I guess if I had to be stranded somewhere in the world, I wouldn't mind it being Mendoza, Argentina.
My original plan was to leave Mendoza early Monday morning, cross the Andean pass by noon, and arrive to Santiago de Chile by early afternoon. However (and I feel like this trip has been defined by "howevers"), when I purchased my ticket and boarded the bus, we were informed that the road leading to Chile had been closed because of inclimate weather conditions (ie snow and high winds). So, what is normally a hypothetical statement--"if I had to be stranded somewhere in the world..."--quickly became reality. Fortunately, I had just enough pesos to get me through the night (I found a few more for the rest of my trip, but not without a day-long battle with the ATMs of Mendoza), and by 9:30 the next morning I was on my way to Chile.
The trip between Mendoza and Santiago is approximately six hours long. That all depends, of course, on weather conditions and traffic. Yes, traffic. The mountain pass is often closed at a moment's notice, which means that tour buses and truck drivers alike must either return to their starting point or wait out the delay, which can last as long as two days. It's not surprising, then, that this quiet mountain pass can quickly become a bustling highway. 
This is a small community cemetery I spotted along the way. Just one of the many advantages of traveling by bus.
One of the advantages of waiting an extra day was that I got to see the Andes with a fresh layer of snow. It looked like a white cotton blanket and reminded me just how far from home I really am. 
The "W" doesn't have anything on these s-curves.
1 comment:
Chattanooga, San Francisco and the Andes have something in common...the "w" type roads! How beautiful.
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