And all we did today was have lunch - again - and what a lunch!!

Having watched the forecast for a few days we timed our crossing to perfection. Had we delayed another day we would have probably had to stay in Chile for another week. We crossed into Argentina at 3 pm and they told us that at 6 pm the border would be closed until further notice due to snow!

The next night was cold and wet, so we decided that a few nights out of the roof tent were in order and headed for Antigua Residence in Mendoza (a Hostel highly recommended on IOverlander). It was a long day driving and we arrived in the dark (probably the third time we have driven in the dark in 3 years) and we were more than relieved to find that they had room for us.

This place is just amazing. Owned by an Italian family that bought this former champagne producing vineyard 7 years ago in an extremely dilapidated state and have converted it into an amazing hostel. they have even converted the ' tanks' that were used to make champagne have been converted into bedrooms. So, after 49 nights in the roof tent and 2,500 miles in the last 17 days and  we decided we would stay here for a few days.

First we visited a place that makes Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar, then a place the produces lots of different spirits and liquors and then yesterday we visited  a winery and decided we would stay for lunch, a beautiful setting and when we asked for the menu the chef came out and explained each of the courses in great detail. There was a choice of 3 or 5 course set menu and the chef offered to give us a taster of the first 3 courses of the 5 course meal as our first course, amazing and  accompanied by 3 different wines.

This was followed by the tour, followed by wine tasting and when we had finished our guide put the cork in the last bottle and gave it to us to take home - all in all an excellent day.

We have had a lazy day today in preparation for getting back on the road tomorrow and received an email from the Swiss couple we met at Pisco Elqui saying that they are currently stranded in Chile waiting for flood water to subside, where as here it has been gorgeous whether since we arrived in Mendoza.

We head for the hills

and over the pass

We visit this 106 year old olive farm, with the original olive press still in position

and see the olive trees, also 106 ears old, but these are very young as they will keep baring fruit for 2,000 years.

After the press the pulp was put between these mesh plates and squashed and unlike the press, which was replaced many years ago, these will still in operation into the late 1990's. 

all now replaced by this! Which could be anything.

then the olive oil is collected in these large tanks

like wine the balsamic vinegar is aged in oak barrels

Hostel Antigua, converted from a derelict champagne winery

The old champagne tanks have all been converted into rooms. The owner of the property and master mind of the conversion stands in the distance. The Hostel is run by his two daughters, one of which is standing next to Chris giving us the guided tour

The Cellar used for meetings 

and this used to be a large underground champagne tank

the original safe, inside which they found many plans and details of the original business.

Finca Agostino, we are given a welcome glass of champagne on the roof terrace while we wait for the next tour

then we wander over to the restaurant and decide to have lunch first

Our starter

and main course

accompanied by lots of wine

and a picture with the chef (but I really should have taken my napkin off!!!

and then dessert

followed by the wine tour, this vineyard is only 12 years old so all very modern

Mariana, our host and tour guide, she is actually the restaurant manager but by the time we finished lunch the tour guide proper had to go because it was his mothers birthday so Mariana offered to take his place. She told us that she visited the UK one summer and was like autumn in Mendoza

Chinchillas in the Mist

So, we are still in Chile! As planned, the day after the last post we drove up to Pisco Elqui and booked into a tour with an English speaking guide at 3pm, and then erected the roof tent in a camp site a 500 meteres away, ready for a few Piscos.

The tour was excellent and included 3 glasses of different Piscos, plus a Pisco Sour at the end (which was so good we had another), in the company of a Swiss couple travelling in a motor home. They joined us for dinner and a couple of bottles of wine between us and then asked us back to their Motor Home where they broke out the bottle of pisco they had just bought! We have not had so much neat alcohol since Siberia!

Allegedly, at one point whilst walking home, (according to Chris), I veered off to the right looking for a ditch to fall in, Chris tried to stop me and (she says) and we both ended up in a pile in the middle of the road, another similarity to Siberia.

During our conversation with the Swiss they told us that they were one of the last vehicle through the pass and was now closed for the winter. The pass that we planned to take the following day!!

So for the last few days we have been travelling south again, another night at truck stops, another night on the beach, a night by a Lake and a detour inland to stay at a Chinchilla Park, with Chinchillas and foxes for company.

The saga of the cracked wheel was not over either, when driving through a town on the way to the lake a taxi driver was pointing at the same wheel, it was flat again, a quick pump up to get us to the Lake and then had to put a spare on (as it was Sunday the following day). Monday morning we stopped in the first tyre place and asked him to swap the tyres over (so the new tyre was on the spare rim), but he did not quite understand and rolled the wheel to a welder next door. 3 times he welded it before it stopped leaking, but I still got him to swap the tyres over so the welded wheel is now a spare. That was 4 days ago and so far is still at full pressure.

