Our time in Mendoza was short lived. Over half way through our trip we began to realise that it would be struggle for time to complete our full route and get back to Buenos Aires. So after just just three nights, it was time to head to Santiago.

It was to be a long day, over 220 miles and a border crossing to complete. Once out of Mendoza the route began to get scenic.

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Closer to the border there’s a dirt road that follows Paso Internacional Los Libertadores. Initially we tried to take that, but found it to be impassible.

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Back on the main road, the queue for the border was long. We began to get bored and play with the Sony 10-18 f/4 on the A7. I took the following picture with my arms over my head shooting behind me.

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After 4 hours queuing in traffic, we made it through into Chile. Chile Backpackers Hostel in Santiago was to be our home for next few few days.

Located in the Bellavista neighbourhood, it was an easy walk to San Cristobal hill, offering great views of the city.

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This neighbourhood was also home some interesting street art.

street art

The owner of the hostel, Marcel, took us out for a brief tour of the area, and over course had us try a terremoto (a sweet drink made from local wine, and ice cream) at the famous ‘flea house’.

the flea house downtown santiago

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