Day Three Hundred Four: Tour Bus Backing Up a Mountain

We joined a tour group headed to Potrerillos Lake today. There were a couple of stops along the way, one of which was to see a Christ statue on a high hill overlooking the lake. And when I say "hill" I mean one of the foothills of the Andes, so not exactly a small one. When we got to the gravel road leading to the statue, the bus driver started heading up in reverse. The tour guide explained there was no way for the bus to turn around at the top, so this was the only way. The driver obviously knew what he was doing, but it was a little nerve-racking for the passengers, who couldn't see where we were going and only knew there seemed to be a pretty steep drop-off on one side. We made it to the top safe and sound to enjoy the lovely views, but it was definitely a new experience for me.

This picture doesn't really do justice to how steep or long the road was

The whole scene at the top of the hill

Day Two Hundred Eighty-Four: International Bus Trip

We arrived in Santiago, Chile last night and hopped on a bus bound for Mendoza, Argentina this morning. We have rarely traveled by bus and certainly not for long trips and especially not for international trips, but we wanted to have the opportunity to get a good look at the Andes, and we thought this was the best way to do it. The seven-hour ride passed very pleasantly and quickly, and the border stop was not difficult at all. It was quite a nice experience, and the scenery was absolutely breathtaking!

First international bus trip

The road through the Andes

Potrerillos Lake