So here we are, finally, at Hostel La Chimba. It is a peaceful place in an Artsy district nestled at the foot of San Cristóbal Hill. Here's a picture from the front.
Looks and sounds familiar, right?
I'm getting déjà vu as well, but let me back up a bit.
Not only that, but a bus trip from Buenos Aires to Mendoza would have taken 22 hours. Here is a map.
After Mendoza, we planned to make our way South, starting with San Carlos de Bariloche, a beautiful lake town in the mountains, from what we've read and heard.
That trip is about 15 hours, pictured here.
That trip is about 15 hours, pictured here.
... but 22 hours to Mendoza to kick off the trip is a long time on a bus. We planned on ending our trip in Buenos Aires after travelling South the Patagonia, as it will be cooler in March or April, and it is the country's hub for international flights.
So we looked around some more. And found Santiago.
Santiago: The Pros
- Only six hours from Mendoza
- Cooler climate than Buenos Aires at this time of year
- Modern city, close to beaches
Santiago: The Cons
- ...
Since I'm getting really good at drawing lines on pictures, I'll show you another map, this one of the six hour trip from Santiago to Mendoza.
Buenos Aires could wait! We were going to Santiago.
As you know, we arrived and stayed for a few days and enjoyed ourselves immensely. Met some nice people, saw some nice sights, ate good food, and then we were ready to leave. We wanted to see wine country, rent bicycles and peddle from mountain town to mountain town, so we made our way over to the bus station this past Saturday. We were told that buses out of Santiago and into Argentina were easy to come by, so we didn't worry.
Unfortunately, our plans didn't work out. There was massive flooding in the mountains that rendered impassable the only road across the Andes in the vicinity of Santiago.
But that was okay. We were told that the road would be cleared by Tuesday and that we could take the same bus to Mendoza from Valparaíso on Tuesday. Oh, and by the way, new Argentine regulations as of January 6th, 2013 mandated that we pay an entrance fee of $160 if entering by bus. Although a slight inconvenience, this was okay. We shrugged it off. We now had a great excuse to visit the coastal cities, so we jumped on the opportunity.
We had a blast. Hostal Jacaranda, situated on the top of a hill, accessible by three funiculars or a strong pair of legs, was perfect. It was like staying in a friend's house, partly because it was a house. Everyone congregated in the kitchen, living room, and outdoor patio at meal times, and we met folks from all over to walk about the hilly city with us.
Here are some pictures of Rachel and I at the beach.
Since I'm getting really good at drawing lines on pictures, I'll show you another map, this one of the six hour trip from Santiago to Mendoza.
Buenos Aires could wait! We were going to Santiago.
As you know, we arrived and stayed for a few days and enjoyed ourselves immensely. Met some nice people, saw some nice sights, ate good food, and then we were ready to leave. We wanted to see wine country, rent bicycles and peddle from mountain town to mountain town, so we made our way over to the bus station this past Saturday. We were told that buses out of Santiago and into Argentina were easy to come by, so we didn't worry.
Unfortunately, our plans didn't work out. There was massive flooding in the mountains that rendered impassable the only road across the Andes in the vicinity of Santiago.
But that was okay. We were told that the road would be cleared by Tuesday and that we could take the same bus to Mendoza from Valparaíso on Tuesday. Oh, and by the way, new Argentine regulations as of January 6th, 2013 mandated that we pay an entrance fee of $160 if entering by bus. Although a slight inconvenience, this was okay. We shrugged it off. We now had a great excuse to visit the coastal cities, so we jumped on the opportunity.
We had a blast. Hostal Jacaranda, situated on the top of a hill, accessible by three funiculars or a strong pair of legs, was perfect. It was like staying in a friend's house, partly because it was a house. Everyone congregated in the kitchen, living room, and outdoor patio at meal times, and we met folks from all over to walk about the hilly city with us.
Here are some pictures of Rachel and I at the beach.
But I'm getting a little off track. The title of this post refers to our trouble with the bus system.
We went to double-check with the bus company on Sunday about our reserved bus ticket to Mendoza. We were told that the road was still impassable, and that our bus trip for Tuesday would probably be cancelled. Friday or Saturday was looking more likely.
We did some thinking. We liked Chile, we liked Valparaíso and Viña del Mar, but we were antsy to see Argentina. The peak months to hike in Patagonia are January and February, and our time was slowly ticking away. We asked about Bariloche, in the South of Argentina, and yes, the bus company did have a ticket to Bariloche on Tuesday night at 10 o'clock PM. We'd cross the Andes much further South and have to skip Mendoza for now. It could wait.
