Puente del Inca
In the morning we check out early and meet Andre in the lobby. The group loads their gear, I jump in with my daypack. We drive to a government building where we register to climb the mountain, about $500. After some paperwork (and of course draining my wallet) we get our permissions, load into the van and are off to the Andes.
We arrive in Puente del Inca at 2800m (9186ft) and check into the bunk camp hotel. We are all staying in a single room of bunk beds, a shared bathroom with a shower, broken toilet and disgusting closet. The lock on our door will also break before we leave. We all take a hike to the hot springs and bridges and then down to the Aconcagua cemetery of deceased climbers. This is a solemn reminder of the dangers that we face on this mountain. I must pay $60 for a mule transfer for my delayed bag (which is still in Mendoza) in case my bag arrives. You might wonder why the mule transfer for my bag that is included in the cost of my trip cannot be used when I actually have a bag to transfer. I wondered that too. Lunch and dinner here were not very good, including a severely overcooked pasta….but if I thought that was overcooked I need only wait for worse to come. We meet our 2nd guide Nacho. Nacho seems a bit separated from our group, but really shines later with individual help to some of the slower climbers in our group. We did find a little lounge upstairs with a TV and satellite dish that had a single English speaking channel and we all watched Three Kings. Acclimatization has begun.
Sunday, December 21, 2008