According to my guide book the bus would take five hours to reach Montevideo (340km), the capital of Uruguay. But it was another stop-start affair, picking up passengers from various towns. When we first left, a policeman was seated nearby. We wondered if we were allowed to drink beer on the bus but did it sneakily until he got off. Two kilometres south of Chui, we passed through the Uruguay immigration. With no visa needed, it was a quick hop off the bus, fill in two forms and a stamp in the passport and back on the bus all within five minutes. There was no hauling of backpacks in for inspection. There was a lovely sunset over the still flat landscape, then darkness. It was difficult to tell where we were but it was soon obvious that five hours was an optimistic duration.

Entering the sprawling outskirts of Montevideo, we finally arrived at the Tres Cruces central bus station around midnight. Not knowing about the ATMs, we wasted time trying to find one that worked using various cards and then walked one block to the 2 star Hotel Alcazaba, the nearest one to the bus station. Even though it was around 12.30am, we could get into the secure lobby. A woman behind a glass screen could not speak English. She indicated that Brazilian Real were not acceptable. We tried to communicate that the ATM did not work. She pointed back at the bus station and said “Change”.

So I tramped back to the station looking for a Currency Exchange office. It was shut. A young guy came up and asked if I needed help. His English was good. He was seeing off his friend going off to Buenos Aires with two other mates. I explained my predicament. He asked a security guard if there was an ATM working or currency office. At 1am on a Monday morning? No chance. So I tramped back to the hotel and offered American Dollars. This was acceptable and we were given a small en suite room at the back on the first floor. We had reached Uruguay bang on schedule, even if it had taken us three buses and 16 hours to do it.

Roadkill spotted; Dog, Capybara (wombat thing), 3 UFO’s, 1 flat bird

Monday March 18th

Uruguay Background

The CIA Website says “Montevideo, founded by the Spanish in 1726 as a military stronghold, soon took advantage of its natural harbour to become an important commercial centre. Claimed by Argentina but annexed by Brazil in 1821, Uruguay declared its independence four years later and secured its freedom in 1828 after a three-year struggle. A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement named the Tupamaros, launched in the late 1960s, led Uruguay's president to cede control of the government to the military in 1973. Civilian rule was not restored until 1985. Now Uruguay's political and labour conditions are among the freest on the continent.

Its natural resources are arable land, hydropower, minor minerals and fish. Uruguay rates high for most development indicators and is known for its secularism, liberal social laws, and well-developed social security, health, and educational systems. It is one of the few countries in Latin America and the Caribbean where the entire population has access to clean water. Uruguay's provision of free primary through university education has contributed to the country's high levels of literacy but the emigration of young adults and a low birth rate are causing Uruguay's population to age rapidly.”

The Brandt guide introduces the country as “They won the first football World Cup. There is a place called Fray Bentos and there are a lot more cattle than people. That’s all most people know of Uruguay. Others may have seen a film about the sinking of the Graf Spee.” The Oriental Republic of Uruguay – takes its name from the river Uruguay (Guarani for ‘River of birds’). With near total literacy and minimal corruption, Uruguay ranks with Chile as one of the two most peaceful countries in Latin America but it tends to be overshadowed by the larger louder neighbour Argentina. About 35% larger in size than England, it is the second smallest country in South America with a population of only 3.3 million people.

Spanish is the official language and the majority are Roman Catholic. Its agriculture produces soybeans, rice, wheat, beef, dairy products, fish and lumber. Its industry deals with food processing, electrical machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, textiles, chemicals and beverages. The average income is currently $15,800.

We were awake before the construction team started next door at 7am. It wasn’t until we left the hotel that we realised that a building was being constructed next door. Although Montevideo didn’t have that much to offer as far as world famous sights were concerned, I had planned for 2 nights here. The first job was to get some money. Back at the bus station, the ATMs were still not working, but the currency exchange was open. Last night I had paid over $30 US to the reception. I thought it was an excellent price. On the way back, I passed a small bank where an ATM was being restocked and three armed soldiers guarding it.

