fee to enter Argentina since apparently it only applies when entering Buenos Aires by air. (Most South American countries charge Americans what America charges them to enter the U.S. Hence there are not many American tourists as it can heftily add up!!)
Coming down on the Argentina side was absolutely beautiful! It was a bit more green and lush, with horses and fields, lakes and mountains...
We got to Mendoza around 9 or 10 p.m. We thought it was time for bed, but when we got into town, everyone was sitting out on the sidewalks and in restaurants having dinner. After an hour of hunting for a hotel, we finally found one and collapsed for the night (dinner would have to wait!)
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