We are on the overnighter travelling north to Mendoza on the east side of the Andes via the Ruta 40 (the longest road in Argentina and one of the longest in the world: over 5000 kms) - 20 hours by bus!
Comfortable seats, we watch the country fly by: more lakes, arid terrain, snow-capped Lanín Volcano in the distance towering over the landscape.
Very relaxing (except when the limite de velocidad just above my head goes off when the driver exceeds the speed limit: absolutely ear-piercing!); dozed a little, read a little, watched a Bruce Willis movie with Spanish sub-titles (good practice!) ... I have never seen so many shots fired & blokes killed; and anyway, how come everyone bar the hero is such a bad shot (un malo tiro)?
At the 3-hour point, we drop off a couple of passengers in a hot-looking, nondescript town. And travel on. It's a very long journey. I hope the driver was relieved by a second one? Bus is not very full.
Oh, hilarious! The conductor had us all play bingo! The guy that won got a bottle of white wine! Certainly helped while away the time - & gave some practice with numbers in Spanish!
Another film.
Through the very big city of Neuquén: university, international airport, casino (like they seem to always have in the major towns). Pick up more passengers & petrol. Now 7:30 p.m. Another 2 bus stops in Neuquén; and yet another stop up a back street for fresh water & other supplies such as ice - another hour taken up with these activities.
And we get fed fairly ghastly 'meals' of ghastly big bread rolls with thin slices of ham & cheese & a sachet of mayonnaise (which I normally would eschew but for the fact it makes the thing edible especially if you eat only half the bread; although I have to say I enjoyed the cup of mate (a type of tea made from yerba leaves & is defined by law in Argentina as the "national infusion"!).
At about 11:00 p.m., when we were almost asleep & the bus was in darkness, the lights sprang into action: we had arrived into another bus stop and, once on our way again, they served dinner!!! (which we said 'no' to as we had had some bread & cheese & devon earlier at a more civilised 8:00 p.m.); followed by another film! Adam Sandler. Quite funny actually, but my eyes felt like they were falling out of their sockets!
Drifted off eventually. Slept on & off through the night. Another couple of stops. San Rafael perhaps?
Woke early to the most beautiful view of long plains with the pale colours of small shrubs that stretched out to the snow-capped Andes. Then poplar trees. Then vineyards. Absolutely beautiful in the early morning light.
Bus stop: San Carlos. Off again. Some overly cheerful local music.
Now the towns seem to have a more well-to-do air: nice cars, houses, good pavements, although bars on windows. Oleanders, hibiscus. Dogs lying in doorways in the sun.
Latin music clips as we drive into Mendoza half an hour late (9:00 a.m.).
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