Mendoza, Argentina

From One Side to the Other of the Andes


roof of the americas
Views of Mount Aconcagua, the highest on the American continent, at 6.962 meters.
The vaults
Las Bovedas, old ovens in Uspallata.
Snowless Resort
Image of Las Cuevas, a resort at an altitude of 3.185 meters that spends the hottest months of the year without snow.
Andean Rafting
White water rafting on the Mendoza river.
Sanctuary
Travelers check directions next to a sanctuary in the Vilavicencio area.
Petroglyphs
Primitive art on rocks from the Tunduqueral hill, near Uspallata.
Verdant dryness
Scenery with poplars on the outskirts of Uspallata.
Notice
Sign that warns of the danger increased by the slope of the RN7 road.
Outdoor class
Excursion for geology students in the vicinity of Cerro Tunduqueral.
Railroad Ghost
Old train line of the Andes Mendocinos, deactivated after the construction of Ruta N7.
Tunduqueral Hill
Traveler contemplates the plain that surrounds Uspallata.
The caves
Entrance to the almost snowless Las Cuevas snow resort.
Aconcagua ridge
The top of Cerro Acongágua, the highest mountain in South America.
on the way to Chile
Truck approaches the Chilean border.
Departing from Mendoza city, the N7 route gets lost in vineyards, rises to the foot of Mount Aconcagua and crosses the Andes to Chile. Few cross-border stretches reveal the magnificence of this forced ascent

Little by little west of the endless dotted plains from sophisticated wineries and their vineyards, the province of Mendoza rises to the skyscraper domain of the Andes.

The tiny Ford Ka was the most unsuitable car to drive us through such raw and imposing lands. It was also listed as cheaper. The financial factor spoke louder again. We overloaded it with the worn-out backpacks we walked with and left the homonymous capital of the province behind.

Hill after hill, the engine of the Ka roars furiously, in progress on Ruta Nacional 7 (RN7), the Argentine road that crosses the Andes towards the Chile.

The Mendoza River accompanies us from the flattest lands to the Cordillera del Limite. it snakes through a panoply of dramatic expressions of nature.

And it crosses some of the most picturesque places in that unobstructed Argentina.

The Impressive Andean Vastness of Uspallata

The first to catch our attention is Uspallata, a town that, in the mid-fifteenth century, was located in the vicinity of the Truck of the Inca used by the Incas to cross the Andes.

The village appears on a vast plateau, generally arid, but which is home to an oasis of huge groves that benefit from timid water currents. In this refreshing setting we find the whitewashed vaults of the Bovedas, XNUMXth century adobe kilns in which Hispanic settlers smelt minerals extracted from the region, including gold stolen from the Incas and other indigenous peoples.

We don't see a soul around. The place remains in the hands of goats and cows that devour the grass by the nearest stream. Okay, we won't be late.

We to discover by a road secondary waste, with worn asphalt. Several kilometers later, we stop at a core of rounded rocks on which a plaque identifies the petroglyphs on the Tunduqueral Hill.

Petroglyphs, Mendoza, across the Andes, Argentina

Primitive art on rocks from the Tunduqueral hill, near Uspallata.

With patience, we identified the anthropomorphic figures: a face with large eyes, small men with simple lines, strange creatures with three fingers and another man, a lizard.

These are just examples of multiple illustrations believed to have been left by prehistoric inhabitants of the region who outlined their early shamanic beliefs.

We climb a geological ridge detached from the scene.

Landscape Uspallata, Mendoza, across the Andes, Argentina

Scenery with poplars on the outskirts of Uspallata.

From the top, we confirm that there was no end to that painted desert and we appreciate the multicolored profile of Western spaghetti South American. We also detected the local hill of Siete Colores, rainbow-inspired elevations that abound in the country of the pampas.

In its dusty foothills, we absorb the explanations of a geologist professor who forms a group of interested teenagers.

Picheuta Bridge and River: an Emblematic Scenery of South America

A few minutes later, we come across the miniature stone bridge that crosses the Picheuta River, with the nearby Torreão da Sentinela and the remains of the fort with the same name as the river.

