La tierra de hippy

We had reached the time when Buenos Aires was getting to us. We were annoyed, tired, and just needed a break from the bustle. What perfect timing, because we had booked a trip to celebrate Carnaval. Little did we know we were going to the Hippie Land of South America.

We left for Montevideo, Uruguay Wednesday night via bus. Overnight bus rides mean a bed that leans back and somewhat edible dinner. Only in Argentina would they serve cold gristle...I mean steak.




We went through customs at 3:00 am to get into Uruguay. It was easier than getting into Canada- stamp, typing, stamp, typing, done. What a delight!

At 7:30 we roll into Montevideo, Uruguay. After wolfing down massive amounts of food and checking into our hostel, we ventured into Ciudad Vieja.

Plaza Independencia

Highlights
-Seeing the beautiful old buildings in a city that is a Latin American and slightly European

Palacio Salvo was the tallest building in Latin America when it was built in 1920



Teatro Solis has been the cultural center since the 1800s
We love Malfalda, a little girl from a very famous Argentinian comic.
Typical Mercado
-Eating at La Estancia in El Mercado del Puerto, just like Anthony Bourdain from No Reservations

In El Mercado del Puerto

Typical grill for a parrilla
A whole pig!
Our meal. Three girls tore into this.
-Walking along the coast
Coast in the distance
It was clear immediately we were Latin America (finally). People were kind and friendly, a lady on the bus calling my m'ija an endearing term translating to my dear. People didn't push on the street. The city was quiet, slow, and colorful.

Note: Camera now dies and won't charge, apologizing in advance for iPhone photos.

After a long, much needed nap, we headed to see the el desfile de llamadas the Carnaval parade. It was supposed to start at 8 pm...but we knew better. We showed up at 8:30, grabbed some food, and then searched for a spot. Then began an obvious cultural difference- people don't find their spot and stand still during parades. They are constantly moving, despite there was NO room. I got to use my mean Spanish No me toces  don't touch me No hay mas espacio there's no more space (with evil eyes). Despite the cramped quarters, I enjoyed the booty shaking, bongo drums, and insane amounts of sequins and glitter.





These are drummers.
We left early (11:00) and ended up walking into where the parade starts, where we were able to take some photos. Let's just say they had tossed back a few, and because we were Americans, they loved us.
Ashley is holding the staff of el Brujo the witch
After some tasty Sangria, we went to sleep. The next day, we woke up and got ready to bike along the beautiful coast and hit up some places from 36 Hours in Montevideo. The sea was peaceful, biking the streets was easy, and the traditional chivito sandwich lunch was great. We then ate at a cake place recommended by the NYT, and of course it was chock full of dulce de leche (my love).


At this point, Ashley, Katie and I decided to bike through the neighborhoods on the way home. We fell in love with the colorful homes, vibrant flowers, and street art.

Ashley, being my model.

Oh, my model again!

That night, we went to an acontecimiento de Carnaval Carnaval event at the park. We listened to different men choral groups sing and do skits about Uruguay. We could understand what they said, but didn't get the jokes (apparently they are all inside jokes). At this point I'll explain one major reason why Uruguay is so hippy, besides it's peaceful, laid back attitude. Marijuana is legal there (as in Buenos Aires) but they sure smoke it a lot more than in Argentina. One of the jokes was Uruguayans smoke a lot of weed.

The stage and crowd at the Carnaval concert.

Why I loved Uruguay
-Kind people
-Laid back attitude
-Dollar goes extremely far

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