Bus

Well sadly today we had to say good bye to our home away from home, Bellavista. Chile has been most welcoming and a perfect introduction to the South American culture.

The morning started off with a few happy snaps of the gimnasio I have been frequenting and a quick bite to eat. I will miss John my squatting buddy and the lack of ventilation on the main floor and that mix of buns and jam.

Well no time to waste there was a bus to catch to Mendoza, a quick inventory check, all clear and we were off to the bus station. We finally figured out it was the same bus station we caught yesterday to Vina Delmar, thanks to the Spanish lad at the Hostel reception.

Armed with backpacks with walked briskly to the Metro station, confidently requesting. Dos, University de Santiago ida par favore. Yes it is broken Spanish but the message was clear as we got the correct to the bus terminal on time.

I can’t stress enough how organised and punctual the coach travel here is, the Andesmar company we took were fantastic. Our seats and view unbeatable, front row, on the top deck. There is no better way to travel from Santiago to Mendoza as we progressed through our journey the sweeping views of the Andes got more spectacular. It was a photographers dream with never ending Panorama. It was the most amazing sight we had seen to date, the dry terrain of the Chilean Andes provided a great prelude to the tinge of green encountered on the argentine side. The climb was steep but steady, though at times the driver was toying with us as he came perilously close to the mountains edge.

Everything about the journey was smooth accept for the border crossing, Which took two and a half hours mainly due to the number of buses crossing at once and offcourse Shetty´s Indian passport which caused yet another flutter in my cardiac system. Yes offcourse I passed through smoothly, yet for reasons still unbeknown to us there was a delay of 15 minutes for Shetty. That a side the ride was amazing, I will post photos but it won`t do it justice I think.

Later that day we checked into Hostel Alamo and once again we got lucky with the standard of accommodation. The Hostel was equipped with a pool and large courtyard, and friendly guests, we decided to have a quite bite to eat at a local restaurant by the name of La Florencia. It was hard to resist the succulent hanging chunks of Argentina´s finest beef, which was easily viewed through the totally transparent kitchen window which was visible from the street. Even Harsh was tempted to sample the Carne`