On Monday we caught a bus in Valparaiso to take us to Mendoza, Argentina. The bus arrived in the station about 30 minutes late which had me pacing up and down making sure we hadn't missed it since buses aren't usually late. The bus went as far as Vina where we all had to get off and wait while it refueled. That took another 45 minutes. The bus was reasonably comfortable, but we should have shopped around more because there were definitely better bus companies - based on observation we recommend Pullman or Cata. The bus company did serve a sandwich and brownie on the bus for food. And a styrofoam cup with instant coffee powder but no water!
The ride to the border isn't all that interesting until you get past the town of Los Andes. But then the bus goes up into the mountains and the scenery is quite barren and spectacular. The photo of the switchbacks is the last climb before reaching the Chilean border. The switchback area also appears to have skiing in the winter. There was a chairlift that goes right over the highway. We drove on to the Argentine border patrol, another twenty minutes past Chile maybe. There were 2 buses ahead of ours, so we all got out to stretch and there were snacks available across the road. Also restrooms! The bus had a tiny, very hot restroom in the back.
Getting through the border took a little more than an hour maybe of standing around, standing in lines, etc. But we all made it back onto the bus and were off down the mountains to Mendoza!
The ride to the border isn't all that interesting until you get past the town of Los Andes. But then the bus goes up into the mountains and the scenery is quite barren and spectacular. The photo of the switchbacks is the last climb before reaching the Chilean border. The switchback area also appears to have skiing in the winter. There was a chairlift that goes right over the highway. We drove on to the Argentine border patrol, another twenty minutes past Chile maybe. There were 2 buses ahead of ours, so we all got out to stretch and there were snacks available across the road. Also restrooms! The bus had a tiny, very hot restroom in the back.
Getting through the border took a little more than an hour maybe of standing around, standing in lines, etc. But we all made it back onto the bus and were off down the mountains to Mendoza!
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