I had passed Aconcagua on my journey from Chile to Argentina. It is the highest mountain in all of the Americas and the highest mountain outside of the Himalayas. It is a mountain punctured by a volcano (though now extinct). It is 6900 metres high. It attracts a lot of us travellers as the ascent is relatively easy (no climbing involves just trekking). But right now as it's Autumn here the snow line is creeping downwards and ascents are no longer possible. Not that I was planning to climb it. As I know from Tibet, trekking about 4200 metres is tough due to lack of Oxygen.
So here I am on Good Friday, looking at the majestic east side of this huge mountain.
I am staying at a hostal here near Uspallata, for the whole Easter weekend. Just like Wales it is very busy here as Thursday and Friday were holidays here. I plan on trekking, possibly getting off the beaten track in a 4x4, and just enjoying the fresh air and mountains.
My first little trip here was excellent. The hostel organises horse riding trips and when the moon is bright, they head out on horses to ride in the moonlight. So this is what I did. It was strange at first to be riding up a mountain in the dark, but lovely, as overhead was a mass of stars, the milky way stretching across the sky, and my first ever sighting of the Southern Cross groups of stars. As we rode higher, the nearly full moon rose above the mountains and I was bathed in that wonderful ghostly light. Everything was visible yet full of shadows. Our group headed to the lookout. There the luminescence of the snow on top off Aconcagua was stunning. A beautiful trip.
Today (Saturday) I am doing my blog, looking for tours, and about to head for a huge Argentinian lunch. Not sure how long I will say here, but it is so beautiful so it could be a while.
Happy Easter to you all.
