Mendoza, in the eastern foothills of the Andes, proved to be a great place to recharge our batteries a bit before beginning the daunting climb towards Chile. With plenty of green parks to stroll around in, and forced siestas between 1pm and 5pm causing city-life to grind to a halt, it is a place to relax and enjoy. We said goodbye to Saskia who had cycled with us since Salta and had to go back home, and we spent most of our time lounging around in the shadow of Aconcagua; eating and drinking.

‘Wine is the most healthy and hygienic of all drinks‘ – Mendoza is off course famous for its wine production with nearly two-thirds of all Argentinian wine coming out of this region.

The city offers great areas to just stroll around and take in the sights; like the Plaza Independencia and the immense Parque General San Martín where people seem to come only to watch other people.

There’s a lot of street art to see as well while roaming around Mendoza; a lot of it is specifically focused on water…

Because in this part of Argentina (and also in northern Chile) several controversial mining projects are threatening the region’s clean water supply (‘Water is worth more than Gold’)

After a few days of drinking wine, exploring, and barbecuing we left again. First south on the congested and dangerous Ruta 40, until we could switch to the slightly more tranquil Ruta 7 at Perdrel going west towards Chile.

Our first day out of Mendoza we got caught out in a serious thunderstorm just as we were about to leave the vineyards and ride into the hills; we thus decided to try our luck and found a great camp spot at the Las Yeguas organic winery.

Sheltered from the rain and hail we had a magnificent view over the enormous fields of Malbec grapes being flanked by the white peaks of the Cordón del Plata mountain range.

Riding up and across the first few hills we arrive in Potrerillos; a popular outdoor destination situated on the shores of an artificial lake created by the damming of the Mendoza River.

Onwards we go, surrounded by a desert landscape and battling the fierce winds which seem to randomly change direction every few minutes.

Climbing higher and higher, and getting closer to those snowcapped peaks which only a short while ago seemed so distant.

Just before we reach the mountain town of Uspallata the skies fill with dark clouds; rain is coming again.

Riding out of Uspallata we start climbing in earnest…

and Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas (at 6.962m) quickly comes into view.

Looking back to where we cycled from, we all feel a sense of accomplishment.

Arriving at the Paso Los Libertadores, also called Cristo Redentor, we are stopped by the police since we are not allowed to cycle through the 3-kilometer long tunnel.

After unloading the bicycles from the truck that took us through the tunnel it is just a short ride to the actual Chilean border.

And then the good stuff begins! Twenty-nine amazing hairpin turns cause you to drop down almost instantly from 3.081m to about 1.500m.

Picking up insane speeds, and often going fast enough to overtake buses and trucks, we continue onwards and drop down even further until we arrive in Los Andes. From here it’s a one-day ride on the expressway, passing farmland and going through the 2-kilometer long Túnel Chacabuco, towards Santiago!