The trip into the High Andes made us realise just how much we miss being in the mountains. In Buenos Aires there isn’t even a hill to climb!

It was an early start to the day with a pick-up at our hotel before 8am. Believe me, that’s early!! We had tremendous views of the mountain scenery (including Aconcagua, apparently the highest peak outside the Himalyas), snowy peaks, icy rivers and reservoirs. It was such a shame to be in a bus and not able to go trekking more than a few hundred yards from the bus.

The trip took us all the way to the border with Chile where we went up countless hairpin bends to the summit. A huge statue of Christ greets you at the top and we made our first visit to the Republic of Chile. It was only for a brief few seconds but hey, we’ve been to Chile now!!

The mountains were gorgeous

So was the reservoir

The river looked cold

Fresh air! So nice after city living

Trish freezes in Argentina

Whilst Russ gets chilly in Chile

The Puenta del Inca
Thermal springs and their minerals give a yellow hue to the rock
The church in the background survived a landslide which
wiped out the hotel next door in 1965