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Six weeks on the road and it has flown past at an unbelievable rate. At times it seemed it would never end, only to have me wishing I had more time. Mendoza, Argentina is a beautiful city. It was indeed a relaxing way to finish our adventures in southern South America. Tree lined streets, quiet neighborhoods, exciting commercial and tourist areas. The food and wine are excellent, whether you dine at a small intimate restaraunt like La Barra or a large "All You Can Eat" chuscaria. This is not a vegetarian spot as Argentine beef lived up to its reputation.
Our bus ride home over the Andes was again spectacular. It is a very dry area and without its winter cover of white the terrain is barren and desolate. We could just relax on our semi-cama bus and enjoy the views as we rumbled along. Trying to get a good shot of the Portillo ski area was not easy as it sits a bit over a ridge from the highway. Most of the pictures we have seen of it must be from the air or high on the ski slopes. Still, it stirred our interest in returning for some southern hemisphere skiing one day. I am not sure about driving the switchback road when it is snow and iced covered though.
We had a day to relax in Santiago, last minute shopping before taking the taxi to the airport. A number of wine bottles were carefully packed in our check-in luggage and we used a new hand-made basket for a carry-on. We did NOT buy lots of memorabilia on this trip as we have on past travels. We are running out of wall space at home!
A plug for LAN Chile Airlines. Our 12 hour flight to Los Angeles was quite easy and comfortable. Excellent food and drink (no extra cost!), seats as comfy as you can get in coach, more movies and programs than there is time to watch and an attentive and friendly crew. It is worth taking a trip to SA just to fly LAN!
Anyway, it is good to be home. Both Gail and I hope you have enjoyed our adventures and the few pictures we posted (some new ones today).
Adios,
Bob
previous travel blog entry
sbrown77 says:
hey you went to portillo, what did the terain look like for skiing? Do you know when thier first snow of the season is?