I booked my flight to Montevideo on a whim, noticing how close it was to Buenos Aires, and that it only cost $30 more to fly first to there then BA, from Mendoza. I really didn't know what to expect, I assumed it was just another S.American city where the people have a slightly different way of life. But from the time I arrived I was continually surprised, and in a good way. Despite my bag not making it onto my connecting flight, my stay in Uruguay was truly enjoyable.
In the airport I saw some fellow travelers (we are a very distinct
breed and hard to miss: think backpacks, cameras, scruffiness, beeline for the informacion turistica, sunburns, hangovers and "donde esta el ATM?") These two boys were from Spain and they had just arrived from Brazil. I let them figure out the logistics of how to get to the center and showed them where I was planning to stay. They thought it looked good and we all booked it to the hostel, just in time for beers on the rooftop patio. They lent me shampoo, face cream, a sweater, a toothbrush...the minimums I need to get by, and we all headed out to the Mercado de la Abunduncia for dinner where we ordered Uruguyan wine, fresh fish, and a giant salad. It was great find, as every Saturday night locals come to perform tango and sing in the middle of the market. After drinks and dinner there, we headed out for a night on the town. We met some locals while wandering and looking for a bar and they took us out to a club that plays indie rock music. It was heaps of fun, and we finally made it back
to the hostel at 7am.
The next day Juan-me (still don't know to spell it), and I wandered down to the beach and had lunch. We explored the park and wandered through the streets. The city is well-kept and safe, and the buildings are of European influence. Most people when they hear yerba mate, they think Argentina. Well I can promise you that Uruguyans outdrink Argentinians by far. People there don't leave the house without grabbing their mate cup n straw and a thermos of hot water. The following day we took a bus to a beach city called
Punta del Este, which is a hot vacation spot for many South Americans. When we wandered down to the beach we couldn't stop laughing because even when swimming and sunbathing, people were still drinking their mate! We tanned on the beach all afternoon, then took siestas and wandered the city to find a grocery store and made dinner at the hostel. Down in the recreation room, we all sat around drinking and chatting for hours. It is so cool hearing other people's stories, travels and thoughts and recommendations.
On our final night in Montevideo we went to a Spanish seafood restaurant. We loved our meal (prawn appetizer, specialty salad, fish main and wine) for just about $20! The next day it
stormed in Montevideo, but it was a travel day so it didn't really bother me.
Finishing up my solo travels, next you'll be hearing about Diane and my adventures in Buenos Aires, where my dulce de leche binge will likely continue, the Iguazu Falls, Cuzco, hiking the Inca trail and Machu Picchu! Yahoo!
From Santiago I hopped on a bus and ended up in Mendoza six hours later! Crossing the Andes was breathtaking. We wound our way high up into the mountains, and even though it's the end of summer, there was still some snow on the peaks. The 2 photos right and below were taken about 1/2 hr apart...what a contrast!
someone smart who probably knew a lot of people). We met for
one lapis-lazule (famous to Chile). I had lunch at Cafe Istanbul, ordering falafel and salad and a beer (I've had one with lunch every day, I'm taking full advantage of my vacation status). Another very Chilean detail I noticed was that the yogurt sauce was mayonnaise-yogurt sauce, haha, they loooooove the mayonesa! Tonight we are going out for sushi and drinks, the city has a good diversity of restaurants compared with the other cities in the country.