Nearby, the army led by General San Martin triumphed in 1770 in the first of several liberating battles for Argentina against the forces of the Spanish crown. There, the independence of Argentina began to materialize and, at the same time, the new history of South America was forged.

San Martin, that one, became a national hero, a kind of Simon Bolivar of the southern cone. Today, statues and streets in her honor abound all over the country.

Polvaredas and the distant Cerro Tupungato

We traveled at an altitude of 2050 meters when we entered Polvaredas, one of several railway stations that the construction of the paved road that linked Mendoza to Santiago de Chile has turned into a ghost.

Train Station, Mendoza, across the Andes, Argentina

Old train line of the Andes Mendocinos, deactivated after the construction of Ruta N7.

On the outskirts of Punta de Vacas, we glimpse the distant Cerro Tupungato, a volcano with an altitude of 6.500 meters.

The Andean panoramas are overwhelming. There are other wide valleys with beds that the flows of the spring melt dug deep, even if, at that time, exaggerated for the diminished rivers that ran through them.

Rafting Proximo, Mendoza, across the Andes, Argentina

White water rafting on the Mendoza river.

All around, like gigantic forces of oppression, others of the majestic mountains of South America impose themselves, which geology has endowed with an impressive palette of hues, from worn grays or blacks to bright reds and ochers.

The Puente de Inca that Charles Darwin deigned to visit

We are at 2580 meters above sea level when, beyond the path's edge, we identify the Puente del Inca, a natural yellowish rock formation carved by the passage of water from the Vacas River under ferruginous sediments.

In 1835, too Charles Darwin there let himself be intrigued. As was his habit, he sketched drawings of the bridge and the large stalactites.

He could not, however, pamper the body saturated with his endless land explorations in the now renowned thermal waters. The infrastructure of spoiled spa that currently serve the place only emerged in the early twentieth century.

Con Nieveo Hielo, Mendoza, across the Andes, Argentina

Sign that warns of the danger increased by the slope of the RN7 road.

We continue to subject the Ford Ka's frail urban engine to its long-standing torture. After a new Herculean mechanical effort, we reached the entrance to the roof of the Americas.

Mount Aconcagua. The Majestic Setting of the Roof of the Americas

We parked. We follow the trail that leads to the hill that gives it its name.

We pass the Horcones Lagoon until, at the top of a hill, a sign suggests a privileged viewpoint and identifies the distant view we had from there: Cerro Aconcagua, 6992 meters.

Cerro Aconcagua 6962, Mendoza, across the Andes, Argentina

Views of Mount Aconcagua, the highest on the American continent, at 6.962 meters.

The trail that continues in its direction seduces us. But we are still far from the end of the Argentinean section of the RN7 and we were traveling with our limited time.

In any case, even though experts consider Aconcagua to be the highest non-technical mountain in the world (since its summit is conquerable without any kind of climbing equipment) we never challenged it lightly.

Astonishing archaeological discoveries from 1985 seem to support the mountain's relative accessibility. That year, the Andinista Club of Mendoza found an Inca mummy on the southwest slope, at 5300 m.

It was thus proven that even the highest mountains of the Andes were used for pre-Columbian funerary rites.

Monte Aconcagua, Mendoza, across the Andes, Argentina

The top of Cerro Acongágua, the highest mountain in South America.

Shared by Argentina and the Chile, Mount Aconcagua stands out from the neighboring mountains for its wide summit. Usually, a thick blanket of eternal snow covers it, which attracts climbers, or hikers – as the Argentines insist on calling it – from all over the world.

Despite the attention paid to it and the record-breaking altitude of the South American continent, the Western Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere, thanks largely to the dimensional supremacy of the Himalayas, Aconcagua is not even among the 400 highest mountains in the world.

The Winter and Final Season of Las Cuevas

Reformed, we end the contemplation and return to the guideline of the course. Instead of Aconcagua, we continued to climb the Andes still and always along the RN7.

