Santiago and Mendoza

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After arriving in Santiago we decided to stay for a few days to see the sights and chill out for a bit. We found a really nice hostel about a 20 min walk from the centre. The night we arrived we went out to a club in Bella Vista which is one of the best nightlife regions but as the spirit measures were huge, the next day was a bit of a write off! On Monday we did a free walking tour of the city. It lasts for about 4 hours and an english speaking guide shows you round all the main parts of the city for free, they just rely on tips to make money but even tipping about $10 USD is much cheaper than any other guided tours. We also got a cable car up to the Cerro San Cristobal hill which gives you an awesome view of the city and gives you an idea of just how big it is!

While we were in Santiago i thought it would be a good idea to get a bus to Mendoza as it's supposed to be a really cool place. I didn't fancy cycling for 3 days to get there over the Andes only to have to come back exactly the same way a couple of days later so thought a bus was the best option! I left my bike in the bike shop as i'm getting a new rim made to sort out my spoke problems. They said it would take 3 days so worked out pretty well with the Mendoza trip. The 6 hour bus journey through the Andes was awesome and got a view of Mt Aconagua, the highest peak in South America. It was one of the best bus journeys i've been on. At one point there was a climb with 26 switchbacks (there were signs numbering them) and you could see the start of them when the bus reached the top which was cool, the driver even slowed down for photos.

In Mendoza i did a tour of 2 vineyards and explored the city. The wine tour didn't compare to our tour in Santa Cruz though, it was much more touristy and they gave us less wines to taste. Hard to compare to Montes back in Santa Cruz though as it was so good! The hostel i stayed in was mainly used by Argentinians on holiday as they had a long weekend because of Easter. They were really friendly though and i stayed up late drinking beer with them on the last night and they taught me some traditional Argentinian songs on the guitar!

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Photos

Santiago viewed from Cerra San Cristobal
After getting the cable car up

Santiago
Architects designed lots of glass buildings to mirror the old architecture