This morning when I returned, there was a different woman behind the glass. I attempted to say we wanted a 2nd night and handed over $30 in Uruguayan Pesos. It wasn’t enough. Eh? She pointed at a price on the glass 1050 Pesos which was $54. So I tramped back to the bus station again Popping into the bank where the armed soldiers had disappeared, the ATM still didn’t work! So it was back to the currency exchange. I felt like I had spent more time at the bus station then the hotel so far.

Back at the hotel, I finally understood the situation. The hotel rented out rooms on a short term basis – an hour upwards – so that travellers could check in, have a shower and freshen up before catching another bus. Because we had arrived after midnight, we were given a reduced rate. But today, because we were keeping the hotel room all day as well as the evening, we had to pay full price. Once our hotel was sorted, we were free to explore Montevideo.

The capital sits on the estuary of the River Plate. It was founded in 1726 by the Spanish. It is a laid back, peaceful and friendly place of 1.33 million people and in 2008 it was selected as the most liveable city in Latin America.

From the bus station at Tres Cruces, we spent much of the day walking around the Centro district through dozens of blocks. The main strip is called Avenida 18 de Julio which has a fine selection of Art deco buildings which have survived any re-development.

The city’s most recognizable landmark called Palacio Salvo (1922-28) was, when it opened, the tallest building in Latin America and the highest reinforced concrete building in the world. The Brandt guide described it “like a gigantic space rocket dreamt up by Jules Verne with four booster rocket turrets strapped to the main tower.” It is now an exclusive apartment block. Its 100m height and top heavy shape does enhance the appearance of a brooding monolith overlooking the central Plaza Independencia below.

This spacious Plaza contains the Artigas Mausoleum which is a monument to Uruguayan hero José Artigas. It was built in the 1930s and Artigas' remains are kept in an underground underneath the statue of him on his horse. Elsewhere on our lengthy walk, we came across smaller plazas including Plaza Cagancha which had a small statue of ‘Liberty’ (1866) on top of a column. We walked through the Ciudad Vieja (old town) which didn’t really seem that old. It must have been redeveloped. The Plaza Zabala had trees with a colony of monk parakeets. We also came across the main theatre called Teatro Solis (1856).

Popping into a shop we bought a couple of large bottles of beer. When I took the top off mine, it sprayed up and I put my mouth over the top. It kept coming out and I shot-gunned nearly a pint. It turned out that the beer was so cold, there was a huge chunk of ice in the bottle which was forcing the beer out. I did all this in full view of four policemen who were hanging around - much to Trev’s amusement.

One thing that we had noticed in Montevideo was that many people carried a small pot, with a metal straw and a thermos flask. Yerba Mate is a traditional South American infused drink, particularly in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and the southern states of Brazil. It is prepared from steeping dried leaves of yerba mate in hot water. People put mate leaves in the pot, keep refilling it with hot water and use the straw to keep the leaves out of the mouth. I wondered how the café culture suffered with so many people doing it DIY.

At the main indoor market, the Mercado del Puerto, a cast iron structure built in 1868, we found a number of huge parrillas (BBQ grills) with a variety of meat – sirloin steak, rump steak, sausages. We sat at a counter and ordered rump steak (‘Pump’ steak ‘lomo’ on the menu) asado (grilled) and chips and a cold beer. The grillers let us come behind the counter and stand in front of the 8ft grill for photos holding up great lumps of meat. The Rump steak came as a large chunk of meat. It was delicious. We thought we’d be doing a lot of this but it was the only one we saw.

Nearby was the massive customs building by the harbour. We took a side gate and bypassed security to see the anchor and range finder of the famous battleship German Admiral Graf Spee which had been sunk off Montevideo in the Second World War. Wikipedia says “The Admiral Graf Spee was deployed to the South Atlantic in the weeks before the outbreak of World War II, to be positioned in merchant sea lanes once war was declared. Between September and December 1939, the ship sank nine ships before being confronted by three British cruisers at the Battle of the River Plate on 13 December. Admiral Graf Spee inflicted heavy damage on the British ships, but she too was damaged, and was forced to put into port at Montevideo. Convinced by false reports of superior British naval forces approaching his ship, Hans Langsdorff, the commander of the ship, ordered the vessel to be scuttled”.

