23 November 2019
This was a section of our travels I was looking forward to. I had no idea of what this road might be like but crossing the Andes sounded like a very special experience and I was not disappointed.
It seemed like the moment we left Santiago we were climbing. We started at about 900 metres and we’re heading for 3800 metres. Back to gasping for breath altitudes!
It’s hard to describe the experience and maybe the photos won’t do this journey justice. Every bend, twist and turn revealed a new vista more stunning than the last. You cannot but take lots of photos hoping you have captured what you are seeing.
The high mountains, rocky cliffs and deep gorges seemed to go for ever.
We stopped at a section of about 20 switchback bends. Actually we stopped at no. 17 for photographs. We were all soaking up that view when there they were; condors! Probably six condors soaring above a ridge immediately in front of us. My major regret at this time was that I had decided not to bring my telephoto lens. A mistake. We were all in awe watching these huge birds effortlessly glide on the thermals. These are one of the few birds that can fly at over 5,000 metres. I did take pictures however I regret to say the condors take up about a pixel on the screen. They can be mistaken for dust. I also now realise why they fly in circles. They are not catching thermals, they are blacking out due to a lack of a oxygen.
We passed through Chilean immigration and then a few kilometres on, Argentinian immigration. We were now in a new country and on the ‘other’ side of the Andes. The border is at the highest part of the mountains dividing Chile and Argentina. The actual border is in the middle of a long tunnel.
A little further on and there it was, another surprise. Aconcagua, the highest mountain outside of Asia was suddenly visible in bright sunshine. This was a mountain I had read about in my school days but never thought I would see it. On this day it was so clear without a cloud in the sky, the mountain shining in the bright sun. Another wow moment.
What I found really amazing was how different the Andes are on the west versus the east side. On the west the views of are rocky peaks, cliffs and deep gorges. In contrast, on the eastern side the mountains have massive scree slopes from almost the tops of the peaks down into the valleys. The rivers on the Argentina side run through deep sediments in wide alluvial valleys. The contrast is quite amazing.
We drove on to Mendoza, a city of wineries and beautiful sycamore lined avenues. This is a city oasis in the middle of a dry scrubby landscape. The sycamore and lush garden are all the result of irrigation channels running beside the city streets. Where the irrigation system stops the dry desert starts.
Winery’s are every where in this region and the Malbecs are certainly worth the investment in time. A lunch of 7 courses with matching wines will go down as one of the highlights of the whole South American adventure.
Next the city of Buenos Aires.
A Traveller's Tale 