Freshly loaded with all sacred Argentinian goods, we headed towards the Chilean border. There were now only a few days until the previously known loading date for the container in San Antonio. A request as to whether the date can also be postponed has not yet been answered.
We drove towards the Libertadores border crossing between Argentina and Chile through long and wide valleys until we reached Puente del Inca. There was a former sulfur mine and an old bridge to marvel at (along with countless souvenir shops). Shortly thereafter came the only view of Aconcagua that could be seen from the road. Aconcagua is the highest mountain in South America and one of our friend Agustín's main fields of work.
After we took the obligatory photo, we continued - and not through the tunnel in the classic way, but over the old pass road. This piste winds in countless serpentines up to the Paso de Uspallata, which is about 3830 m high. A phenomenal route, we thought. And: here you could also catch a glimpse of the Aconcagua. On the Chilean side, the slope then became progressively narrower and steeper. Shortly after we reached the tar road that came out of the tunnel, we came to the border post.
An incredibly huge facility, especially since we have only seen small border crossings so far. But fortunately we drove anti-cyclically on this Easter weekend and so we were almost the only ones who were processed in the big hall. As always, the border officials were very friendly and this time even the drug and fruit dogs were allowed on our bus. Luckily we didn't have any drugs or fruit and vegetables with us. And off we went... a few switchbacks further down and then south into Valle Juncal to a nice place in the river bed.
The next morning we then made our way to the Cajón del Maipo, the area southeast of Santiago, of which I made a hiking map in 2011 and where I knew so many nice places to stay. After a long and somewhat tough drive with a stopover at a supermarket in Santiago, we reached El Volcán, the end of the tarred road, just before nightfall. From here we continued on a very steep but very good slope, mostly in 1st and 2nd gear. When we finally turned into the Valle de las Arenas and worked our way up the meanwhile very good gravel road, I had bad suspicions. And indeed - the road up into the valley was closed to vehicles, because it was now privately owned by a mining company that mined lime there. What a frustration.
We stayed overnight in a small parking lot for climbers and started straight into the Valle del Yeso the next day. At the end of the road in this valley are the Termas del Plomo, not totally hot springs but pleasant, plus the valley is beautiful and there are plenty of places to stay. But here, too, a gate blocked our way a few kilometers from the impressive Embalse del Yeso reservoir. The road is closed from April to August due to falling rocks. Great! On the way back down the valley, we noticed a small square right next to a small stream. Although not 10 m away from the street, it is still almost invisible because it is a little below. Perfect for the kids, they could play with water and mud all afternoon and the next morning. However, the approach was a bit exciting. As you know, you always go down, but you need a bit of momentum and the rear barrier to go up – but then it wasn’t a problem for Zacharias.
Our plan was to go to the sea again, depending on whether we were already there on April 13th. or on 17.4. had to load the container. On the way to Playa Topocalma we treated ourselves to two more nights at Río Maipo near Talagante. However, due to the water needs of Santiago and the countless wineries in the Maipo Valley, the river is more of a small creek than a large stream. But the place was very nice and relaxed. Our main task here was to nurse a young injured bitch back to health - with sausages, disinfectant spray and antibiotics. And already after 2 days there was a visible improvement, because the bitch was able to put some weight on her front paw again.
Then it was on to the Pacific. On the way we stopped at a car parts dealer for a sealing ring for the cooling water sensor, Luisa had found drops under the bus and the leak was quickly tracked down. There wasn't the right seal, but there was a similar one that we will try if necessary.
As we approached Topocalma Beach, the track got worse and more exciting. In the end it was really fun again and we were able to find a beautiful spot on the black beach near a lagoon with flamingos. After two days we headed back towards San Antonio to the Río Rapel, where we also spent two relaxing nights on the riverbank.
These last few nights have been a little different from all the previous ones. They were the last ones on the bus for this trip, because soon it should go to a small apartment in San Antonio, from where we take the bus to the port and then drive to the airport. In addition, it was also the last nights in our Zacharias. Because there are already plans for the future. As already indicated, the body can no longer be saved, so we will build the entire bus in a new body or replace the body. It will soon be over with Zacharias, so to speak - but we'll see how everything turns out 😉
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