Well here I am back home in one sort of piece, just a slipped disc for my efforts, so much to tell after my first two days of adventure in Valparaiso. These scenes are all at Ave Argentina trolleybus terminal, very near the scene of the camera robbery on the Sunday. On the Monday the weather was lousy, the only really bad weather day on the trip, Chile was indeed Chilly.
These scenes on the Saturday with Ricardo guarding me, this was the roughest place I visited including Sao Paulo.
As you can see a fair old mixture of vehicles and local colour, one depoled just after leaving the terminus. The Pullman rebuilds look horrid but are so unique, all 700 and 800 series are now museum pieces , mobile National Monuments, but that did little to help the W class in Melbourne stay in service rather than just exist.
The bus ride on from Santiago went forever, a most uncomfortable, excruciating journey broken only by the pleasant company of a young solicitor from Argentina who with her French boyfriend was sailing a yacht around various parts of the world including an impending trans Atlantic crossing for which I wish them bon voyage and good luck. Passed through Mendoza about 9 pm, all quiet no trolleys spotted, reported only ZIUs left, Solingens out of service.
The trip over the Andes was as I remembered it, I'd love to film the trucks there some time, about 30 or 40 hairpins in two sections, loads of old US trucks. The border crossing remains a tortuous affair wasting a couple of hours mid Andes, Argentina and Chile obviously still have their problems with each other. We eventually arrived in Cordoba around 9.30 am the next day, shattered but the sun was shining, the left luggage was right by the stop and the trolleys were running, I'll follow with more Valp pics before picking up on Argentina. Glad to be back with you all
Dave
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