I’m also not most people…

Many times the journey is better than the destination. This time the destination is great, and the journey came in a close second… This is my first time through the Andes Mountain range. It was pretty impressive.

I enjoyed Chile, but now understand why there aren’t too many expats living there. It seems that everything is double the American price. Really… So… I left… And, took the long bus ride through the Andes Mountains.

It was pretty cool to see the skiers on the lift travel above the road on several of the passages.

In this section with the ski lift, the road winds back and forth up the side of the steep mountain.

In one area, there were some clouds that gave the mountains a dark angry look.

And in other areaas, it was just another beautiful day in the mountains.

These dudes were big and grand. The bus motor really got a workout climbing through this.

This is the springtime here and there is still alot of snow available.

There’s a small guage rail that runs along the side of the road in many places. It seems to be non-functioning, there were places that the tracks were missing and such. This little bridge looked a bit out of place.

Definitely a treat. I haven’t been through snow-capped mountains in many years.

As seen from the Argentinian side. The first to find that trail must have been pretty bold. I can’t imagine how many tried and didn’t make it…

More photos are in the gallery located here.

Upon arriving at the Mendoza bus terminal, we were surrounded by 12 policia and 4 narco policia. It seems that they got a tip that a passenger or the bus was carrying some drugs. We were instructed to exit the bus before the terminal and everything was searched. They emptied the entire bus contents onto the asphalt. And, I mean everything. I watched them sniff shoe polish and squirt every lotion and such to check… This was one of the few times where being a gringo in South America was a good thing. They pretty much didn’t search my stuff or really bother me and apologized for the inconvenience. Though, I had to carry all my bags to the terminal…

After arriving here, I now understand why this is called “the Paris of South America”. This city is absolutely precious. I see myself here for a while shooting oodles of pictures. There is ancient architecture, great foliage, interesting parks, old churches, animals, etc… What a great atmosphere. This city feels more alive than any city that I’ve been in for some time. The people are genuinely interested in your thoughts and opinions. And it feels very family. There is a cultural, kind of artsie, flare here. There is also a bit of a pronunciation difference. Playa is pronounced Plazscha. You don’t have a llama, you have a Zschama. And the pronunciation is very italian… Just love it…

And, of course, more pics of this unique city as I get the chance to adventure inside with my camera… I’m hoping to journey to the Iguazu falls in the next couple of weeks. But first, I need to finish a couple of websites and try to generate a little income to pay for all of this…

Capn Scott

The snowcapped Andes in the background really sets off the flag just perfect.

The press was there for interviews and coverage of the parade.

I’m not sure if this is supposed to be the way this works… The troops look at the horse, and the horse looks at the troops.

What’s a parade without marching bands?

An amazing amount of troops… All marching… Over 7,000 they say…

A military officer in full dress and a fine steed. Definitely a very macho look…

I’ve lived in many countries, but have never seen a President up close. Madame Presidente was so close at first, that I had to wait for her to get back into her vehicle for me to get the picture…

Now… That’s what I call a drum line…

These guys are a bit far from the water…

All in all a fantastic day. I’ve had a few request for more pics, so I’ve built a photo gallery and will be adding pics along the way. You can either click on the photo gallery link above the page, or click here

This is the Google Earth link for the parade grounds in Santiago, Chile

There had to be over 10,000 people here.

There were local singing favorites…

A sign encouraging everyone to participate… I don´t think anyone needed any encouragement…

Okay… I want one of these for my back yard… With the outfit and all…  (though…  I didn´t get very close to him…  I heard they bite…)

I stopped into one of the big tents to get a bite and enjoyed the dancing…

Lots and lots of dancing…

And everyone seemed to bring their own personal band…

Indians? a little unexpected… but I´m sure part of the culture…

Also, I seem to have arrived during the week of Patria.  The time when all Chilenos celebrate their country…

The obligatory church shots…

I stroll through this mall and enjoy some of the dancing festivities of the week…

Great colors and great dancing…

They really have a formal look…

And, are definitely enjoying themselves…

The live band in the background is doing a great job…

Definitely a treat to watch…

Very cool…  I think I´ve shown up at the right time…  I wish I could say that I planned this…

Another great church in the center of town…

So… I´ve taken alot of pics from an airplane… with pretty much none of them useable… Don´t know why I keep snapping the shots… thank goodness for digital…

Nice shot of the Andes…

The sun is getting ready to do the show…

We´re dropping down below this high level of clouds…

Amazing colors… and in between the levels of clouds with some of the smaller mountains and islands peeking through…