Montevideo-what a suprise!

Trip Start Feb 23, 2008
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Trip End Jul 04, 2008


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Where I stayed
Hotel Splendida
(Montevideo hotels)

Flag of Uruguay  ,
Saturday, May 17, 2008

The next day we bussed it to Montevideo.  From there we took a city bus to the Old Town part of the city.  We happened to be on a bus with 4 other girl tourists who happened to be going to the same hostel as us-and they got there before us.  At first we were annoyed because there was no room left for us but it turned out to be a blessing.  We ended up at Splendida Hotel-which we would normally avoid like the plague because it was described in the guide book as a noisy, party hostel-but we had no other place to go.  It is a beautiful, old colonial building and our room had 20 foot ceilings.  The hostel had a kitchen, living room with cable TV and internet, and a dining room.  It was great because most of the time we were there by ourselves so it felt like our home. 

For breakfasts and lunches we bought cereal, coffee, and a bunch of sandwich stuff (our version of cooking).  Then we would run on the Rambla, the path along the Atlantic Ocean.  Hundreds of people would be sitting along the path drinking mate, especially on Sundays.  Couples, families, groups of friends would all share one drinking gourd and a thermos of hot water and watch the sunset.  It is a very chill culture.  We find the people here to be very nice.

The first night that we were there we went out to dinner at 8pm and nothing was open yet!  So we had to go get a pre-dinner drink so we didnīt look like losers waiting outside the restaurant!  A popular cocktail is whiskey on the rocks.  They give very generous pours and a variety of bar snacks with your drink.  Great for an appetizer.

One day we walked to the Mercado del Puerto.  It is part outdoor artesian market and part restaurants.  Most of the restaurants are in this big, old port building.  We saw this restaurant with a bar we liked that advertised Medio y Medio (a bottled mix of champagne and white wine).  The bar was Rolfoīs and we later found out they are the ones who made Medio y Medio famous!  Only the best.  It was so surprisingly good.  Everyone at the bar laughed when they saw our happy expressions after our first sip.  We also bought jewlery and of course a mate gourd of our own at the market.  Very cool place.

Another thing to try in Uruguay is a Chivito.  It comes as a platter or a sandwich, but the basic ingredients are the same.  It is steak, ham, fried egg, salad, potato salad and fries.  It is huge and so good.

Our hostel was right acoss the street from the Solis Theater, so we figured one night we should go since we havenīt done anything "arty" on this trip.  We got tickets to the John Scofield Trio.  Okay, so they are from the US, but it was really good!  And the show was packed, and the tickets werenīt cheap!  This was his third year playing at the theater.  The locals loved him.

Ps-there are no stray dogs in Montevideo.  We found out when we walked around with scraps of lunch trying to feed them.  We just ended up walking around with food in our hands and no dogs to give it to.  Whereīs Gimpy when you need him?. Streets of Montevideo
Streets of Montevideo
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