Good Bye Argentina

It was time to do the high pass run over the Andes to take us from Argentina to Chile for the last time.


Argentina turned on another stunning day for us to leave. We progressed slowly up the mountain pass taking in some amazing scenes, moving on through the cloud only to be met at the top at 4170 metres above sea level by a couple of elderly artists doing some rock scratching art. Had to buy a piece of lovely art work., but had to move very slowly. If they could sit up there all day in the cold cloud or hot burning sun then we had no problem giving them their 13 pesos for their efforts. Now where to pack a piece of the Andes!!!!.

Moving on over the pass we motored across the top of the Alti Plano through salt plains and down through canyons and back up over rises, all the time steadily increasing in altitude. We twice had some unlikely characters try to flag us down looking for petrol for their motorbikes, which looked like they had been on the side of the road for ages. I guess they wanted the petrol for other reasons, but we waved and rode on by. The whole area is hot, dry and vast. Geothermal springs are dotted through the area which is where the tourist tours head to in convoys of 4x4s.
 The road sides have burst tyres everywhere. I guess the heat and expanding air in the tyre from the altitude has an explosive effect after a time. We could not believe they drive such trucks with hugh loads over this pass as it would be all first gear up and first gear down. Even fully loaded car transporters make the journey over. Many were on the road sides with their bonnets up and steaming radiators.

Once we exited Argentina the run to the Chilean border was bizarre. We continued to rise in altitude to a max of 4800 metres, which had an exhausting effect on the body and the old heart was thumping trying to get some oxygen to the right places to stop the light headedness, and the distance to the border post was 160km through no mans land, weird. We thought we had missed it somewhere, but it was at the entrance , well in the town of San Pedro de Atacama really and you could have missed it completely and never have known. The Chilean army continually drive the road to make sure no one gets stranded in no mans land once the borders close and every few Ks there were SOS phone towers in case of trouble

Argentina and its people treated us really well and we can only say great things about it and we would recommend anyone to travel here. It is such a vast country with diverse scenery that you need more than just a couple of weeks to cover most things. Thank you Argentina.

Now it was time to meet Oliver and Julie and swap information about the ride north