Montevideo, Uruguay

A few months ago (or actually a few weeks ago... who am I kidding) if you asked me to point to Uruguay on a map I probably would have searched Central America or, sadly enough, Eastern Europe. Yep, that´s how much I knew about Uruguay. It turns out Uruguay is actually South America´s smallest Spanish speaking country and it´s sandwiched between powerhouses Brazil and Argentina. No wonder the country is often overlooked. Anyway, Uruguay also has gorgeous beaches and is only a short 45 minute flight from Buenos Aires. Perfection! How could I pass it up!?! So, I spent the last two days in the country´s capital, Montevideo, and, not gonna lie, I think I even prefer Montevideo over Santiago, Chile.

Montevideo is like three cities in one. The perimeter of the city is surrounded by the Rambla (Montevideo´s Lake Shore Drive). To one side of the Rambla are tall office buildings that make the city look like a distant relative of Chicago. To the other side of the Rambla are sugar sand beaches and a running/biking path that puts Chicago´s path to shame. It really much more resembles The Strand in LA. (Quick side note: Montevideo has a huge running culture. Nike and Reebok stores glitter between office buildings and the running path is always in use by people of all ages. I even saw three Nike Human Race jerseys worn by people looking all types of fresh and loose running down the path during my two day stay. I soooo wanted to trot along with everyone... grrr backpack for not being big enough to hold my running shoes and one little running outfit!) Anyway, only three or so blocks in from the Rambla, the city totally transforms. Small colonial style buildings and large shady trees line cobble stone streets while Clydesdales clip clop from building to building collecting garbage bags in their trailers. The tranquility and old-world atmosphere made me feel like I was on Mackinac Island or something. Montevideo (a.k.a. Chicago-LA-Mackinac) has everything: beaches, a running path, city bustle on the exterior and tranquil spaces on the interior. What more could you want? Paradise!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Wednesday October 28, 2009

On October 28 I saw the first cloudy day of my vacation... and it was cold. Seriously cold. So I wrapped up in a long-sleeved shirt, a sweatshirt and a scarf and at 5am (3am Chicago/Peru time) trudged to Buenos Aires´ teeny tiny airport reserved for domestic-ish flights . There, after going through minimal screening, ¨No worries about removing liquids from your bag or electronics... We are all on the honor system here!¨ I was ushered out to the tarmac to walk up the stairs of the world´s smallest plane (Did I mention I am terrified of flying?). So me and the twenty other passengers (I am not exaggerating here) took our seats and off we went dipping and weaving as the wind batted our little tin can around. As you may have guessed, we did land safely but I was disappointed that my 45 minute flight didn´t transport me to a tropical jungle of warmth and sun. Nevertheless, still bundled in the only warm clothes I brought, I went to the beach, plopped down and started reading. Oh yeah, this leg of the trip was going to be all about relaxation. No museums or tours for me. I only wanted to see the beach, my book and a few good looking Uruguayans... nada más.

So considering the conditions of my first few hours in Montevideo the pictures are a bit dreary and they definitely don´t do Montevideo justice. Sorry!

Birds on rocks in water... I promise it was a lot prettier in person.

Guy fishing. This guy was only the first of many to set up their ginormous fishing poles. I should have asked them what they were trying to catch... some sort of sea creature I think.

So eventually I passed out like a hobo on the beach (totally safe... promise!) and when I woke up the sun was shining and it got super hot super fast. So I went back to my hostel to change clothes and while I was there I met a fun/crazy Brazilian (Brazilians are all over Chile/Argentina/Uruguay... and they all have the same funny accent when they speak Spanish that makes it hard for me to decipher if they are speaking Portuguese or Spanish... or even English to me. Super tricky.) Anyway, she invited me to a barbecue that night with her and her Australian boyfriend. Real food!?! I will be there! Ahhh, the joys of traveling solo.... I get to meet really interesting people that I don´t think I´d meet otherwise. I love it.

But before the barbecue I returned to the beach for a little more reading and sun.

Walking to the beach. I did this photo on self-timer so it´s definitely not the best but watchya gonna do?

My things on the beach. Good times. So relaxing.

And then back to the hostel once more before nightfall for a little food buying and barbecue action.

We ended up going out and buying a ridiculous amount of meat. We bought the ribs pictured above, plus three delicious steaks and a couple sausages... all for about $10. Crazy, right? Besides all the meat we also bought tomatoes, corn, green peppers, onions and garlic and were able to grill it all up on the roof of the hostel. It was probably the best meal I´ve had in ages. Please note that I did not eat potatoes or rice. Seriously, best meal ever.

Natali (fun/crazy brazilian), me and Lu (another Brazilian).

Natali and her Australian boyfriend, Matt. Matt has been sailing around the world since April (no joke). After he´s done with South America he and three or four other guys are heading to South Africa. Can you imagine? Anyway, really cool guy.

So that was my first day in Montevideo. Good times. Good people. Perfect.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Thursday October 29, 2009

So day two in Montevideo didn´t really involve much at all but I was happy. There´s just not much to write about. I woke up, had some breakfast and rented a bike to ride around the perimeter of the city. I was perfectly content and stopped a couple strangers to take a picture of me. The sad thing is, my camera has completely run out of batteries (I can plug my battery charger in in Peru but it doesn´t work here... and my converter doesn´t work either) so I can´t even upload the picture to a computer. It breaks my heart. Tomorrow I´m going to head out and try to find another converter. A guy I was talking to in the airport said they´re really common in Buenos Aires but we´ll see. Anyway, I´ll post the photo tomorrow if everything goes as planned. Keep your fingers crossed. So yeah, day two was food, biking and then off to the airport to catch my little plane once more. Luckily this time it was all blue skies and smooth sailing.

So a little wrap up on Uruguay: Gorgeous! While I usually prefer city life, Montevideo was a good change of pace for a little while. Next time I go to Uruguay (and oh there will be a next time) I want to head up to Punta del Este, which is only a two hour drive from Montevideo and supposedly has even better beaches. I guess it´s where all the beautiful and wealthy Argentinians go to party it up. Sounds like fun. I definitely could spend a whole week in Uruguay alone bouncing from city to city. So now I am in Buenos Aires again. Tonight I am taking it easy but I have two full days to roam before heading back to Lima on Sunday.

Hasta luego!