Blogs from Uspallata, Mendoza, Argentina, South America - page 2

I got into Mendoza in the early morning without a solid plan. I had been here earlier in my trip, but spent the time in a fancy, binge drinking, stupor on a Tour de Franzia. Instead, this time I wanted to head up to the small pueblo of Uspallata and enjoy the plethora of outdoor activities possible in the region. It is a few hours into the Andes where I would be able to go hiking immediately outside of town, without a guide, without needing to pay an entrence fee. However, there isnt an over abundant amount of information online about where to stay and what sort of tourist infrastructure exists so I was hesitant to buy a ticket without knowing of budget accommodations. Luckily I found a hostel (Hostel International Uspallata) just outside of town ... read more

The crossing from Mendoza, Argentina to Vina del Mar, Chile only took 8 hours. It was amazing how much different the mountains looked from the day before, as much of the lower level snow had melted and we could really see the different colours and layers in the mountains. They're actually really colourful in a strange kind of way. The border crossing took ages and was freezing, its a full on crossing which was surprising as you'd think that the 2 countries would be quite good friends. The only good thing was that both countries are in one building on the Chile side of the border so we only had to freeze once. There was lots of drugs dogs and we watched one poor guy get all his dirty washing pulled out in front of everyone ... read more

Uspallarta is both the name of a small village and a remote pass between Mendoza and Santiago Chile. Travelling between Santiago and Mendoza was a joy, beautiful craggy mountains, twisting roads that double back on them selves over and over, looping up the mountain. After arriving in Mendoza - I headed back to the village - spent an afternoon on horseback, taking photos when I could convince the beast to steady enough. Uspallata and the surrounding mountains were considered enough of a double for the Tibetan Himalayas to film Seven Years in Tibet (1997) - in some of the bars there are shots of a very blond bearded Brad Pitt. Hence the slightly lame title of this blog entry. I didn't stay much time in Uspallarta - it deserves more time, lots of activities, not much ... read more