Glenn's South American Oddssy

Took the pass across to Chile through a brilliant valley that ends in a 5 mile tunnel, then drops down on a zigzag highway below the snow line to a valley that leads out of the mountains.








Arriving at Vina del Mar I felt like I was back in California! It is good to be at the beach for a change. I am getting tired of the desert. After a day it was south to Valparaiso and a change of sights.














The town is built on seaside hills that are quite steep, and in the early 1900s the Ascenders were put in around town. They make a good way to get up and down. Most of them are around 100 years old and they run at about a 45-degree angle.

































Graffiti here also takes on a new art form! This was one of the best I found. On Sundays at many of the view points on the cliffs, budding artist try selling their wares. Some are very colorful.
















So are the houses! This makes for a nice change to plain white houses. This is the local style.














Because of winter conditions, I had to use the same pass I came over to to get back to Argentina. Arriving in the town of Los Andes, I stopped at the market. As I turned in I heard a strange noise, but could not see anything. The next stop was the
service station and the noise got worse, so I found a place where I could take a
closer look. The problem was a wheel bearing, so I went back to town and the noise continued to get worse. At a service station I got directions to a parts shop.

The next thing I had to do was to find a press to remove the old wheel bearing and install the new one. Directions lead me across town. This guy got the job done in one hour, but by this time it was dark, so I had to put it all back together in the dark. After this adventure it was off to Mendoza, Argentina. As a safety thing I got a spare wheel bearing, and a week later I needed it. Same problem with the other side.