Late in the afternoon, we walked back towards the hotel hopping on a bus that took us all the way to the Tres Cruces bus station. We were dropped at the back and discovered a massive Uruguayan flag fluttering from a large flag pole. We had been walking for miles today, had an ample late lunch and a few beers. Montevideo is not a bad place, there is just nothing much to see that stands out. Worth a day. The Uruguayan wine we had bought to sample that evening was well dodgy.

Tuesday March 19th

On the previous day, we had checked out bus times to Colonia del Sacramento and booked a 6am red eye. Leaving Montevideo in darkness, we were out of the sprawl within 20 minutes and heading westwards across the green undulating hills and rich dairy lands. Colonia lay 177km away, two and a half hours by bus.

Colonia del Sacramento is Uruguay’s historic window on the east bank of Rio de la Plata, this photogenic 17th century town was founded in 1680 by the Governor of Rio de Janeiro to be a Portuguese rival to Buenos Aires which lies directly across the River Plate. The town was contested by the Spanish and Portuguese for nearly 100 years and known as the ‘apple of discord’. Even the English got in on the act. Nowadays, it is Uruguay’s only UNESCO World Heritage site and though the ‘Barrio Historico’ lies right next to the modern town of neat leafy grid pattern streets.

The bus terminal was right next to the ferry terminal and we booked a ferry to Buenos Aires for 4.45pm. Having arrived by 8.30am, we were sure that 8 hours would be enough time. We left out backpacks at the bus terminal and walked to the old town. This early in the morning, it was virtually deserted which meant we had time to take some excellent photos.

The restored Puerto del Campo ‘Country Gate’ (1745) has been restored as part of the old city wall and a drawbridge leds you to the Plaza Mayor which opens in front of you as a long square planted with figs, palms, cycads, jasmine and bougainvillea. To left we found the Calle de los Suspiros, essentially unchanged from the 18th century with its cobbles and central drain and single story cottages with tiled roofs on either side. Apparently this is the most photographed street in Uruguay so we didn’t bother taking a photo (only kidding). Many colourful flowers were blooming which looked wonderful set against the white washed walls of the old houses in the old town.

Pottering around the deserted streets, we came across the ruins of the convent of San Francisco Xavier (1683) which was burnt down in 1793. A 27 metres tall lighthouse was built on its ruins in 1855. The town sat on the edge of the massive River Plate. We came across picturesque gardens, one containing the skeleton of a whale – not something you see every day. The Basilica del Santisimo Sacramento is the oldest church in Uruguay. Originally constructed in 1680, it was rebuilt in 1699 & 1810, destroyed in 1823 and rebuilt in 1842. It has both a plain white exterior and interior. Inside, there was a small poster with the new Pope’s photo and a welcome to ‘Nos Papas’. Nearby the ruins of Casa del Gobernador (Governor’s House) – destroyed by Spanish in 1777 had been excavated in 1993. Many colourful flowers were blooming which made the whole place look very picturesque.

There were traces of the past are everywhere but not enough to keep us occupied past 11.30am and we were really dawdling. The tour groups were starting to arrive and the restaurants were only just opening. I had originally planned to spend a night here. We walked back to the ferry and enquired about earlier ferries. The 4.45pm was the next ferry. They only go first thing in the morning and at the end of the afternoon. So we had half a day to kill. We sat and drank large cold bottles of beer outside the Town Hall and looked at the schoolchildren passing by in their ‘smock’ uniforms. Then we had a walk around the new part of town before settling down outside a restaurant for a ‘chiboas’ lunch. This consisted of grilled thin steak, salad, French fires, fried egg and bread washed down by red wine which was cheaper than the beer. It was one way of passing the time and people watching.

Eventually we made our way to the ferry building with our backpacks. To board the flash looking Buquebus ferry we were processed by Uruguay and Argentinian immigration. There were two desks right next to each other. We presented our passports to the Uruguay official who stamped us out of Uruguay and ten second later gave the passport to the Argentine official to stamp us in (no visa needed). This was the fastest border crossing I’d ever been through.