Just one more map, I promise. This is more to show my Mom where we are and where we are going. Right, Mom?
To make this long story a bit shorter, we arrived at the bus station on Tuesday (yesterday) and our bus had departed at 8 o'clock PM, not 10 o'clock PM as we'd been told.*
Was there another bus to Mendoza on Tuesday?
No.
Wednesday?
No.
Thursday, Friday?
No to Thursday, but Friday... yes. Yes, there was a bus on Friday night.
By this time, it was 9 o'clock at night and we had no place to stay in Valparaíso. Hostal Jacaranda was already full. Mentally, we'd had enough of Valparaíso, mainly because we thought we'd have been on the road to Argentina by then. As Santiago is a larger hub for travel, we decided to bus back there and figure it out.
(No map necessary.)
We arrived in Santiago last night (this morning?) at midnight. We stood in line at the ticket office for thirty minutes. No, there were no buses to Mendoza until Friday, and also, there was no such place as Bariloche. The ticket officer waved us away to another office which ended up being closed. It was midnight, after all. So we lugged our bags back again, stood in the ticket line for another thirty minutes, asked a different teller for a ticket to Bariloche, and were again told that the bus company does not go there.
That's when I looked at the man's computer screen and saw what he had typed: Varilocha. I suppose my Spanish enunciation and accent aren't that good.
Tired, hungry, fed-up, we booked our ticket. We are going to Bariloche on Friday night, but for now, we're off to explore Santiago again!
So here we are, finally, at Hostel La Chimba...
... but hopefully only until Friday.
Cheers,
Tom
* I'll grudgingly admit that the fault probably lies with my inability to comprehend military time in Spanish, despite my years with the Navy, but I consider this only a footnote-able mention.
We went to double-check with the bus company on Sunday about our reserved bus ticket to Mendoza. We were told that the road was still impassable, and that our bus trip for Tuesday would probably be cancelled. Friday or Saturday was looking more likely.
We did some thinking. We liked Chile, we liked Valparaíso and Viña del Mar, but we were antsy to see Argentina. The peak months to hike in Patagonia are January and February, and our time was slowly ticking away. We asked about Bariloche, in the South of Argentina, and yes, the bus company did have a ticket to Bariloche on Tuesday night at 10 o'clock PM. We'd cross the Andes much further South and have to skip Mendoza for now. It could wait.
Just one more map, I promise. This is more to show my Mom where we are and where we are going. Right, Mom?
To make this long story a bit shorter, we arrived at the bus station on Tuesday (yesterday) and our bus had departed at 8 o'clock PM, not 10 o'clock PM as we'd been told.*
Was there another bus to Mendoza on Tuesday?
No.
Wednesday?
No.
Thursday, Friday?
No to Thursday, but Friday... yes. Yes, there was a bus on Friday night.
By this time, it was 9 o'clock at night and we had no place to stay in Valparaíso. Hostal Jacaranda was already full. Mentally, we'd had enough of Valparaíso, mainly because we thought we'd have been on the road to Argentina by then. As Santiago is a larger hub for travel, we decided to bus back there and figure it out.
(No map necessary.)
We arrived in Santiago last night (this morning?) at midnight. We stood in line at the ticket office for thirty minutes. No, there were no buses to Mendoza until Friday, and also, there was no such place as Bariloche. The ticket officer waved us away to another office which ended up being closed. It was midnight, after all. So we lugged our bags back again, stood in the ticket line for another thirty minutes, asked a different teller for a ticket to Bariloche, and were again told that the bus company does not go there.
That's when I looked at the man's computer screen and saw what he had typed: Varilocha. I suppose my Spanish enunciation and accent aren't that good.
Tired, hungry, fed-up, we booked our ticket. We are going to Bariloche on Friday night, but for now, we're off to explore Santiago again!
So here we are, finally, at Hostel La Chimba...
... but hopefully only until Friday.
Cheers,
Tom
* I'll grudgingly admit that the fault probably lies with my inability to comprehend military time in Spanish, despite my years with the Navy, but I consider this only a footnote-able mention.
Okay, I'm laughing as I'm reading this! I'm sure it wasn't funny at the time, but someday - in the far off future it will be a funny story - I promise! By the way - I too appreciate the maps!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy Santiago. Again. :)