We are now in Chile having made the trek with a hired driver and guide over the Andes from Mendoza to Santiago, Chile. The ride up to the summit on this one and only pass from Argentina to Santiago was a very relaxed ride. The view of the pre-Andes and the Andes are very spectacular. At the summit is the border crossing station. Argentina and Chile are not on the best of terms so maybe that is why it is a big pain to cross. In a very old fashion way, we fill out documents and then get are bags inspected. Janelle’s two bags show something that resembles seeds and so that means a full inspection of her bags and another 30 minutes of delay. It turns out that the “seeds” were lemon drops. On the descent into Chile, the first ten miles have 29 hair-pin switchbacks. It reminds us of the Crookest Street in the World, Lombard St. in San Francisco, but on a grand scale. The road is heavily traveled by trucks and this portion is so steep that many of the trucks travel very slowly in 1st gear so they don’t burn their brakes. Once down, the road is two lanes and passing trucks and slow cars make for a rather nerve-racking adventure.
Colchagua Valley Wine Country
Montes is one of the most recognized Chilean wineries. They produce a huge amount of wine and our Costco stores carries a very nice selection of the Montes Alpha label. The winery is set against Montes Hill that looks more like a small mountain, but they insist on calling it a hill here in Chile. The highlight of our tour is a ride up part of this mountain to the outer limits of their vineyards.