Pesky tourists

There was a two-day bike ride or a two-hour bus ride between Montevideo and Colonia, from where I could get the boat over the (very very wide) river to Buenos Aires. Which should I choose? Which would you choose? Pablo presented me with every bit of data I could ever need in order to make an informed decision, including phoning up the bus companies for prices, times and level of bike friendliness, and even checking the forecasted wind direction on the internet (cos you know how wind and cyclists don't get along). Eventually I decided to get the bus, not because I had any reason or excuse to, but just because I was feeling slack. I know, over three thousand kilometres by bike and I bailed cos I was feeling slack.

A view to admire

Colonia Del Sacramento is a very old colonial town (does the name give it away?) which the Spanish and Portugese spent a few centuries fighting over. The historical part was indeed pretty but full of tourists waving their cameras around and getting in my photos.

Admiring the view, as usual

I thought I had managed to plan it so that I had just enough Uruguayan currency left, since I would be back in Argentina the next day. However, I almost ended up having to amputate a limb in order to pay for what I thought had been a very modest lunch. It cleaned me out of pesos uruguayos, so I considered not eating until I was back in Argentina. However, this was not until lunchtime the next day, and I was already hungry again by mid-afternoon, so I decided to ask a supermarket if I could pay in Argentinian money. I could, but then they gave me change in Uruguayan money, so now I had too much, so had to change that back into Argentinian money in Argentina. Bring on the Euro, that's what I say.

Yet another sunset

Beard status: as I sat on the bus between Montevideo and Colonia, a woman boarded and occupied the vacant seat to my side. As the conductor passed by, she asked him if there were any other seats free. Must be for a friend of hers, I thought. When the conductor returned having located a free seat, the lady moved out of my company. Do I smell? I did a quick armpit assessment but all was fine. I can therefore only conclude that it was the beard. It's going to have to go, guys.