Nai-publish: 16.10.2017
Four days after departure and three flights, one bus and one car ride later, we arrived - at our first kite spot.
It started in Frankfurt on a 34-hour journey to Santiago de Chile. Unfortunately, in Frankfurt we had to report our first losses, as the lady at the Delta Airlines counter did not want to let our kite bag with 36kg pass, and Luki had to leave his 15m kite in Germany with a heavy heart. So we are traveling in the coming months with "only" four kites, three bars, two wetsuits and harnesses through South America.
Arriving in Santiago, we had a half a day layover, which we used for a little city walk with a visit to the market, feeling exhausted and completely worn out.
The following day, we took a bus from Santiago through the Andes to Mendoza in Argentina. The journey was breathtaking, offering us a completely new landscape every half hour. From green hills to snow-covered mountains, we crossed a variety of landscapes and 3,300 altitude meters. shivering in the freezing temperature of about 4 degrees (Luki in shorts) on top of the pass, we had the most relaxed entry into Argentina. Once arrived in Mendoza, our strength was only enough for a city stroll. The altitude meters we covered in the Andes weighed heavily on us.
After another night, we continued to our actual destination, the "Cuesta del Viento" (Wind Slope), by rental car. At the first police control, we were slightly taken aback and had to pay some money and give away our avocado (it seems that importing avocados within Argentina is not allowed). The drive through the mountains was again spectacular, and after several hours, we arrived in Rodeo, a small, rather un-touristy town right next to the lake. Now we are sitting in front of the open fire in our accommodation, hoping that the wind will allow us to kite tomorrow and that the temperatures won't be too cold.