


At Plaza de Armas
. One of many tree-lined streets. South American wiring!
One of the many modern skyscrapers.

One of the many modern skyscrapers.
Wednesday, Nov. 10
Wow, writing late at night has its disadvantages. I notice in my last post I begin with Oct. 3 and continue Nov. 4. Hopefully, you didn’t notice - right.
For future reference for anyone coming to Mendoza and not on an expense-account, I can highly recommend the Hotel International. There are loads of restaurants within the block and it is only a block from the main plaza. We have to thank Henry again for pointing us in this direction.
The trip between Mendoza and Santiago is a once in a lifetime adventure. Next to Iguazu Falls, it is probably one of the highlights of the trip so far.
The roads winds up in a very narrow valley with long tunnels. The snow-capped mountains are spectacular. As we approach the border, the line of parked trucks begins. Maybe ten miles of transport trucks parked in line to go to Chile - we assume that is their destination because that is where the road takes you! As we get closer to the border and the summit of the pass, there is road construction, trucks - parked - taking up the right lane, and we are passing, sometimes on a construction vehicle road on the left. We simply have to assume the driver knows how to negotiate the road.
The border crossing into Chile is a one-hour exercise in patience. Before reaching the border, the young steward on the bus comes around with a collection container which is “for the boys at the border”, again we assume this is to expedite our passage. The British couple and the Europeans are just as confused as us, but the locals just pay.
Once we come through the tunnel into Chile, we see what looks like a gondola high up the mountain to our right. Then we see the road down and the chair lift which climbs above it. Anyone who thinks Ossooyos is an exciting road to drive down has not seen this pass in Chile. There are more than 20 hairpin curves (they are numbered) and you can’t see the bottom from the top or vice versa. Well, you can see the valley from the top, but not all the turns. We are in the second seats on the upper level of the bus and it often looks like the front of the bus is over the edge. It must be quite a thrill to be in the front seats. The speed going down is slow and stop. Sometimes vehicles must stop to allow a truck to take the extra room rounding a corner. We hear later from one couple that their bus had to back up on the way down to allow a truck to get around a corner. Archie and Audrey Archambaux drove this road last year and I think they need a medal for that feat. What is also amazing is to see all the large hotels and chalets in this area to support the winter ski crowd. I cannot imagine driving this road in the winter. Look it up on Google - Puente del Inca.
As soon as we are in Chile, the place looks tidy. We have no military stops, nada. After finishing the small lunch provided, I am tired from the early start, so I doze off for an hour or so. I awaken about an hour and a half out of Santiago. For the first time in South America, I think I could be in North America. This impression continues over the next few days. It is hard to say if this is a good thing or not, but the Santiago district is definitely in the 21st Century cosmopolitan.
With a little confusion - Peter needs to find a bank machine and get some money to pay for a taxi - we find our way to the A.H. Hotel. It is at a very busy corner and looks a little iffy, and we are in 502 with no elevator! But all turns out extremely well. This is a small hotel with only nine rooms at the moment (twelve when renovations are completed). We begin on piso # 2, so we are only on the 3rd floor. The suite has two rooms plus a very new bathroom and a small balcony. The bottom line is, we have booked two more nights when we return to Santiago next Monday, so we like it. It is a block to the super mercado, two blocks to the Mercado Central. And three blocks to the Metro. We can be at Plaza de Armas in under 10 minutes walking at Peter’s speed. The whole downtown area is shopping with lots of pedestrian ways. We have become good at wandering.
This first night we check out a restaurant for later, but, once we get to the Mercado for una cervesa and un vino, we pick-up ready-to-cook ravioli and Mexican salsa and decide to eat in. If you have wine & beer, the rest is always good. The king-sized bed and down comforter are a real treat.
Wow, writing late at night has its disadvantages. I notice in my last post I begin with Oct. 3 and continue Nov. 4. Hopefully, you didn’t notice - right.
For future reference for anyone coming to Mendoza and not on an expense-account, I can highly recommend the Hotel International. There are loads of restaurants within the block and it is only a block from the main plaza. We have to thank Henry again for pointing us in this direction.
The trip between Mendoza and Santiago is a once in a lifetime adventure. Next to Iguazu Falls, it is probably one of the highlights of the trip so far.
The roads winds up in a very narrow valley with long tunnels. The snow-capped mountains are spectacular. As we approach the border, the line of parked trucks begins. Maybe ten miles of transport trucks parked in line to go to Chile - we assume that is their destination because that is where the road takes you! As we get closer to the border and the summit of the pass, there is road construction, trucks - parked - taking up the right lane, and we are passing, sometimes on a construction vehicle road on the left. We simply have to assume the driver knows how to negotiate the road.
The border crossing into Chile is a one-hour exercise in patience. Before reaching the border, the young steward on the bus comes around with a collection container which is “for the boys at the border”, again we assume this is to expedite our passage. The British couple and the Europeans are just as confused as us, but the locals just pay.
Once we come through the tunnel into Chile, we see what looks like a gondola high up the mountain to our right. Then we see the road down and the chair lift which climbs above it. Anyone who thinks Ossooyos is an exciting road to drive down has not seen this pass in Chile. There are more than 20 hairpin curves (they are numbered) and you can’t see the bottom from the top or vice versa. Well, you can see the valley from the top, but not all the turns. We are in the second seats on the upper level of the bus and it often looks like the front of the bus is over the edge. It must be quite a thrill to be in the front seats. The speed going down is slow and stop. Sometimes vehicles must stop to allow a truck to take the extra room rounding a corner. We hear later from one couple that their bus had to back up on the way down to allow a truck to get around a corner. Archie and Audrey Archambaux drove this road last year and I think they need a medal for that feat. What is also amazing is to see all the large hotels and chalets in this area to support the winter ski crowd. I cannot imagine driving this road in the winter. Look it up on Google - Puente del Inca.
As soon as we are in Chile, the place looks tidy. We have no military stops, nada. After finishing the small lunch provided, I am tired from the early start, so I doze off for an hour or so. I awaken about an hour and a half out of Santiago. For the first time in South America, I think I could be in North America. This impression continues over the next few days. It is hard to say if this is a good thing or not, but the Santiago district is definitely in the 21st Century cosmopolitan.
With a little confusion - Peter needs to find a bank machine and get some money to pay for a taxi - we find our way to the A.H. Hotel. It is at a very busy corner and looks a little iffy, and we are in 502 with no elevator! But all turns out extremely well. This is a small hotel with only nine rooms at the moment (twelve when renovations are completed). We begin on piso # 2, so we are only on the 3rd floor. The suite has two rooms plus a very new bathroom and a small balcony. The bottom line is, we have booked two more nights when we return to Santiago next Monday, so we like it. It is a block to the super mercado, two blocks to the Mercado Central. And three blocks to the Metro. We can be at Plaza de Armas in under 10 minutes walking at Peter’s speed. The whole downtown area is shopping with lots of pedestrian ways. We have become good at wandering.
This first night we check out a restaurant for later, but, once we get to the Mercado for una cervesa and un vino, we pick-up ready-to-cook ravioli and Mexican salsa and decide to eat in. If you have wine & beer, the rest is always good. The king-sized bed and down comforter are a real treat.
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