The picture shows Aconcagua. We were flying at 10.000 meters and passed it just before we landed in Santiago, Chile. After less than an hour flight from Santiago we arrived at Mendoza just after 18.00. The heat and the moist is the first thing we notice. Apart from all the paperwork, it occurs a great deal of those things in these countries, there were no problem to come through the customs check. However, Marco had to open up one of his Duffle bags that was locked. The bag contained various climbing gear, freeze-dried food and home-made mincemeat sauce. The customs officer examined the bags suspiciously, smelling and squeezing them. “To Aconcagua?” he finally asked. At this point Robert had joined them and asked with an anxious voice “is everything ok”? “Yes...Welcome to Mendoza” he replied. Mattias arrived earlier the same day from London via Madrid without problem and Olof had spent four days on a bus in order to find his way from Peru to Mendoza the day before.

Here we can see the whole team together. Four sweaty guys in a very small youth hostel bedroom for four, in a hot and muggy Mendoza. It could have been better, but the joy of being together made us comfortable with the situation. Marco and Robert came here in a taxi that an "intermediary" at the airport had arranged. There was enough room for all the luggage and of course themselves in the little old car (a Peugeot). Ten minutes after they had left the airport Marco asked the driver if he knew where we were going, the answer was a short "no". After having showed him on a map he finally found the right way. We wonder where we had ended up if no one had asked him about where he was taking us.

No rest, no peace. Now the common equipment and food has to be divided amongst us and we have to buy the last things we need. The picture shows how we distribute all the food in four equally large personal food bags. It looks chaotic, but the final result was perfect. No one went to bed before 02.00 this night and then it has to be additioned that all of us had been travelling for 30 hours. But the most important thing is that we solved the task of having most of our things under control. Long days, short nights are nothing that we are unfamiliar with the last days before departure. We had spent the last three weeks going to bed really late, so one more night was nothing that bothered us anymore.

One of the most important details is the actual climbing licence. It can be procured in exchange of 300 USD and you can obtained it in Parque General San Martin that is situated west from the central part of Mendoza. Everywhere where there are capital goods or money, there are also police or guards. Here the place is full of people with 300 USD in their pockets and of course there are also a armed police here. At the picture, apart from the climbing licence, you can also see the nice policewoman who finally after some persuasion (nagging) of our Spanish-speaking Olof, accepted to be photographed with us. Marco intended to put his hand on her shoulder in a spirit of community, but changed his mind in the same second as she placed her hand over her automatic pistol. Anyway, everyone were satisfied and happy.

At last, everyone is ready to leave. The bus came at 09.30, approximately one hour to late, but now all the equipment can be loaded. The bus gave some lovely flashbacks from the good old seventies. Before we left we asked if the luggage on the roof were not to be tied up, "no, we are going to collect more people and more luggage" was the answer we got from our driver. He drove on and we sat looking backward, in case of the luggage would drop off. It would not be the worst thing, but if a backpack would tumble off it could be broken and then the whole expedition would be in danger (well, it would take some time to get a new backpack and to replace broken equipment).

After some hours riding with the bus we reached Penitentes, a small and desolate village at 2600 metres above sealevel. The team pose happily and in the background we can now see some interesting mountain formations. We stay in a small and cosy hut together with some guides and some other people who are also climbing Aconcagua. In the bus we met three other travelling companions. They were originally from Romania, but now they lived in USA and Canada. A nice and cheerfully gang, above all the American with his Texas-accent distinguished himself. One of them had a very composure way of speaking and the pronounciation combined with the accent will we never forget. Nothing wrong with it, but it had an ability to get on your mind. In wintertime it is probably a lot of activitys here, the village is namely a place for skiing with a number of lifts, hotels and restaurants.

To save some time and energy before the march we had the evening before "bribed" a chef at the hotel nearby to drive us the approximately 10 km to the guard at the entrance of the national park. 10 peso for each person, about 25 SEK was totally reasonable. Wow, a pickup! Some had to sit on the platform and two others had to sit inside the car. The night had been pleasant with an indoor temperature of +17 degrees. It would also appear that some had not slept alone, little insects had a party and given Marco red bite marks on the legs. It was itching a bit, but luckily had not the whole body been affected. It passed during the day. The reason for this could be that bedclothes in the hut is something that they do not change more often than every sixth month according to the hostess of the hut. An advice for future visitors, sleep in the sleeping bag sheet if you have one.

We pass Puente del Inca and they let us out at the entrance of the national park so that the climbing licences can be checked and marked by the guards. We have a small hill in front of us when we started walking, when we came up the view are fabulous. Here we stand and enjoy the view, the setting in the background is not bad either...Cerro Aconcagua. The reason why the mountain is called The White Guard (Aconcagua can be translated to that) is more understandable from this point of view. We have heavy luggage, about 30 kg per person while the remaining of it has been sent away by mules all the way up to base camp Plaza de Mulas.

Luckily there is a recently built bridge over Horcone River. It can be difficult to cross the river without a bridge since it can be both deep and with a powerful stream, specially in the spring and summer season. But it has been drought for three weeks so luckily there is very little water everywhere right now. The drought can be especially noticed and there are clouds of dust being blown to our faces. But, after all, we are lucky with the weather that offers sun and a cloudless sky.

We arrive at Confluencia and once again we report to the guard at the park, it is very easy with Olof as interpreter. Each of us is given a camping ground and it feels good now when we have entered the reserve. The picture shows the camp. The picture let us look at northeast, to the left you can see Horcone River. We can all feel the altitude, with a slight headache. But otherwise there are good facilities around. Clear water is layed on to the base camp with the support of a plastic pipe and there is a bit isolated toilets. However, we choose to purify all the water that we use with chemicals to be on the safe side. Iodine that takes away the taste works well and for the less fastidious ordinary Puritabs with a slight flavour of chlorine works (it makes one remeber the cold water you swallowed at the public swimming baths when you were a child).

The twilight comes and different interesting natural phenomena happens, the valley is in the twilight while the higher mountains that surround the valley are still having sunshine. The picture shows the mountain Cerro Almacenes Sur (4510 metres above sealevel) and the many different layers of the mountain can clearly be seen during the days, the evening sun shines to strong now for this to be seen at the picture.

Robert and Marco arrange the food (freeze-dried). As you can see the fuel bottles are an important and common element. The right amount can make the expedition successful, the wrong amount can create large problems with the possibility of stew food, melt snow and get some heat inside a wet and cold tent. A majority of us had kitchen equipment made of titan, fork and vessels, everything in order to save some gram in weight. Robert is now feeling sick because of the higher altitudes and has difficulties to eat the food. Luckily there are good friends nearby and his food is quickly eaten by the rest. That's what friends are for! After the dinner Mattias and Olof went for a walk and met two other Swedes who are on their way back to Confluencia from Plaza Franzia. They arrived two days earlier and are proceeding to Plaza Mulas the day after.