Montevideo
Day 131 Sat Jan 8 Montevideo
The bus ride took 10 hours from Buenos Aires and wasnt too bad. The seats reclined well, but it seemed a bit cramped to me. Border crossing at 1am was quite a breeze, and the Uruguayan officials very friendly!
Checked into the hostel around 07:30, had breakfast and headed out into Ciudad Vieja. Walked around till around 3pm. Returned to the hostel for a well-earned nap!
The evening kicked off with a Candombe performance in the street next to the hostel. Men playing drums, women dancing; a feeling of celebration in the air. Within about 30 minutes, a TV van arrived and filmed the dancers and the drummers!
I wandered on again, to run into a group of older people dancing tango at one of the main squares! Boy, could they move! The music was captivating too!
I have been charmed by my first day in Montevideo! Compared to Buenos Aires, it is small, but almost as beguiling! It is extremely manageable and has a nice vibe to it.
People seem to drink mate a lot here as well, not to speak of the amunt of meat on dispay! There seem to be a lot of similiarities between the Argentines and the Uruguayans. The music, the accent…I cannot distinguish between an Argentine and a Uruguayan just yet.
Day 132 Sun Jan 9 Montevideo
Off for a walk and about 3 km in, I end up in the middle of one of the largest street markets I have seen in South America. (Feria de Tristan Narvaja) Books, clothes, fruits, nuts, jewellery etc. I spent a couple of hours browsing the books and wandering among the stalls.
By the end of my walk, I was extremely huungry and decided that I would try a decent looking place for lunch. I would regret my choice about 6-7 hours later!
After a short nap at the hostel, I went to ParqueRodo, where they had a tango performance. Walking along the Rambla was quite fun. By the time I got back to the hostel, I could feel my stomach cramping up. Before too long, I could barely move and decided to take to bed. The night was spent mostly awake as I had to deal wth a bout of food-poisoning. Not the most fun way to spend a night.
Day 133 Mon Jan 10 Montevideo
I spent most of the day recuperating from a rough night with little sleep. Planned my trip, booked some hostels, and ate nothing till lunch – a slie of fruit and two biscuits. After lunh, it was time for a 4 hour nap.
Woke up feeling refreshed and went for a walk in the neighbourhood and along the La Rambla. Enjoyed a spectacular sunset. It was interesting to see a bust of Mahatma Gandhi along the Rambla, part of which as named after him as well.
I have also been falling in love with the buildings of various neighbourhoods. My favourite buildings are the ones with a bit of a so-called Moorish touch to it, with arches. There are, occasionally, to my eyes, a touch of Portuguese influence too.
The day that had started so badly ended well. Off to Colonia del Sacramento next!
Tags: Travel
Damu