Advertisement
Published: January 28th 2008
Edit Blog Post
Hola again all,
Felt it was time to fill you in again with antics since our trip to Torres Del Paine, Chile. The day after, we headed back to Buenos Aires from El Calafate and decided we would stay two more nights to get everything sorted and book up our ferry to Colonia. Incidentally on the first night back in BA there was the small matter of Liverpool v Aston Villa. We tentatively sought out potential bars which might screen it and managed to get one, which came as a bit of a shock. Thoroughly enjoyed the match and even went a little crazy when we took the lead, we got a few stares but it was probably more to do with the fact we were supporting Aston Villa rather than Liverpool..(as a result of the Beatles this is the city we normally end up agreeing we were from when speaking to Argentines after a considerable amount of time trying to explain where Birmingham is). The next night we had a final farwell monster steak and said our goodbyes to Buenos Aires.
The following morning we boarded a ferry and headed for Colonia, a small port town on the
South East Coast of Uruguay. Immediately the contrast with Buenos was apparent as the place seemed far more relaxed, cars trundled along at about 10 mph with seemingly no particular place to go to quote a famous car rock ballad. We checked into our hostel which was pleasant, again a nice terrace though a fair old amount of flies which have bitten me a treat. The hostel organised a BBQ on the first night during which we got talking to some Americans about politics and the forthcoming election which they were extremely enthusiastic about, also rinsed them at poker later on in the night.
We decided the next day would go and see the Old Town, the main attraction of Colonia, consisting of plenty of cobbled paved roads, colourful houses and generally a had a relaxed feel, with bars along the coast ovrelooking sailing ships and the odd bit of pleasant sand. We were greeted by a Mime Artist who was a bit of an eccentric, as I´m sure most people who choose Mime as a profession are, he had some moves but I dropped the robot on him and he was speechless, pardon the pun. We went into
a couple of museums representing how houses would have looked a long time ago, and Sam ran to the top of the lighthouse like a kid when he found out it was open so we could sample some panoramic views of the town.
After a fair bit of walking we decided we would hire golf buggies to see a little more of the town, which believe it or not is the done thing, though a bit intimidating when sharing the main road with articulated lorries. Again that was something a little different and a good laugh, though the handbreak turns weren´t overly effective.
The following morning (the 25th) we decided to go to the beach, and I´m still feeling the effects of that one, despite putting on factor 40, the midday sun was perhaps not a wise choice to practice our Daniel Craig emerging from the sea impressions. Showed the Uruguayans a thing or two with a bit of pinpoint Beckham passing too, im sure it was that which caught their attention and not the pasty brits abrod.
On the night we went for....a steak....and to sample the billed ´jazz club´. We were in for a bit
of a surprise when the performer emerged as it was a Uruguyan Celine Dion who took the stage, singing in a very high pitched voice to a prerecorded tape, not quite Miles Davis we thought but it was an attempt nonetheless. After a few songs she began to be drowned out by incessant drumming, ever the curious types we decided to see what all the fuss was about and it turned out to be the beginnings of a street carnival type party with a herd of about 30 drummers and plenty of dancers samba-ing around the old town. After a few beers we took to this quite well and joined in a little too, though not sure we had the hip movements down to a tee (see photo). To be fair I think we outshone the lady who just about got around without medical assistance with the aid of a walking stick. All in all it was a good way to say farewell to Colonia which was a welcome break from the hectic feel of Buenos Aires.
On the 26th Jan we moved on from Colonia to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. The first impressions were that it was
a little more akin to Buenos Aies, though without some of the charms and less Europeanised. Again every other person walks around with a flask and drinking ´mate´ the local drink consisting of flavoured leaves and water drunk through a weird metallic filter-straw device called a bombilla.
Like in any big city there is plenty to do, and there are some nice views along the coast. On our first night we ate on the hostel terrace which for novelty value has hammocks which I enjoyed. As usual Sam provided the entertainment as after making sure he got to the front of the queue for the BBQ, the Guinness slogan Good Things Come To Those Who Wait came in force as he dropped the whole plate and its contents upon sitting down.
Staying on the Guinness theme, on the night we went out for a drink to meet an aussie we had bumped into on the street, to Shannons, you guessed it, the institution that is the Irish pub abroad. Playing there was an interesting band with an average age of approximately 64 though still with their skills intact, playing tunes ranging from The Beatles to The Stones. There was
Stone Skimming
Believe it or not I broke the Uruguayan National Record on this one. also a groupie element as an old clan of women watched them from the front row in adoration. The highlight was undoubtedly the permed-grey haired guest vocalist for ACDC hit Back in Black.
On Sunday 27th we awoke late and went to the market, which is probably the biggest I have ever seen, with hundreds of stalls selling everything from animals (including puppies which looked as though they had been born a few hours before in anticipation of the market), to 80s electrical equipment, DIY hardware, and in some cases stalls which looked like families whole personal possessions. There were plenty of signs of the poverty and plight of some of the locals which was a bit an eye-opener.
Today thus far we have booked our tickets to Punta Del Diablo where we head tomorrow and also for Peñarol v Nacional tonight, a game at the National Stadium, the home of the first World Cup in 1930. It is the fiercest footballing rivalry in Uruguay so a baptism of fire for our South American footballing experience.
Will hopefully be reporting on that shortly.
Ciao for now,
Az
Advertisement
Tot: 0.147s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 11; qc: 57; dbt: 0.1172s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Gould
non-member comment
Classic Sparrow
Classic Sparrow dropping the food, i bet he was so excited n all! Hope all is well xx