Thermal baths and storms

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- Food: Mate drinkers galore. Chivito (big sandwich with beef, ham, fried egg, lettuce, cheese and bacon - yum)

- Area: Big street market but with crowded animals, lovely thermal bath hotel in the middle of nowhere and very manky bus station.

- People: As with Montevideo, I was ignored or treated warily due to being female and on my own (but where is my husband?!). Their Spanish less intelligible to me and mine to them

- Weather: The biggest thunderstorm I´ve ever seen and constant torrential rain


I´ve just realised how very long and detailed my entries are becoming now I´m on my own so can write more detailed notes! Is anyone still reading?

Sun 10th: The morning in Montevideo was spent wandering the even more empty streets for the obligatory Sunday street market. Which was different to the previous antique stuff markets - it had everything in it including typewriters, car windows, screws, fruit, more fruit and more fruit. It was great to see everyone walking about with their mate - they´re more obsessed with it here than in Argentina. Apparently 80% of the population drink the stuff.

However, it was not so great to see kittens, gerbils, fish, hens and birds cramped into the tiniest spaces so that they couldn´t even move. It nearly reduced me to tears so I had to get out.

The hotel people were softer and smilier with me when I left (probably glad the alien was leaving) and I started my bus journey to Salto - land of thermal baths and spas which had been recommended to me.

The bus was so comfortable even just for this short journey of 6 hours but went through the most horrendous storm I´ve ever seen. Also the most amazing with so much lightening and bangs of thunder so loud the bus vibrated and windows caved in (not really but it was loud). It was actually quite scary and I was glad to arrive in tiny Salto in the middle of nowhere in the dark storm.

A very sweet taxi driver let me share the cab with another girl - neither could speak English and yet again, my Spanish was lost on them. There was only one thing for it - talk about mate!
He was very pleased at my interest and let me try his. Very bitter taste and a bit 'herbal' tasting. He nodded enthusiastically and kept saying 'medicinal' so I´m not convinced this mate stuff should be drunk by children! I pretended I really liked it as didn´t fancy my chances of walking in the storm.

Arrived at the luxury thermal spa hotel (Posada del Siglo XIX) I´d booked myself after my hard life of roughing it I´ve had so far (!) It was amazing. Mario on reception was my angel as he spoke English - the first I´d found in Uruguay - so I didn´t have to spend the whole time being very frustrated and angry with myself for not knowing more Spanish!

The room was AMAZING. Huge with a lovely king size bed, sofa, TV, patio and posh bathroom - all for a tenner a night! The rain stopped so after a very rubbery pizza in their cafe (this place was in the middle of nowhere), I went for a swim.
Had the pool to myself and what a relief to swim and do some exercise (didn´t think I´d miss it so much!). But as the water was bath temperature, 2 lengths and my face was burning. It was SOOOO relaxing though and perfect to look up at the stars and hear the crickets whilst lying in this bath. I thought I´d catch up on my sleep nicely in this luxury palace but the storm started up again and lasted the whole night.

Mon 11th: I realised I was in the place for family holidays. Surrounded by kids which was actually ok for about an hour as the adults continued to give me strange looks (I don´t think any other English female has been to Uruguay on their own before!) but the babies smiled at me so I bonded with them at least.

Breakfast was good but the rain continued. Mario sorted out my next bus and a taxi across the border back into Argentina for me (he really was an angel) and then I decided to take advantage of my free facial (never had one before).

The women doing it was incredibly friendly and seemed to like me (thank god, someone at last) and introduced me to an English couple. I´ve never felt such relief to meet other English before. It was so nice to be able to chat! The facial was fantastic and the woman hugged and kissed me after which made me feel less alien like.

There was an indoor pool so I was kept entertained. Mike and Paula informed me about the restaurant next door (we weren´t completely in the middle of nowhere after all) and I had a lovely relaxing lunch. Went back to the pampering place for a manicure (another first). Got told off for biting my nails (how did she know? I haven´t bitten them for months! The things you can tell by looking at someone´s hands...)

I could´ve stayed for longer soaking up the luxury but it was time to move on. Lovely taxi driver to Concordia in Argentina but we had real problems communicating. His Spanish made absolutely no sense to me and mine to him. The frustration - anyone who´s ever caught a cab with me will know how I like chatting away to the cab drivers - you can hear so many interesting stories, so it´s frustrating not being able to communicate.

The bus station was small and manky but thank god there were tickets left to Iguazu else I would´ve cried. The bus was late and it was so depressing watching the local kids beg and this small little dog who was very underfed shivering in the corner. I wanted to take him with me - it was so sad.

The overnight journey wasn´t the best and the man sitting next to me seemed nervous and cracked his knuckles a lot. Thank god another seat became spare so he moved. The food wasn´t the best and I didn´t sleep for ages. When I did, it was such deep sleep........

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Comments

[dannyboy]

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don't worry, i'm reading and i don't even know you... (do i sound creepy yet, haha) everything you've seen sounds so cool... how are the prices in uruguay?