Highest peak in the Americas

"He said it was the second highest peak in the world," someone explained. I thought, "No way, what about the Himalayas?" Well, he was partially right. Acancagua, in Argentina near the border with Chile, is the highest peak in the Americas, and the highest peak outside of Asia. It's 6,962m, slightly shorter than Everest's 8,848m. Not sure how many mountains in the Himalayas are taller than Acancagua, but Acancagua is the second highest peak of the seven summits (highest mountains on each of the continents).

We drove through the mountains on our way to Chile. It was beautiful. I kept waiting for the glimpse of Acancagua - I'm pretty sure I saw it and we passed it, but can say for sure which peak it was. The snow-capped peaks were lovely though.

Wine country

Mendoza = wine country of Argentina. Italian (and Spanish) immigrants brought wine making with them to the region, and now wine is exported from here all over the world. Two of the most common grapes are malbec and cabernet sauvignon. In fact, Mendoza is known for its malbec. Apparently, malbec means "bad beak" in French, as the grape didn't really take there. But it flourishes here with the altitude and the climate. You can do wine tours here; by bus, by car, by bike or any other way you can get to the vineyards. I went by bike. Not as crazy as you might think!

Tango

Buenos Aires is the home of the tango. The dance/musical genre originated here (and Montevideo, Uruguay) over a century ago. I don't think a lot of Argentines dance tango, but it's survived and thrived, with lessons and shows throughout the city. We tried it; learned a couple of steps, patted ourselves on the back for remembering the short routine. And then we saw a show. Touristy for sure, but impressive nonetheless. All the kicks and spins and turns! And so fast. Our little steps didn't even begin to compare. It was beautiful.

Poor Niagara

Apparently, when Eleanor Roosevelt saw Iguazu, she said, "Poor Niagara". Indeed. Not the highest falls (that's Victoria) but higher and wider than Niagara, split into over 200 different falls. Iguazu falls lies at the border between Argentina and Brazil, with Paraguay just a little ways away. I could see Brazil across The Devil's Throat. So close.

Salta

When I arrived in Salta, I was amazed. I couldn't believe how European the city looked. I could have been in Italy, or Spain. A large plaza adorned the middle of the town; a fountain within, open air cafes surrounding. It's easy to forget sometimes (especially with the recent financial crisis) that Argentina was once one of the richest countries in the world at the turn of the 20th century. But the cities, the cities remind you.

Desert towns and salt flats

So, my South American adventure has sadly come to an end. It was an amazing trip, and I'll try to sum it up soon. But in the meantime, I'll be posting some more lagging entries. This one is from the Atacama desert - the driest desert in the world. The Atacama lies in northern Chile, its landscape filled with sand, salt and lava flows. Over the border from Bolivia, we drove through the barren landscape, through winding (though paved!) roads, past active volcanoes to the desert town of San Pedro de Atacama. Set in an oasis in the desert, San Pedro was tiny and extremely touristy, with every other shop selling tours of the salt flats, sand dunes, moonscapes. But it was lovely, relaxed and warm. A welcome respite after days of cold.

A picture of the 16th century church in San Pedro.














The main drag:













A lovely fire keeping the restaurant warm as we sipped our Chilean wine.