Travel

So this blog isn’t up to date…we do apologise but we’ve been busy travelling ten’s of thousands of kilometres. We should be able to update it more often now however. Excited, i am!

It’s May 22nd 2010, Autumn in the southern hemisphere and a spectacular one at that. We have just left the coast of Chile and are heading across the mighty Andes mountain range once more to the wine capital of Argentina Mendoza.

Unfortunately with us, are hundreds upon hundreds of buses coming both ways to and from Chile and Argentina. When travelling,  you easily lose track of public holidays especially Chilean and Argentinian public holidays. Both Chile and Argentina share a public holiday, we believe it to be their national day and  (like Australia Day without Yothu Yindi and John Farnham). Making it a long 4 day party. It seems, to us that everyone in Chile goes to Argentina and everyone in Argentina heads to Chile.

We departed at 6pm scheduled to cross the border into Argentina and arrive by about midnight. At midnight we are stuck in a large queue of buses, not the first and it wont be the last, waiting to cross the border high in the Andes. I’m further stuck in a small semi-cama seat (a seat reclines as much as a K.D Lang did – don’t get it? well you know who the Beatles are? Ah just Google it.), Jess is asleep and god thank the creators of the Playstation and Fifa 2010 because at least i had entertainment. We eventually get out of the bus with the 40 other chickens, dogs, babies and occasionally a toothless adult and line up in a queue for immigration and customs. I must tell you, the Argentinians and Chileans are extremely efficient, there is one bloke for Chile who stamps you to leave and right next to him is the Argentinian authority who lets you in. The whole process takes under a minute, except the queue which takes a couple of hours and several group bribes (throwing coins into a cup to get to the front of the line quicker).

Finally we get through and roll into Mendoza in the early dark hours of the morning. Arriving at our hostel, which is incredibly expensive at least $50 a night each for a private room due to the holiday. The place is old, dusty but it will do. I’m knackered and the PlayStation died a long while ago, i need sleep.

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