Los Angeles Montevideo

... br> <br> Depart:<br> 06:00 am<br><br> Arrive:<br> 08:30 am<br> <br> <br> Montevideo, Uruguay (MVD)<br><br> Sao Paulo, SP Brazil (GRU)<br> <br> TAM Linhas Aereas, Flight 8045<br><br> 1 Stop ...

... were sandwiched in between pieces of ugly architecture that could have been from the U.S. in the 1970s. Meat is certainly a big commodity here. We visited a converted train station turned into a facility for restaurants specializing in meat. People here like to drink this interesting tea drink called mate that they carry around with them. It´s a little brown cup filled with herbs. The have a ...

... Uruguayan telephone company.<br> <br><br>Despite these good points, we were ready to put Montevideo behind us, and move east to Punta del Este.<br><br>Oh, yes; the title of this posting. We were told that as the Spanish and Portuguese explored this area, they identified landmarks on their maps. One of these landmarks was designated as the sixth hill from the ocean, i.e., from east to west. Written in Spanish with ...

... we went back to the hotel to get ready and had a few drinks of Pisco that I had bought from Chile. We go the bus over to the place where Ismael's friend was having a birthday party but when we got there it was only 10:30pm and he said it was too early to go into the bar as nobody would be there. Instead he wanted to go for a walk !! Yes a WALK! Well I don't do walking at the best of times and so you can imagine how ...

... of the native vegetation. There are more than 450 different species that can be seen in short trips. The Isla de Lobos, a small island located 8km southeast from Punta del Este, is a Natural Reserve because it is the largest colony of sea lions in the western hemisphere. You can reach the island in passenger boats which leave from the port of Punta del Este.

... here. Colin was traveling with a few buddies, and they were headed out to the backyard for some beer but I declined, as all those recent bad sleeps were catching up to me. However ... I couldn't sleep since it was so hot in the room, and the room's window opened up to the noise of the backyard. After trying for quite some time, I said screw it, and went out to the backyard. There was a pretty big group out there, with some Americans, some ...

... that is madrid's airport and got to the gate just as they were boarding the very last passengers. by then, there was a sense of solidarity amongst the passengers and we were greeted like old war comrades who had gone missing in the field. and then, finally, at long last and at about f-ing time we took off and flew all the way to montevideo, uruguay. have i mentioned not to fly iberia? three days late but onwards to our south american adventure!!

I'm not sure when but I had this extraordinary brainwave. 'Hire a bike, PJ, then you'll be able to see both churches.' Actually, it must have been when I got back to the hostel from Punta del Este because I remember seeing an advert on the noticeboard about bike hire. So, at 9 am I went and rented a push bike. Quite cheap it was too. Really cheap actually. Mind you, the tyres were bald, the brakes average and no helmet was ...

... only) - first, where a lovely young woman, Anna, or ¨Anita¨ (the diminutive) was our delightful hostess. She spoke English extremely well and reminded us of the waitress at The Madison Restaurant with her perkiness. This vineyard produces ONLY ¨fine wines¨ (as opposed to table wines) and we learned of the process involved. Interesting notes: a rose bush is planted at the end of every row as a ¨canary in the mine¨ to warn the grower of any ...