January 1-5: Near Year in Chile & Argentina

Sunset in Santiago, Chile

On New Year's Day, we left Santiago to head to our final southern destination - Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Aduana is up in the mountains, so the ride there was breathtaking. Riding through tunnel after tunnel, and climbing in altitude to get there. The Andes Mountains are unlike anything I've ever experienced, with snow still up on some of the taller peaks. It’s hard to remember this area gets covered in snow in June/July/August. Everything is backward from home! We rode 229 miles plus crossed the border from Chile to Argentina.

We stopped for the night in Mendoza.

Just outside of Mendoza, Argentina

The next day, we rode 588 miles of the straightest road on the planet to a small town about 100 miles outside of Buenos Aries. All grassland with cows feeding everywhere. It reminds me of home in the Midwest. We woke early on Sunday and made the quick ride to Buenos Aires. We spent the day exploring the city, hanging out by the ocean, and savoring the best steak dinner I've ever had. There really isn't a beach, even though the city is right on the South Atlantic coast.

We stayed the night in a hostel that 100 years ago was a hospital. The rooms were so cool - wood wainscoting walls, with hidden cabinet doors, plaster crown molding shaped like fruit. From Buenos Aires, we are heading northwest, towards Iguazu Falls, and plan to spend a few days there as tourists.

Argentina is a very European country. And the beef is excellent, which is a welcome change from chicken!

The people are also extremely friendly. I met my new friend Sandra, who even though my Spanish sucks and her English is nonexistent, we were able to have a wonderful conversation while we swam in the hotel pool. She was so patient to help me with my Spanish and vice versa. It is so much easier to learn the language when you talk to people.

So many places here in Argentina remind me of home. Driving north, I could have sworn we were on Highway 51 heading up north in Wisconsin. It is comforting to see some familiar landscapes.