Another change of country.

Trip Start Mar 06, 2005
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Trip End May 27, 2005


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Flag of Uruguay  ,
Friday, April 22, 2005

Well, after nearly a week in Porto Alegre, Brazil, it was finally time to move on. It was only a relatively short 12 hour bus ride to Montevideo, the capital of the neighboring country Uruguay. At first I thought it was going to be a bad bus ride due to the guy sitting next to me having a cold and the guy sitting across the aisle from him being the snorer from hell. (Why do snorers always fall asleep first?) Anyway, my problems were solved by taking a full sleeping pill rather than my usual half, because before I knew it, I was arriving to Montevideo just as I was waking up.

For what it's worth, Montevideo has the absolute best bus station in South America. New, modern, friendly, helpful. I was able to do everything I needed there in a short time and at a reasonable price. For example, it is the first place in South America where I was able to change travelers checks at a fair price. The rate for my travelers checks was the exact same rate as for cash - and with no commission. (Why doesn't my travel guide mention this?) And I was even able to change dollar travellers checks for dollars cash - for a reasonable 2% commission. (In Brazil, by comparison, to change the checks into cash, they charge a whopping 8% commission!)

Another good thing here is that internet is cheap again. I don't know why it costs five times as much in Brazil as in the neighboring countries, but I suspect that somebody is creaming some monopoly profits off the top there!
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