Wish to go by a Daytime bus from Santiago, Chile to Mendoza, Arg. and all information indicates that there are many leaving each day, and that bookings can be made on-line with the company Andesmar. When I get on their site, however, the only option shown are for overnight busses; how does one access booking for daytime busses?

Until July, there is construction on Chile side of the pass, so you can only go Chile-Mendoza during the night, and Mendoza-Chile during the day.

Oooh, thanks for that info! I was thinking of starting my next trip in Santiago, specifically to take that road in the daytime, but I want to arrive in May. Maybe I'll fly into BA instead.

More on that here:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic..._District.html

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Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie

Thanks "ozontheroad" for that info; if I had winged it and tried for a day trip I would have missed the last overnight bus to get me to Mendoza in time to make the start of my Aconcagua expedition.

Any ideas about where to hang out in Santiago between my airport arrival at 9:30 am and my bus departure at 10:30 pm? I'll be hauling around a backpack and duffle bag full of climbing gear.

Leave the luggage in the "custodia" on the arrivals level at the national end of the terminal, down on the left. Take an airport bus into town. They leave you at points on line 1 of the metro. If you take the Turbus airport bus, get off at their terminal so you see where to get it back to the airport. The metro station is downstairs, Universidad de Santiago station. Don't get the wrong station going back, there are 3 named for universities. You need to avoid the metro at rush hour, starts around 6 pm, builds to a peak at 7pm, declines a bit until 8 pm. Leave plenty of time to get back to the airport, collect your things and check in.

If you like walking, get off at Moneda station (Presidential palace), walk up to the Plaza de Armas, then metro or walk to Santa Lucia station and Santa Lucia hill. From there head to Lastarria or metro to Baquedano, cross the Pio Nono bridge and into Bellavista. A quick look at info online will tell you more about things to see.