Reality Tour, South America: The Andes Crossing

Crossing the Andes to Portillo...Aconcagua Mountain...Me and Debbie at the Reflective Lake!

The sky is vivid blue –  not a cloud in sight. A perfect day for crossing the Andes, Max informs us. But all I’m thinking is that Mt. Aconcagua is looking quite far in the distance and certainly more than a day’s journey away. I am prone to motion sickness and the thought of driving by coach through a series of switchbacks across the Andes has me a bit worried. Instead, I concentrate on the history lesson that Max is giving our group in which he describes the 300-year war between Spain (the conquistadors) and the Mapuches. Chile eventually obtained its independence from Spain thanks to the efforts of men like Bernardo O’Higgins and José de San Martin who freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence.

I am feeling fine—invigorated actually by the stunning scenery. We have traveled through tunnels and over well-maintained roads ascending higher to our next stop:  Portillo. South America’s oldest resort and internationally famous ski destination, Portillo is set high in the Andes. Stepping off the bus, Debbie is quick to notice that there is no town just one yellow lodge, the color of a sunflower—probably not a good thing for non-skiers. Our group is led through the resort to the back deck where I lay eyes on one of the most awesome mountain sights I have ever seen – and I have seen the Canadian Rockies and the Austrian Alps!

Tour guide Max and Collette passenger Marjorie in gorgeous Portillo, overlooking the Reflective Lake... Debbie & I with Kevin. It was an incredible view!

We are told that just yesterday the wind was blowing so hard, that walking around was difficult. Today, the sun is warm and there is not even a breeze to ripple Lake Inca. I hope you can see from the photo that the lake is reflecting the mountains in back of it.  Spectacular!

The Reflective Lake - panoramic masterpiece!!!

Back on the bus, we show off our treasures acquired in the gift shop including ski apparel for my 9-year-old son and a lovely cuff bracelet featuring lapis lazuli, a blue stone mined in Chile that, Pat, from our group discovered.  The trip through customs was uneventful and went pretty smoothly although I did see them tossing through the luggage of another tour group’s motor coach. Be sure to have a few coins for the attendant in the ladies room.

We are now in Argentina! Gazing out the window I notice what looks to be small piles of debris along the side of the road. Max tells us they are roadside shrines that we will see throughout Argentina (they are in Chile as well) and they come in all shapes and sizes from a small altar the size of a box to a life-size structure that you can actually enter. Most are constructed to honor El Gaucho Gil, a mythical Robin-hood-type character.

Tags: Chile, Escorted Tours, Reality Tour, South America