Uspallata

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This past weekend we took a break from Spanish lessons and spent two and a half days in Uspallata. This quiet and dusty town is 110 kilometers from Mendoza and is the main staging base for trucks and buses to cross the snowbound pass into Chile.
The mountain and desert scenery here is stunning. Our cameras were pointed in all directions the entire time.
We were all eager to explore and covered roughly 12 kilometers on our hikes on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, Julio first got us in the spirit by preparing an early asado. He was delighted to introduce us to the delicacy known here as "los chinchulines", which is grilled cow intestine. After eating too much, Julio guided us across the desert which had numerous channels and rivulets from the Rio Blanco, which carves it's way through the valley floor. We had a great time hopping and fording across these unexpected streams that are growing each day as the Spring snowmelt increases from the surrounding Andes.
On Saturday, we headed east into the barren and austere mountains behind the hostel. Daniel, Louis, and Alex brought their camping gear to spend the evening under the unfamiliar stars of the Southern Hemishere. It was uphill all the way. As we made our way into a canyon filled with multi-colored, prehistoric rock sculptures, Julio pointed out a pair of condors soaring high above us. These birds often have a wing span of over 10 feet. The climax of the hike was a climb up a narrow canyon with a spectacular grey headwall.
At this point, the rest of us said goodbye to Daniel, Alex, and Louis and headed back ( downhill) to the hostel. Saturday night at the hostel, Julio treated us to another asado of some of the world's finest beef while Daniel, Alex, and Louis cooked chorizo sausage on their campfire.
Sunday afternoon, under another cloudless sky, we headed back to Mendoza to get ready for a more intensive week of Spanish lessons.

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Photos

Louis view
Louis enjoys the view at the end of a long climb.

Julio
Julio is happy (as always) to be taking all 5 "chicos" to Uspallata.

On the road
The drive to Uspallata provided many gigantic photo opportunities.

El Rio Mendoza
The Rio Mendoza provides the water for the vast vineyards and orchards in Mendoza Province.

Tunnel
The road to Uspallata is on the main route which connects Buenos Aires, Cordoba,and Mendoza with Chile's capital,Santiago.

Hostel Uspallata
The Uspallata Hostel is a relaxing base from which to explore this most stunning and unusual display of nature.

Hike View
The view from where we began our hike across the desert floor.

Cactus
We arrived just in time for this flowering cactus.

Julio and Louis
Julio and Louis have prepared the asado fire and are happy to let us know that the meat will be ready in about an hour.
(the trick is to cook the meat slowly)

Intestinos son Los Chinchulines
Julio got a kick out of introducing us to an Argentine favorite,"los chinchulines", also known as cow intestines. Some of us liked them and some of us did not.

Ryan
Ryan is totally prepared for a hike in the desert. He's got his sun screen, his safari hat, and a great attitude.

Day hike
Mike, on the other hand, is looking to catch some rays.

Group hike
Alex waits for the rest of the group before deciding which is the best place to cross the next stream.

Creek crossing
Rich doesn't mind getting his feet wet.

Louis and Alex crossing the creek
Neither does Alex and Louis.

Mountain view
Noah keeps us entertained as we head toward the mountains where the movie,
"Seven Years In Tibet", was filmed.

Up the Canyon
Julio, Ryan, Noah, Alex, and Louis heading up the narrow canyon.

Campsite
After a long ascent and descent, Daniel, Alex, and Louis set up camp.

Daniel view
Daniel surveys the view before heading back to the hostel.

Comments

[Mom and Lisa]

Beautiful
Good to see where you are. It looks beautiful there. Got this web site from WEndy. We'll keep checking in. Love to you.