We are now back at the first camp site we stayed at in Chile, in fact our favourite site in Chile, by a Lake and with luck we will cross into Argentina tomorrow, the same way we came in, but apparently even this might be closed in a couple of days due to snow!

Pisco is actually made from the dark patches in the distance are actually vines coverred in sandy coloured netting to protect from the sun and the wind. The netting at the side is to hold in the moisture when it is foggy.

Early Pisco distilling equipment

This dried out cows udder was used for carrying water.

They used to seal the bottles in clay in a cellar to keep them cool

A 1930's American truck originally used in a mine was later used by the distilliary to bring the grapes up from the fields, which previously were all carried by hand.

Where the grape juice is stored after the grapes have been crushed and before it is distilled.

Modern distilling process

and like wine is aged in oak barrels

there are a few of these on the road through the Chichilla Park, all hand painted, 

And the real thing, roaming wild in the park

A fox lurking round our tent in the dark

The back corner of a parking area off the motorway

All we did today was have lunch

The problem with northern Chile at this time of year is that although it is dessert (hence no rain) and the temperatures are perfect (22 to 25) the combination of cold sea and warm air causes clouds to build up along the coast that often spread up to 15 miles inland and it is also quite windy. The result is that the beach can be quite dull and cool until mid afternoon and then the clouds roll in again to obscure the sunset.

Due to this and the desert terrain having been much the same for the last few hundred miles and would continue to be so to the top of Chile, we decided to go straight to San Pedro de Atacama (via a few more beach stops, instead of going to the top of Chile and back down to San Pedro (about 1,000 miles).

From San Pedro the plan was then to cross back into Argentina, but here the plan changed again and we decided on an about turn back through Chile, instead of the 4,200m pass into Argentina. I was already struggling with the altitude at 2,300m (not sure if due to the new heart pills - I should have asked about altitude). Customs for both countries is at 4,200m, there have been reports of long delays and the road stays above 4,000m for around 100 miles onLa Serena this route.

In a 3 day dash on the main road we cover 800 miles and end up back in La Serena, where we have heard of a couple of good mechanics, we are in need of an oil change, the steering pump is losing oil and a bracket is broken on the exhaust.

We stop for the night at a truck stop just north of La  Serena and when I get out of the truck I see one of the rear tyres is very low I pump it up and although I cannot see any problem after a thorough examination it goes down again quite quickly. First stop tyre place, they cannot find a leak so assume it is a bad seal to the rim, but when putting it back on they see bubbles coming from the middle of the rim, which turns out to be cracked. On to the first garage, who undertakes the oil change, checks all of the suspension and steering but advise that  I will not be able to repair or replace the steering pump in Chile, but he does give me some steering pump leak stop so we will see if that works. This guy does not have welding equipment so on to the next Adventura Jack

Aventura Jack is a 75 year old Canadian who has a storage yard for Motor Homes an also repairs them and rents them out for the owners. Others had put on IOverlander that he was happy to let overlanders stay on his property, to help solve peoples problems and has a mechanic and welding equipment  (he also has a commercial washing machine which he was happy for travellers to use). So, we stayed the night, washed the bedding, welded the bracket and replaced the rubber mounting for the exhaust, and also welded the crack in the wheel, so except for the steering pump we are back on the road and rattle free

So now we are back in Vicuna, in the Elqui Valley, where the sky is blue, the sun is shining and not a hint of a cloud (but still bloody freezing when the sun goes down behind the mountains at 19.00). The new plan is to cross into Argentina up the road from here. The top of the pass is higher than before (4,770 m) but the customs posts are 50 miles each side, both at around 2,000m and although the top of the pass is higher the amount of time above 4,000m is a lot less.

But we have decided to stay here for a couple of days before crossing and today made another unsuccesful attempt at doing a Pisco tour, so all we did today was had lunch of goat cooked in a solar oven in a little restaurant down the valley. Third time lucky for the Pisco tour tomorrow!

We continue up the coas

As we head inland we find a deserted Mining Town

The theatre has been restored, in the 1930's had many top international plays and shows

Approaching San Pedro

With many snow capped mountains all around

The Adobe Church in San Pedro

The streets of San Pedro with a snow capped volcano in the background

This fairly modern sculpture is miles from anywhere in the middle of the desert.

Back to the Elqui Valley