Mendoza

route 7
Originally uploaded by elizajanecurtis

We've had lots and lots of visitors and travels lately. First, Drew and Stacey came to visit and we took a trip West across Argentina, to Mendoza and the Andes. We rode an overnight bus for 13 hours and woke up pretty well-rested, thanks to big comfy recliner seats, in the lovely city of Mendoza. Then we rented a car and drove out of the city on Route 7 which goes out through the wine country, up into the Andes. We stopped at the border

las cuevas
Originally uploaded by elizajanecurtis

crossing, but Route 7 continues down the other side to Santiago, Chile. Along the way we stopped at Potrerillos and looked at the man-made lake. We rode up a chair-lift at Los Penitentes ski area. We ate lots of meat for lunch in the town of Uspallata, which we read was the location for filming Seven Years in Tibet (I haven't seen the movie but the town is lovely). Then we stopped at Puente del Inca, a natural bridge and hot springs next to an old Inca building. We passed Cerro Aconcagua, the highest mountain peak (6,962 m / 22,841 feet) outside of the Himalayas. We stayed the night in the tiny mountain ghost town of Las Cuevas. In the morning we got a ride up to Cristo Redentor de los Andes, a giant statue high up on the Chile/Argentina

way high up
Originally uploaded by elizajanecurtis

border. We drove back to Mendoza city the next day and stayed there for a night. We wandered around the small city, ate some amazing seafood, went to San Martin park and visited the architecturally interesting but totally creepy natural science museum.