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| At the start of our walk to base camp Aconcagua, the highest mountain in South America |
Day 141 Friday continued
While Brian was doing the last blog I was doing steak research, so off we went. We learned from our last steak to ask the size, though in this menu they were printed so we'll share the 500g one, that's over a pound, with some chips and salad and a lovely bottle of local wine. Mendoza being the centre of the Argentinian wine region. Poor lad, I saw him approach with what looked like our meal, only he turned round and went away again. He'd managed to put in an order for a 250g steak for us to share, which would have been a little thin. They obviously sent him back out and put on another 250g one which was ready just as we needed it. A lovely meal.
As we walked back through the main square we were just in time to see the dancing fountains. We didn't stay for what turned out to be a 45 minute set but thoroughly enjoyed what we saw.
A short Youtube video of the water fountain and light show to music in Plaza Independencia, Mendoza
Day 142 Saturday
We expected to be doing our tandem paraglide at 09.30. it seemed clear, but partway through breakfast he messaged to say it was a bit windy so 10.30 and we could do the standard flight not the extended high level flight Brian had booked. Unless we could come 'tomorrow'. We couldn't but we could do Monday so that is the next plan, though I am getting slightly bad vibes from the guy.
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| On our walking tour of Mendoza and this is Plaza Espana, renovated by the Spanish and now subject to controversy due to it's colonial undertones. The statue implies Spain as the mother country imposing its better culture over its colony, the murals underneath depicting the same. Some parts of the murals have been altered and others defaced |
That'll change all our plans then. OK, walking tour, only one space on the morning, after no spaces on Friday afternoon. It must be really popular, but there is space in the afternoon. We'll take this opportunity to try withdrawing money from Santander Argentina ATM with my Santander Edge Up account card which makes no charges for foreign withdrawals, but what about the foreign bank? I had been unable to get any answers from Santander, so although normal advice in Argentina is to steer clear of ATM's as you can only get a small amount and they charge heftily for it we went to see. I could only withdraw 50,000 pesos, which sounds a lot but is about £33 so that bit was true, but no charges were made and we got a really good exchange rate. That's really good to know. We set off to the San Francisco monastery, which is just a ruin, but the only part of the old town, that was destroyed in an earthquake in 1861, left standing. We followed this with a visit to General San Martin's house. He was important in the independence of Argentina as explained in the upstairs. The downstairs could have been any house but was interesting in that as they had dug down they had found an indigenous home, then above that San Martin's house, then a 1950's house. A pleasant enough walk, though certainly not a must see. See our short Relive video with photos: click here. We stopped for some lunch, a frappachino and churros, not in any way healthy or balanced but we are normally good. Somehow I threw my jaw out though. It has now been incredibly painful for a day and a half!
Off to our walking tour, imagine our surprise to find we were the only 2 for the English tour and there were only 2 for the Spanish tour. The previous tours hadn't been full either so we've sent him off to work out why we couldn't book. So a private tour then through a few of the New Towns many plazas. There are so many to provide safe space during the many earthquakes Mendoza has apparently. Explaining the mural in Plaza Espana he was a bit dry, and worst but he did get a lot better. Interestingly again, although he never said what he thought about the Falklands, it was obvious that many people hadn't been in favour of the war. He also told us more about the disappeared and the treatment of the 'Mothers' and 'Grandmothers' who have been trying to find not only the bodies of their nearest and dearest, but also to identify the people who were removed from their mother's, who then disappeared and were adopted by families potentially on the 'other side'. These people obviously have no idea of where they have come from but a data base has been set up so in theory you can find out if you really are who you have been told you are or the child of someone political who was 'disappeared'. They have identified about 130 people so far.
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| We did find him looking down at us from a tree in the plaza. It's an Aguilucho, or Swainsons Hawk, a non-native species. It was introduced to control the pigeon population with unintended consequences for other wildlife here |
I asked him about telling us all this and he said he obviously has to judge his group as not everyone believes or wants to hear what he was telling us, but he decided we were safe! See our short Relive video with photos: click here
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| San Martin plaza and the independence from Spain hero of Argentina, San Martin on his horse. He led troops across the Andes to Chile and then up into Peru to unseat the Spanish and claim independence in 1818. |
Day 143 Sunday
An early breakfast for an early collection. 07.30 for a 3 hour drive back to just past where we had all the border checks. This is the carpark for Aconcagua, the highest mountain in South America. We weren't planning on that, just to Confluencia, the first base camp. Martin, our guide, probably wasn't really necessary as a guide, the path was very easy, but we had to get there, sign into the park, which would definitely have been harder on our own, and he was providing lunch!
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| On our drive from Mendoza to Aconcagua we stopped at this reservoir, Embalse Potrerillos just outside Mendoza, held back by a large dam. It supplies all water to Mendoza, both drinking and irrigation, mainly for its main industry, making wine. The area is classed as a desert, being sheltered by the Andes, with little natural vegetation, just a thorny bush type plant. Without this reservoir Mendoza couldn't exist. It's a popular sport for local weekenders, this is early on a Sunday morning and it's empty, but when we came back around 6:30pm it was packed with people both on the banks and in canoes and yachts on the water |
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| We went up along the same valley we came in on (and the same valley that San Martin advanced on the Spanish in 1818) and marvelled at the amazing coloured rocks |
He was a really nice guy though, set a very sensible pace to take us up to 3400m. After 40 days at sea level any altitude acclimatisation we had has almost certainly gone so we were not sure what to expect. As it turns out we were both absolutely fine, making book time on the way in and halving it on the way out.
