Day One in Montevideo

 The hotel I checked into last night.

 John arrives in typical fashion.

 We walked through a local market.

 Pot and metal straws that the people use to drink a plant mix.

 The Independence Square.

Speaks for itself.

 The government building.

The city sky line and beach behind the city name.

The Expedition!

Friday, October 18, 2019

The day has finally arrived! I am sitting at the airport in Toronto about to leave heading to Montevideo via Panama.

While browsing a bookstore at the Panama airport I saw a sign that resonated with me. It said “The world is a book and those who do not travel only read a page.” (St. Augustine)

The flights were both long but actually after the last three incredibly hectic days, it was nice to just sit. I read, listened to music and watched a couple of shows. The Air Canada flight to Panama was atrocious in that all food had to be purchased and the personal space was tiny. I had a window seat, there was no room for my backpack up top, so it was crammed down by my feet. The Copa flight from Panama to Montevideo was much better. I had an aisle seat and it was more spacious. Plus they gave us a sandwich shortly after take off and a basic meal before landing, and I had a glass of red wine with both. Much more civilized.

I arrived at 1 am and was picked up by GAdventures and shuttled to the Dazzler Hotel. I didn’t really know what to expect of Uruguay. I had visited Paraguay years ago and found it chaotic and dirty. First impressions here (in the dark) are of a large modern city and it seems quite clean. Checked in and went to bed about 2:30 am (12:30 TO time).

Saturday, October 19^th.

Up early to get organized. John showed up about 9:30. Really great to see each other again. After getting organized and having the buffet breakfast we went for a walk through the neighbourhood to a local market.

In the afternoon we took a city tour with a local company. Although this city is modern and quite clean there is not much to see here. We went to Independence Square, past the government buildings, to an old market that has been remodeled and upscaled, and finally to a view point of the city skyline where there was a sign akin to the Hollywood one. Given that South America is a bastion for Catholicism I was surprised that we didn’t see a church or cathedral anywhere.

It was nice driving around the city though and seeing the sights and watching the people and the goings on. There is a general election here at the end of the month and the political supporters are out in their colours.

This is a country of 3 million people, half who live in Montevideo, 95% live in cities, 12 million cows, and 60 million sheep.

Many people here walk around with a little pot full of chopped up plant matter called mate (pronounced ma-tay) and a thermos of hot water that they pour into the pot and then sip it. We asked a couple about it and they said it was healthy but a bit addictive and it was neither tobacco nor pot. It does not look exactly convenient carrying around both items, and a phone, so there must be something to it.

When we got back, we went to a local pizza restaurant and had dinner. The only hiccup is that the local ATM will not honour or let me take money out using my credit cards. However, I can pay in stores and restaurants using them, so all good. Off to bed early as we both need to catch up on our sleep.