On the verge of Chile, we reach the valley of the Las Cuevas river and the deserted village of the same name. The little snow we found decorates the dark brown of the slopes with random patterns of white that look past their expiration dates.

Las Cuevas, Mendoza, across the Andes, Argentina

Image of Las Cuevas, a resort at an altitude of 3.185 meters that spends the hottest months of the year without snow.

As then the constructions of modern Nordic architecture seemed to be out of date, more suited to the winter in the area, at the time of intense snowfalls and thousands of skiers and snowboarders from Argentina, Chile and from further afield who flock there to have fun and perfect their acrobatics.

Las Cuevas confirmed the last mark of Argentine civilization before customs.

Las Cuevas 3185, Mendoza, across the Andes, Argentina

Entrance to the almost snowless Las Cuevas snow resort.

Soon, we would start descending the western slope of the Andes and deeper into Chilean territory.

Florida Keys, USA

The Caribbean Stepping Stone of the USA

Os United States continental islands seem to close to the south in its capricious peninsula of Florida. Don't stop there. More than a hundred islands of coral, sand and mangroves form an eccentric tropical expanse that has long seduced American vacationers.
Annapurna Circuit: 1th - Pokhara a ChameNepal

Finally, on the way

After several days of preparation in Pokhara, we left towards the Himalayas. The walking route only starts in Chame, at 2670 meters of altitude, with the snowy peaks of the Annapurna mountain range already in sight. Until then, we complete a painful but necessary road preamble to its subtropical base.

Altitude Sickness: the Grievances of Getting Mountain Sick

When traveling, it happens that we find ourselves confronted with the lack of time to explore a place as unmissable as it is high. Medicine and previous experiences with Altitude Evil dictate that we should not risk ascending in a hurry.
Salta and Jujuy, Argentina

Through the Highlands of Deep Argentina

A tour through the provinces of Salta and Jujuy takes us to discover a country with no sign of the pampas. Vanished in the Andean vastness, these ends of the Northwest of Argentina have also been lost in time.
unmissable roads

Great Routes, Great Trips

With pompous names or mere road codes, certain roads run through really sublime scenarios. From Road 66 to the Great Ocean Road, they are all unmissable adventures behind the wheel.
Mendoza, Argentina

Journey through Mendoza, the Great Argentine Winemaking Province

In the XNUMXth century, Spanish missionaries realized that the area was designed for the production of the “Blood of Christ”. Today, the province of Mendoza is at the center of the largest winemaking region in Latin America.
Mérida, Venezuela

Merida to Los Nevados: in the Andean Ends of Venezuela

In the 40s and 50s, Venezuela attracted 400 Portuguese but only half stayed in Caracas. In Mérida, we find places more similar to the origins and the eccentric ice cream parlor of an immigrant portista.
Ushuaia, Argentina

The Last of the Southern Cities

The capital of Tierra del Fuego marks the southern threshold of civilization. From Ushuaia depart numerous incursions to the frozen continent. None of these play and run adventures compares to life in the final city.
Rhinoceros, PN Kaziranga, Assam, India
Safari
PN Kaziranga, India

The Indian Monoceros Stronghold

Situated in the state of Assam, south of the great Brahmaputra river, PN Kaziranga occupies a vast area of ​​alluvial swamp. Two-thirds of the rhinocerus unicornis around the world, there are around 100 tigers, 1200 elephants and many other animals. Pressured by human proximity and the inevitable poaching, this precious park has not been able to protect itself from the hyperbolic floods of the monsoons and from some controversies.
Braga or Braka or Brakra in Nepal
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit: 6th – Braga, Nepal

The Ancient Nepal of Braga

Four days of walking later, we slept at 3.519 meters from Braga (Braka). Upon arrival, only the name is familiar to us. Faced with the mystical charm of the town, arranged around one of the oldest and most revered Buddhist monasteries on the Annapurna circuit, we continued our journey there. acclimatization with ascent to Ice Lake (4620m).
A Lost and Found City
Architecture & Design
Machu Picchu, Peru