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| At the start of our Aconcagua base camp walk and I can't stop taking photos of these amazing mountains |
The scenery was beautiful and the weather kind. Knowing what to wear had been a real problem, though I think we just about got it right. Temperatures had been predicted between 20-30°c but there was a really cold wind at times. Tricky.
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| And there is Aconcagua, the highest mountain in South America, characterised by its hanging glaciers. We were joined by this Chimango Caracara who posed beautifully, but he did have trouble holding on as it was a bit windy at this point |
We arrived at the refuge for lunch. It was amazing to see the bread, salami, cheese, crisps, hummus, hard boiled eggs, tomato and avocado, and hot drinks and cake all come out of Martin's rucksack. Not to mention that we'd already had cereal bars and fruit! I don't normally get that sort of lunch when out on the hill!
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| Here he is flying in, claws outstretched |
Despite walking out in 2 hours it's going to be a 12 hour day by the time we get back. I'm just glad we didn't have to drive too! See our short Relive video with photos: click here
We went back to the Irish Bar, where we had our first meal, as it was open and Sundays can be tricky. I did manage to eat my burger, so perhaps my jaw is getting better!
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| Then he hopped off the sign and glided in the wind. The speed of the wind meant he remained stationary next to us so I managed to get this shot |
Day 144 Monday
Another message from the paraglider guy changing our 10.30 start back to 09.30, he's not filling me with confidence, particularly when we sent a picture of us at the meeting point to be told the driver was stuck in traffic! He did turn up though and three of us hopped in. We were joined by another couple at the landing site, where we had to sign our lives away.
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| On we went towards Aconcagua |
The other three were doing the standard flight so went first while we waited for the thermals to increase for our high level flight. We watched three paragliders take off from the masts but were a bit confused when they landed nowhere near us. Our guys will be those three that have just started then. Luca, our third collectee came down quite early, apparently he'd almost been suffering from vertigo. Brian did manage to film him coming in though.
Once the car had got back, slightly after them we set off with Hernan (our driver) and Alejandro as our pilots. It was a long and tortuous drive up to the masts on a dirt track. Fortunately Brian didn't look at the car tyres till we were up there as one of them was through to the canvas, so we'd probably never have gone.
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| Finally arriving at Confluencia, base camp for Aconcagua at 3400m |
The chutes were laid on the ground, a small amount of instruction was given, and Brian was off. Hernan and I seemed to take a little while to find a suitable gust but we joined them soon enough. It was an amazing feeling, getting caught in the thermals and going up, and up, to 2000m from about 1675m I think. There will be pictures, hopefully before the blog is posted, but they may be late as Hernan, we know, will be spending the afternoon with his car in the mechanics, not getting new tyres (that's a trip to Chile where they are half the price of Argentina) but getting the 4 wheel drive fixed. It had failed on the first journey, so mid way up the track Alejandro had to jump out to join the lad who was to drive back down, adding extra weight to the back!
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| Martin, our guide had carried an excellent lunch for us |
Neither of us are quite sure how long the flight was, but it must have been close to the maximum hour. I was glad I'd put my down jacket on, though Brian with just two layers said he was fine too. It was a great feeling flying like a bird over the mountain ridges and by each other. Hernan asked if I wanted to do some acrobatics, so I tentatively said yes which was probably a mistake, particularly for Brian who was never asked, and would have said no, but did them too. Just swirling about a bit but hmmm for the tummy.
Brian was first down, filmed by Luca, and didn't make a graceful landing, his left leg had gone to sleep so when he was told to run he just fell over. So what was my excuse? I'm going with short legs, as my landing wasn't very graceful either. Hernan disconnected me, so I walked over to Brian for a chat. He suddenly went a strange colour, came over all unnecessary and had to go and be sick. So much for acrobatics!
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| Do you see that beautifully coloured, layered rock in the distance? |
We did both really enjoy it, but thankfully neither of us think we want to take it up as a hobby! Back to town and the hotel till Brian felt a little more normal, washing yesterday's very dusty clothes and out for a milkshake.
We are aiming at an Indian tonight, but might have to go and have a glass of Mendocino Malbec first
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| Here's a close up of it. Amazing! |
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| On our way back down a slightly different route took us past a fabulous lagoon |
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| Just outside Aconcagua park on the main road from Chile to Mendoza is the Puente del Inca, Inca bridge, a natural formation created by underground thermal springs that bring the rich minerals beneath to the surface. Its name refers to the visits made by the Inca peoples to take in the healing properties of the thermal waters. There was a hotel on the site that was destroyed in an avalanche in 1965 |
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| Day 144, paragliding day and here we are waiting at the landing site for the first people on the standard 20 minute flight to appear. The launch site is next to the masts on the highest point in this photo |
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| There's one of them making his way down. I did film him landing, for which he was very grateful when I sent him a copy via WhatsApp. As a result he filmed us landing, for which we too were very grateful. I've included it in the Youtube video below |
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