Road trip into the Andes

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We departed Mendoza early on the 13 Dec and said farewell to Francois who would be traveling to Cordoba over the coming days. We jumped into our Gol and headed for cooler temperatures in the Andes.

Part I - Aconcagua and Puente del Inca. See photos.

Part II - The plan was to drive to Barreal for the late afternoon, apparently a most picturesque little town in the Valley of Calingasta. Unfortunately, the Rough Guide (ironically) failed to mention how rough the road ahead would be. Muy feo! A rock got the better of our transmission 20 km into the trip from Uspallata and we had to drive back (in first gear!) to the town in search of a mecanico... 80 pesos later, the tranny was working again, and we decided to stay in town for the evening. We went horseback riding at sunset and sipped a cool Chenin Dulce we purchased at Zuccardi on the patio of our hotel, overlooking the rocky mountains. Oddly enough, to end the day, a town-wide power failure occured. That didn't stop the restaurants in town to stay open and we were able to enjoy another great bife de lomo. It turned out to be a pretty amazing day after all!!!

Part III - Termas Cacheuta Hotel & Spa. See photos.

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Photos

On the road again...
With our VW Gol (cheap version of a Golf) Steph and Adam begin what should have been a simple road trip.

Aconcagua
Our brief visit to the base of the highest peak in the Americas

Puente del Inca
A natural stone bridge that was part of the Inca Trail and over the years has been stained by the sulfur content of the waters below.

Tunnel vision
Going through half a dozen tunnels as we drive through arid mountain scenery

The road to Barreal
100 km to one of the most scenic little towns in Argentina, no match for the Gol as it turns out...

El Tincho Mecanica
The road to Barreal presented some challenges, and forced us to make a pit stop in Uspallata for the evening for some minor transmission repairs

Los Caballeros
After getting the car fixed, we decided to make the best of our situation and went horseback riding just prior to sunset

Los Caballeros - Part II
One hour with our guide ¨Jesus¨ allowed us to climb up steep hills and gallop at high speeds.

An oasis in Cacheuta
Our hotel and pool

A little bit of luxury...
Pampering ourselves at Cacheuta Termal Springs Hotel for one night

Mud bath
Slap on, dry, rinse and repeat. A unique experience!

Comments

[tnt mnemz]

we like jesus,
mud baths, and your beard