The City Lost in the Mystery of the Incas

As we wander around Machu Picchu, we find meaning in the most accepted explanations for its foundation and abandonment. But whenever the complex is closed, the ruins are left to their enigmas.
Boats on ice, Hailuoto Island, Finland.
Adventure
Hailuoto, Finland

A Refuge in the Gulf of Bothnia

During winter, the island of Hailuoto is connected to the rest of Finland by the country's longest ice road. Most of its 986 inhabitants esteem, above all, the distance that the island grants them.
Correspondence verification
Ceremonies and Festivities
Rovaniemi, Finland

From the Finnish Lapland to the Arctic. A Visit to the Land of Santa

Fed up with waiting for the bearded old man to descend down the chimney, we reverse the story. We took advantage of a trip to Finnish Lapland and passed through its furtive home.
Bridgetown, City of Bridge and capital of Barbados, beach
Cities
Bridgetown, Barbados

Barbados' "The City" of the Bridge

Originally founded and named "Indian Bridge" beside a foul-smelling swamp, the capital of Barbados has evolved into the capital of the British Windward Isles. Barbadians call it “The City”. It is the hometown of the far more famous Rihanna.
Meal
Markets

A Market Economy

The law of supply and demand dictates their proliferation. Generic or specific, covered or open air, these spaces dedicated to buying, selling and exchanging are expressions of life and financial health.
intersection
Culture
Hungduan, Philippines

Country Style Philippines

The GI's left with the end of World War II, but the music from the interior of the USA that they heard still enlivens the Cordillera de Luzon. It's by tricycle and at your own pace that we visit the Hungduan rice terraces.
4th of July Fireworks-Seward, Alaska, United States
Sport
Seward, Alaska

The Longest 4th of July

The independence of the United States is celebrated, in Seward, Alaska, in a modest way. Even so, the 4th of July and its celebration seem to have no end.
Twelve Apostles, Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia
Traveling
Great Ocean Road, Australia

Ocean Out, along the Great Australian South

One of the favorite escapes of the Australian state of Victoria, via B100 unveils a sublime coastline that the ocean has shaped. We only needed a few kilometers to understand why it was named The Great Ocean Road.
Fort São Filipe, Cidade Velha, Santiago Island, Cape Verde
Ethnic
Cidade Velha, Cape Verde

Cidade Velha: the Ancient of the Tropico-Colonial Cities

It was the first settlement founded by Europeans below the Tropic of Cancer. In crucial times for Portuguese expansion to Africa and South America and for the slave trade that accompanied it, Cidade Velha became a poignant but unavoidable legacy of Cape Verdean origins.

Portfolio, Got2Globe, Best Images, Photography, Images, Cleopatra, Dioscorides, Delos, Greece
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Got2Globe Portfolio

The Earthly and the Celestial

white pass yukon train, Skagway, Gold Route, Alaska, USA
History
Skagway, Alaska

A Klondike's Gold Fever Variant

The last great American gold rush is long over. These days, hundreds of cruise ships each summer pour thousands of well-heeled visitors into the shop-lined streets of Skagway.
Network launch, Ouvéa Island-Lealdade Islands, New Caledonia
Islands
Ouvéa, New Caledonia

Between Loyalty and Freedom

New Caledonia has always questioned integration into faraway France. On the island of Ouvéa, Loyalty Archipelago, we find an history of resistance but also natives who prefer French-speaking citizenship and privileges.
coast, fjord, Seydisfjordur, Iceland
Winter White
Seydisfjordur, Iceland

From the Art of Fishing to the Fishing of Art

When shipowners from Reykjavik bought the Seydisfjordur fishing fleet, the village had to adapt. Today, it captures Dieter Roth's art disciples and other bohemian and creative souls.
Kukenam reward
Literature
Mount Roraima, Venezuela

Time Travel to the Lost World of Mount Roraima

At the top of Mount Roraima, there are extraterrestrial scenarios that have resisted millions of years of erosion. Conan Doyle created, in "The Lost World", a fiction inspired by the place but never got to step on it.
Merganser against sunset, Rio Miranda, Pantanal, Brazil
Nature
Passo do Lontra, Miranda, Brazil

