....a little more time, a little more blog....

...Ok, Wendy, no bugs so far but we haven't been out of urban development as yet....that will change tomorrow, when we head up to Iguazu Falls and do some hiking, but it is the end of summer here and the bugs should hopefully be on the wain.

...and to the anonymous commentator....patience please, detail will come as time and WiFi presents itself.

On the previous build in Guatemala, one team member, Megan, initiated a daily ritual whereby, at dinner, we went around the table and played "good thing / bad thing / new thing" which was a family game she played while growing up.
To those who do not pick up on the obvious, the game involves each member, in turn, announcing, admitting to, or otherwise revealing a "good thing", a "bad thing", and "something new", that happened or was learned that day.
I hope we can continue this exercise when the rest of the troop arrives and we begin the build portion of this adventure.....in the meantime....

"Good thing", so far, ....the company that I have the privilege of travelling with  are great! ....Very easy to travel with....very easy going and accommodating.
"Bad thing", so far, ...so much to see!....so little time!
"New thing learned" .....it's totally impossible to blog on a moving bus!

Now, picking up where I left off and otherwise filling in some blanks....

As I said, Buenos Aires is huge!....lots of hustle and quite a bit of bustle to boot!
...quite modern...the drive from the airport to our Hostel was much like driving through the GTA [Greater Toronto Area for those not familiar with the so called centre of the universe] from Pearson to downtown.

We checked into the Hostel on Florida St...very comfortable....and young!
[I guess that I could file that under a new thing as well...never stayed in a hostel before....but I digress]
....it kinda felt like I was a chaperone on a school trip, except I didn't know any of the kids....but all were very friendly.

Florida Street is a closed-to-traffic pedestrian mall with lots of street vendors, bright lights and more of the aforementioned hustle and bustle.
As we wandered in search of sustenance, we came upon a Tango demo at the intersection of another pedestrian mall[what a passionate dance!!]....found a fairly classy restaurant and commenced to chow down slabs of grilled beef tenderloin about the size of a volkswagen c/w mushroom au jus....and souffled potatoes chips, which were awesome!!! ....some fine Argentinian Malbec topped things off nicely....and it was surprisingly cheap....about $20 cdn each !!!!

Drawbridge and gate into old Colonia

Very early the next day, a quick cab run to the ferry terminal.

Catching the ferry to Colonia Uruguay is much like catching a plane with the same line-ups and waiting around. The ferry itself was about an hour and when we arrived in Colonia, we opted to check our luggage and explore the "Barrio Historica", the historical district.
 Much of what remains was built in the 18th century and has a colourful history....we explored for a couple of hours, gathered our things and took a cab to the Posada del Bosque, where you last caught up to me.

The wine and cheese bar

....most lasting impression? ....the place is SPOTLESS!!! ...everywhere!!!
... went back to the Barrio for dinner and discovered the quaintest wine and cheese bar in a building built in 1720 [mas o minos!]
The server quickly became our new best friend with very generous pours of different Uruguay wines!
His English was good enough to provide fascinating historic, as well as vinicultural information.
...and btw, ....Uruguay is to cheese [best ever!!]...what Cuba is to ice cream!!!

Yes, it's been a whirlwind so far but I'm enjoying every moment.

Today we boarded the bus from Colonia to Montevideo.
Very interesting scenery en route. ....Hard to describe as it is very similar to other countrysides yet also very different in it's own way....just when you think "that reminds me of such and such in Guatemala, or Cuba" you see something else that is unique....it's all similar but different! [if that makes any sense]

Plaza Independancia - Montevideo

We arrived in Montevideo and cabbed to "Casa Sarandi Guesthouse" located in the heart of old Montevideo....a two bedroom apartment on the third floor of what was probably quite the apartment building in its day.
Built in 1939 during Montevideo's hay-day, the stairs wind around an operational caged elevator located at the back of the building. Sergio, the owner, was extremely helpful, suggesting places to go etc. He even arranged for a private car to take us to the airport tomorrow.

Montevideo is a cosmopolitan city of approximately 1.5 million [total pop. of Uruguay is roughly 3 million] yet it seems very laid back and operates at a much slower pace than Buenos Aires.....I like that!!!

Plaza de la Constitucion

We wandered around the heart of Montevideo and all I can say is ...this is more like it!!!....a little like old Havana but more modern, with up to date goods and services....yet you will still see the odd horse drawn cart, beat up 60s something VW beetles and Fiats.
...lots of vendors in the Plaza de la Constitucion and along the adjoining pedestrian street only that leads to Plaza Independancia.



We are off shortly to the "Museo de Vino"....a wine and cheese bar featuring a tribute to and history of the Tango, highly recommended by Sergio.
It seems there is debate as to where the tango originated with both Argentina and Uruguay laying claim.

...lasting impression?  ...all the streets are line with beautiful mature trees!

Tomorrow it's an early rise again as we head to Iguazu Falls where we will be for more than one night [woohoo!!]....and where hopefully you will hear from me again.  

My name is Dan ....and I do believe I could live here!