Mendoza....Uspallata....CHILE!

Mendoza, what a fun town! It reminded us a lot of Denver, lots of outdoor activities and good people. When we arrived to Mendoza, it was super hot outside but the next few days the weather turned much colder.... We enjoyed the sites of the city and decided to spend a whole day on bikes, touring the area called Maipu which is wine country. We visited bodegas and tasted some wonderful wines, Malbec was our favorite... We rented bikes from this nice old man named Mr. Hugo... he gave us the bikes for cheap, a free bottle of water, suggestions on which bodegas to attend, told us if we had problems with the bikes, the local police could radio him and he would come out and fix them. He rented bikes from his home, just a folding table and some fliers! He was great... not only did he provide the best experience for us, he sat with us after our tour was over and talked politics etc. We got to practice our spanish and he offered us some organic wine... Another couple from Holland returned their bikes and they joined us...a few hours and a few bottles of wine later... he flagged our bus for us and we headed home with some great memories and new friends! Other than his friendly dog who stole our bread, and his pet parrot that was mocking me, it was one of the most fun nights we have had on our travels! We highly recommend Mr. Hugo... we might become his personal spokespeople - really - I already took fliers to the tourist stations in Mendoza!

So after that fun filled night we headed out to Uspallata, a mountain town on the way to Santiago Chile. We arrived and it was very cold, but the sun was out. We hiked up a hill to Tres Cruces and saw a beatiful backdrop of the Andes Mountains around us.... we layed in the sun and watched the hawks fly around. It was incredible... we camped that night at a campground where we were the only humans, but we had a horse and two cats who kept us company! In the morning we woke to snow on our tent... we got up early and went to get our tickets for the bus to Santiago and were told that the mountain pass was closed due to weather and that it could be closed for up to a week! So we caught a bus back to Mendoza....

When we arrived there, the bus companies assured us the pass was reopened, so we got back in the bus and headed off to one of the most beautiful bus rides we have ever been on! Through the Andes...the weather was gorgeous, sun shining, clear with excellent views. They said the pass condition can change very quickly and there was no sign of any danger as we traveled along. We hit the Chilean border and are now in Chile...

We spent a day doing logistics, stayed at a great hostel, looked into booking our Machu Picchu trip, washed clothes,etc. The first night we were there, the hostel owner´s daughter was celebrating her 10th birthday, so we helped decorate with balloons and sang her happy birthday. Then the cafe upstairs was having an art showing and we went there for fun and ended up joining the festivities which included free drinks all evening... Chileans sure are nice!

The next day we went out to see the city. We had been told it was an ugly, smoggy city. We really liked it and found it a lot of fun to visit, we hiked up a hill in the middle of the city to see the Andes mountains poking up out of the smog... yes there is smog, but there was still a decent view... we walked around, enjoyed Chilean Empanada´s and Chilean hot dogs... complete with cabbage, mayo, salsa, guacamole, and the most delicious bun... tomorrow we are heading to the coast to check out some beach towns. Hope you are enjoying our blog! Cassie & Tito