Argentina Part 2 (with added Uruguay)
Thursday, December 1st, 2005
Different day, different country. I suppose I should elaborate on what I did in the last few days in Buenos Aires but there isn´t really too much point. I can and will explain it in about 3 words; Drink, Sleep, visiting-more-dead-people. One of these dead people was actually someone important this time, Evita. I´ll get my mum to explain more about her if you are interested, all I know about her was that Madonna played her in a film and there was that song “Don´t cry for me Argentina” which was either about her, or sang by her. Apparently she was the ex-presidents wife and also had a fling with Che Guevara, but let´s be honest which of us haven´t?
Oh, I also went to the dodgiest part of Buenos Aires to watch a semi-final football match between La boca (Argentinean) and Catoilica (Chile), we were advised to leave everything of value at our hostel and to pay the extra bucks to get more expensive seats. Sadly, we couldn’t afford a days budget to watch a football match so we settled on the cheap “popular” standing. I am glad we did, the atmosphere was absolutely intense! Lots of jumping around and shouting songs to cheer on their side and to put the fear into the other side. People were climbing all over the railings, firing off flares and screaming at the oppositions goalie every time he got near the ball. I suppose it was educational for me to, prior to this I didn’t know any swear words, now I know if someone says “hijo de puta” they are calling someone a son of a bitch and if they say “puto” – they are saying the Chileans goal keepers name, which translates as “Faggot”!
*The score was 2-2 by the way
Anyway back to the travelling bit……….
We set sail across a small splotch of ocean to reach Uruguay in a boat which resembled a fancy floating shopping mall, it took us 3 hours to reach Montevideo (Uruguay’s capital) and costs us about 20 pounds. Another stamp for my passport then a quick and highly expensive taxi ride later (apparently we had to pay for each of our bags as well) we arrived in another hostel, dumped our bags had a quick game of ping-pong, played on their 6 stringed guitars then went to bed.
The reason I decided to go to Uruguay was to basically relax on the beaches all day, it was either this, or travel 40 hours south to Patagonia to look at a Glacier, which is obviously pretty cold.
In total I spent 6 days in Uruguay relaxing on Beaches, trying to beat my Swiss friend at wave riding, cycling around on bikes and generally just getting a lovely tan. 5 of us rented a small car and travelled up the coast to other beaches of greater quality.
I really cant think of much else I have done to be honest, I am back in Buenos Aires now tearing my hair out trying to find an Internet cafe with a CD Writer and USB and a post office with envelopes or small boxes (who said travelling was easy?)
I plan on leaving here tomorrow to travel 18 odd hours to Mendoza where I will drink wine and relax just a little bit more before my flight to New Zealand in 9 days.
Until then,
Rob
Rob Hasler