The Flooded Brazil of Passo do Lontra

We are on the western edge of Mato Grosso do Sul but bush, on these sides, is something else. In an extension of almost 200.000 km2, the Brazil it appears partially submerged, by rivers, streams, lakes and other waters dispersed in vast alluvial plains. Not even the panting heat of the dry season drains the life and biodiversity of Pantanal places and farms like the one that welcomed us on the banks of the Miranda River.
Mother Armenia Statue, Yerevan, Armenia
Autumn
Yerevan, Armenia

A Capital between East and West

Heiress of the Soviet civilization, aligned with the great Russia, Armenia allows itself to be seduced by the most democratic and sophisticated ways of Western Europe. In recent times, the two worlds have collided in the streets of your capital. From popular and political dispute, Yerevan will dictate the new course of the nation.
The Gran Sabana
Natural Parks

Gran Sabana, Venezuela

A Real Jurassic Park

Only the lonely EN-10 road ventures into Venezuela's wild southern tip. From there, we unveil otherworldly scenarios, such as the savanna full of dinosaurs in the Spielberg saga.

Matukituki River, New Zealand
UNESCO World Heritage
Wanaka, New Zealand

The Antipodes Great Outdoors

If New Zealand is known for its tranquility and intimacy with Nature, Wanaka exceeds any imagination. Located in an idyllic setting between the homonymous lake and the mystic Mount Aspiring, it became a place of worship. Many kiwis aspire to change their lives there.
In elevator kimono, Osaka, Japan
Characters
Osaka, Japan

In the Company of Mayu

Japanese nightlife is a multi-faceted, multi-billion business. In Osaka, an enigmatic couchsurfing hostess welcomes us, somewhere between the geisha and the luxury escort.
Cahuita, Costa Rica, Caribbean, beach
Beaches
Cahuita, Costa Rica

An Adult Return to Cahuita

During a backpacking tour of Costa Rica in 2003, the Caribbean warmth of Cahuita delights us. In 2021, after 18 years, we return. In addition to an expected, but contained modernization and hispanization of the town, little else had changed.
Kirkjubour, Streymoy, Faroe Islands
Religion
Kirkjubour, streymoy, Faroe Islands

Where the Faroese Christianity Washed Ashore

A mere year into the first millennium, a Viking missionary named Sigmundur Brestisson brought the Christian faith to the Faroe Islands. Kirkjubour became the shelter and episcopal seat of the new religion.
Back in the sun. San Francisco Cable Cars, Life Ups and Downs
On Rails
San Francisco, USA

San Francisco Cable Cars: A Life of Highs and Lows

A macabre wagon accident inspired the San Francisco cable car saga. Today, these relics work as a charm operation in the city of fog, but they also have their risks.
emperor akihito waves, emperor without empire, tokyo, japan
Society
Tokyo, Japan

The Emperor Without Empire

After the capitulation in World War II, Japan underwent a constitution that ended one of the longest empires in history. The Japanese emperor is, today, the only monarch to reign without empire.
Ditching, Alaska Fashion Life, Talkeetna
Daily life
Talkeetna, Alaska

Talkeetna's Alaska-Style Life

Once a mere mining outpost, Talkeetna rejuvenated in 1950 to serve Mt. McKinley climbers. The town is by far the most alternative and most captivating town between Anchorage and Fairbanks.
Amboseli National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro, Normatior Hill
Wildlife
Amboseli National Park, Kenya

A Gift from the Kilimanjaro

The first European to venture into these Masai haunts was stunned by what he found. And even today, large herds of elephants and other herbivores roam the pastures irrigated by the snow of Africa's biggest mountain.
Napali Coast and Waimea Canyon, Kauai, Hawaii Wrinkles
Scenic Flights
napali coast, Hawaii

Hawaii's Dazzling Wrinkles

Kauai is the greenest and rainiest island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is also the oldest. As we explore its Napalo Coast by land, sea and air, we are amazed to see how the passage of millennia has only favored it.