Jan 2023

Crossing the border into Argentina

We picked up Pedro from the airport and set off for the Argentinian border. We were glad of the cloud cover for a day of driving. The road climbed up through the Andes with 29 switchback hairpin bends, the kind of treacherous stuff you see on Top Gear and we've always wanted to drive on a road like this. When we weren't in 2nd gear rounding tight bends, we were hurtling through tunnels straight through the mountains.

We reached 3,100m at the border as snow started to fall and the gusty winds took hold. This was worlds away from the 30°C days we'd had in Santiago a few hundred miles away. The scenery was incredible, huge mountains all around us. We had jagged black rocky mountains to our left and impressive orangey-yellow and green slopes to our right.

Borders are never clear and we drove past a huge queue of cars leaving Chile on the other side. We then unknowingly drove past the border entry for Argentina by about 20km and eventually turned back after convincing ourselves that couldn't be right. The 'aduana' (customs) signs weren't that obvious and we went past it again the other direction. We started complaining to each other that there should be more signs. Then when we had it surrounded, we noticed there were bright yellow aduana signs every 100m so we soon shut up. The actual crossing, like the other 2 we've already done, was nice and easy, needing only our import permit, proof of ownership, and passport. I think in the excitement of us being a foreign vehicle, they forgot to search the van so we were soon on our way.

Before setting off into Argentina, we stopped at Aconcagua National Park to take a peek at one of the world's tallest mountains and volcanos, although the very top was covered in cloud. We also stopped to look at the Puente del Inca, a natural bridge over the Mendoza River formed by mineral deposits from the hot springs and glacial debris which has encrusted over time into a single mass. In the early 20th century, it was a monastery and spa used to treat illnesses but the spa hotel has since been abandoned.

Then we continued to drive through the incredibly scenic Andes until we arrived at a municipal campsite in Uspallata for the night, where we stayed for £2. The 'facilities' are better in most prisons so we opted for our own toilet and no shower which would have been cleaner than using theirs. We had a brief storm that night, the sky turned very black and huge hailstones fell! Then we had an hour of very loud thunder as the sound echoed off of the Andes on either side of us and we could feel the ground shaking.

We set off early the next morning for Mendoza, again through breathtaking scenery as we drove through valleys surrounded by imposing, golden mountains and followed milky blue rivers where people were white water rafting. An hour later, the mountains disappeared and we were driving through the vineyards that cover the outskirts of Mendoza in the Maipu valley.

Exploring the city

We spent two nights in Mendoza and instantly felt at ease in the city. We had booked a gorgeous, really cheap Airbnb in the centre with a big corner window ideal for people-watching. The city is small and walkable and after finding a Western Union to stock up on blue dollars, we splurged £2.50 on a veggie buffet full of delicious homemade food. The city has lots of fancy squares, Plaza Espana was completely tiled in ornate blue and white patterns. Plaza Independencia was full of locals hanging out and we saw an amatuer dance troop contest one evening there (some of the worst street dancing we've ever seen). While we were in Mendoza, our Spanish allowed Em to get her hair done and us both to get matching Pedro tattoos! There is also a huge park right next to the city, about the same size as it with endless trails, rose gardens, a large pond and a big hill you could climb to see views of the city. We failed to climb it as it was so hot so we went back under Pedro power. We had an amazing meal at Fuente y Fonda, where everything on the menu is to share. We got a big dish of grilled hake and roast veg and salad, two desserts and a bottle of Malbec for £13! We could have stayed in Mendoza for a week just eating and drinking.

On our way out of the city, we stopped at Bodegas Lopez, a vineyard in the Maipu valley, for a free tour and tasting. Our guide showed us the whole process from where the grapes get delivered to where they ferment them in huge oak barrels. The barrels have a tiny door through which someone has to enter every 6 years wearing a gas mask to clean inside! We drove out of the city towards Cordoba, arriving in a tiny town called Balde quite late, to welcoming locals intrigued to see inside our van, lots of friendly stray dogs who were obsessed with Justin, and a choc-ice from a local shop. This was another door open night it was so hot, closely guarded by our favourite stray dog.

On our way to Cordoba, we'd stopped at a petrol station and spotted a film crew looking at Pedro while we were inside getting a drink. When we got back to the van, they asked if they could interview us and although we protested we don't know much Spanish, soon a microphone was thrust through the window and we were being filmed trying our best to answer questions about how we have found travelling in Argentina and where we would be spending new year's eve. We think the channel was TD tv but can't find anything on Google so hopefully that interview never sees the light of day!

We arrived into Cordoba in 37°C, naively expecting to easily find parking in the second biggest city in Argentina. This was a struggle but we eventually found somewhere with no height limit where we could park overnight which would be open on new year's day for us to pick up Pedro again. Our Airbnb was right in the centre near Plaza San Martin. Although it's a big city, walking around the centre felt safe and easy. It was so hot we would hop from one bit of shade to another as we explored and very quickly took shelter in a bar for a refreshing pint. We wandered down to Guemes, where there are usually lots of market stalls, but they were packing up at the end of the day. We had an absolute feast for dinner at Astor, a tapas bar inside an old theatre with an elaborately painted ceiling.

The next day was New Year's Eve, which is apparently not a thing in Argentina - everything closes. We had looked at booking dinner at a restaurant but they were all doing expensive set menus so we treated ourselves to a nice lunch at Azur hotel where we had the restaurant to ourselves. When we came out of the restaurant the city was deserted. We happened to be at Plaza San Martin as the open-top city bus tour was leaving so we hopped on. It was apparently built in Liverpool back in the day! It took us around most places we'd already seen by foot but it was good to hear some history about the city. Turns out a lot of the ornate architecture is Italian. That evening we headed out with no plans other than to try and find somewhere open for food and a few drinks to see in the new year. After walking past a LOT of establishments that were shut, and narrowly avoiding spending the evening with an obnoxious Miami finance guy that wouldn't take the hint and stop following us around, we managed to find a busy place to sit outside and share a pizza. We attempted to do the Spanish tradition of eating one grape per bong of the clock as it struck midnight (by watching a video of it turning midnight in England) but nearly choked on giant, seeded grapes. There was some altercation between some women outside shortly before midnight which meant the police were at the restaurant taking statements as it turned midnight. We quietly wished each other a happy new year and waited for the rest of the place to realise. Then there was clapping and clinking of glasses as people from different tables wished each other a Feliz Ano Nuevo. Kids were setting off fireworks in the street outside and there was a huge storm with lightning flashing across the sky so we ended up running home through torrential rain! New Year's Day, everything was very shut. The heavy rain overnight and rubbish spewing out of street bins had made the city look dirty and sad, there was no one around and we were ready to get back on the road.