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Published: September 24th 2009
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Tim Version:
* Got stuck in Mendoza trying to cross by bus to Santiago for 3 days and ended up flying.
* Witnessed fresh falling beautiful snow blanket the town in white.
The yeh I got stuck in Mendoza but at least I got to see the snow version:
Leaving Buenos Aires I was pretty confident over getting over the pass between Mendoza and Santiago as the pass seemed clear from all the website I could think to check before I left. This was however why I was leaving early.
This being my last bus ride, I decided to take it in a bit more luxury and splurged for the premium seats down the bottom - much more comfortable chairs, more leg and arm room, able to recline further and only about 12 people at max capacity in the room, and it was good =) Good food, some movies in English, and a spare seat next to me. Unfortunately in the morning when we arrived at the start of the road over the Andes the bus slowed, pulled over and stopped... bummer. Something was up. I opened my curtain and saw we were parked next to
dozens of other coaches. Not a good sign.
The company didn't tell us anything but you could guess that the pass was closed. We spent a good part of the day with no communication from the company (Andes Mar, usually a good company) sitting and waiting with little food and no drink when after lunch some time they decided to give up waiting for the pass to be cleared and we returned to Mendoza. Its only then we found out why we had been waiting. Seriously bad communication aye.
A guy from New Zealand and I thought hey, why waste this break, what better to do in win country than go and get a drink! It started with one over lunch but then 3 bottles had disappeared before lunch and then we started bar/restaurant hopping. I remember at one point through very hazy alcoholised eyes feeling a bit sick so I went to find a bathroom in one place. It was double storey and I went to where restaurants usually locate the toilet and found nothing but the kitchen. Unfortunately, like when rushing for the toilet, my body had set a countdown timer for when this extra wine
that my body couldn't handle was going to come up and greet me, and with no toilet in sight that timer ran out =( I ended up chucking nothing (too gruesome, just wine) in a trolley of cardboard that I saw and remember one flash of seeing the red spotted trolley after thinking I hope the owner isn't around! Right after that I started walking away and a waiter asked me if he could help (not seeing what I had done at this point). I asked him, in drunken spanish, where the toilet was and went on my way but I also remember seeing his face drop to an angry kinda hopeless sad look in my peripheral vision just as I passed him when he must have caught sight of my work of modern art on his trolley of cardboard. We got outta there pretty quickly =) After a drunken mission of trying to find our hostel without a map, name, phone number or address, we found our way back and I had a few more with the others in the hostel and slept.
I awoke the next morning to a world of white! Fresh beautiful snow was falling
Snow falling pre-dawn
Dawn comes late here. This was about 8am or later I think. and had left a couple of inches worth on the ground overnight. Definitely no buses today! I waited for hours in the bus terminal at the company's desk until in the early afternoon they decided yes, perhaps its possible. So we loaded up bus after bus of people and we all bussed out to the start of the mountains where, once again, we parked up in the coach. No food, no drink. Around 4 hours of extreme boredom later we were, once again, driving back to Mendoza.
I got a different more my style kind of hostel, Oasis Hostel that I stayed in last time I was here. I had had enough of waiting in buses by now and with no forecast available for the snow and people saying there was every chance it might not clear for a week, I went and bought a plane ticket from Mendoza to Santiago. They were going cheap but still much more than the bus ticket, and no refund could be got for the bus ticket. Still, by this stage I didn't care and just wanted some guarantee and comfort and that I got. LAN is a truly brilliant airline and I
got all of that. I slept easy that night, had a lazy getup and caught my lunchtime flight over to Santiago. The views along the way as you quickly gain altitude and cross the Andes are nothing short of breathtaking. Landing in Santiago unfortunately you got a very good look at the serious smog problem that you were entering! Santiago airport is great too, very easy to get around. Chile has it's head screwed on right with business and efficiency and making things look good and comfortable.
I didn't get up to much in Santiago as I had most things the last time but enjoyed having some more time there and had a good social group in my hostel to hang out with. I saw some more of the city that I missed last time and saw the water treatment plants they are installing all along the river which was great to see.
In no time at all I was back at the airport boarding my flight to Sydney. I was so excited to be going back to Australia again, and Sydney especially to check out where I want to live next and the coast all the way
from Cronulla to the Gold Coast! I was in serious need of some ocean and beach time, even if it's winter.
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