A Weekend In Argentina
The Things You Wont See In A Brochure.
The coach ride from Chile to Mendoza is around 8 hours long! To begin with, it’s just your normal coach ride, crowded and with one tiny little screen for the entire bus to watch. I spent a lot of the journey catching up on sleep.
That is, until I reached the Andes! I arrived at the infamous “Snail Pass,” the actual name of which is ‘Paso Internacional Los Libertadores’. Telling people I’ve travelled across the Andes is pretty cool, but nothing could have prepared me for that part of the journey.
The road is exactly how it looks in pictures. It’s like a very thin snake climbing around the mountain. I would look over the edge from the window, and I couldn’t see any road beneath me; it was as if the coach was floating. The thought of the coach sliding down the side of the mountains was a constant fear in my mind, made even worse by the moment a gigantic lorry came towards us. We had to simply stop the coach, let it pass, and pray for the best.
I got to the border patrol, which I had never experienced from a bus before. I’m from the UK! We don’t do international bus rides. My only border patrol experience is at the airport, the fast-paced, busy airport with tons of intimidating security and enough room to fit millions. This experience was far from what I was used to.
Stepping off the bus, I found myself standing in a cold building tucked away in the Andes mountains. Inside, I watched as security went through people’s belongings that sat in plastic boxes, the simple kind you can buy at IKEA to store your kids’ toys. An old X-Ray machine gave bags a quick scan, and a single man checked passports as you passed. Unlike the busy airport terminals I was used to, this process felt much calmer. When it came to my turn, having my passport checked was all very quick and calm, making it quite a pleasant experience overall.
This was until it came to returning to Chile, and I realised maybe it was a little too “Quick” as they hadn’t stamped my passport when I left the country. This raised questions about how I entered Argentina. The lovely views of the mountains soon shifted as I was being held in a little glass room with PDI written all over the walls (FBI). The room had one simple table and 2 chairs on either side, and a light shining on my face from the ceiling. It was a very scary experience. Even though I had done nothing wrong, I somehow felt guilty. I tried my best to answer all the questions. After around 30 minutes, I was allowed back on the bus. No explanation was given to me. I was simply allowed to leave. To this day, I am still not sure what suddenly changed. Maybe they realised that this wasn’t my fault and just let me go. I will never know. I was Lucky enough that the driver was a lovely and understanding person who waited for me.
Once I had finally arrived in Mendoza, the butterflies in my belly soon turned to rumbling; I was starving. The first place I went was a restaurant. This was the first time in my life I had ever eaten “chimichurri” on steak and chips! (Life-changing moment!) Another thing that stood out for me as a Brit was a local pub called Liverpool, which showed a picture of The Beatles! It definitely felt familiar and felt like home.
As I walked down the street of Mendoza, I was taken away by the beautiful architecture. The buildings stood tall and glamorous, and in front of them stood beautiful, flowing trees. Little cafes, restaurants, and shops with homemade trinkets filled the street. I walked further and came to a big park. In the middle stood a beautiful, large water fountain. Looking around further, I noticed the perfectly cut grass and the little blankets along the pathway where locals were selling items. I felt a really lovely connection to this vibrant culture.
After a well-deserved rest at the hotel, I headed back out. I was ready for more exploring. As always, not everything can stay perfect! This time, I was seeing everything differently. The beautiful buildings were in front of me, but now I was seeing other things, things I had missed. Big piles of rubbish filled the corners of the streets, a lot of it thrown under the bridges and into the underpass. Graffiti-covered walls, and not the artistic kind either.
One thing that stood out for me is that the more I dived into Mendoza, the more I realised that it wasn’t just filled with cute little cafes and shops, but in fact had an overload of sex shops! I had never been anywhere where it was common to see sex shops on every corner. Here, it seemed totally normal. The windows were covered entirely with pictures of women in underwear.
As I had already lived in Chile and could speak Spanish, I thought I would be absolutely fine in Argentina, having conversations with locals. I was very surprised to realise that I couldn’t. I heard someone say “Las Malvinas Son De Argentina”, which means the Falkland Islands belong to Argentina. In the UK, the Falklands War was something in textbooks or something our parents or grandparents might mention; it definitely isn’t anything we sit and think about in our daily lives. In Mendoza, it seemed to be a current reality. Realising there seemed to be an issue with some locals, I stayed quiet for most of my time there, which made the whole journey less enjoyable.
I have seen many stories of people travelling to Argentina. I have never personally read a story about how anyone was made to feel uncomfortable. It makes me think: Did I go to the wrong part? If I had gone to the capital, Buenos Aires, would it have been different? Perhaps it’s more “normal” to see tourists in the big city.
Looking back, I don’t regret going to Mendoza at all. The country was honestly beautiful, even though at times I was made to feel uncomfortable, I couldn’t help but admire the locals’ passion for their country.
My overall time in Argentina was not my favourite travelling experience. I do hope that one day I can return and visit a different city for a whole new experience! I would still recommend travelling to Argentina, but I think maybe Mendoza may not be at the top of the recommendation list.
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