Leaving Argentina for Uruguay

Monday, Feb. 14

It was a day for chores. I went to a pharmacy and bought some of my blood pressure medicine. A two-month supply cost 16 pesos ($5.35 U.S.). Even with my insurance, my co-payment in the U.S. is more than that. I knew my supply would run out in about 2 weeks, so I decided to see whether I could get it here without seeing a doctor and what the price would be. Maybe I should have bought a year's supply!

Next, I bought my boat ticket for tomorrow. They require a passport which I wasn´t carrying. As I was walking back through town, I remembered that I had a copy of mine in my body belt I wear under my clothes all the time. I returned and got the ticket. That saved me an extra trip back there this evening.

Finally, I stopped at Varig to check on my flight for next month. All is fine. The SAS e-mails I got were related to a change of about 5 minutes in the scheduled departure.

I returned to my regular neighborhood restaurant for a late lunch. I had another variation on roast beef. This time, it was a chunk that had been roasted with a layer of skin that gave a nice flavor. It was served with chunks of potato that had been pan fried. I had a 500 ml bottle of their cheap white wine with it.

After napping, I went to the cyber cafe and to get water and a cola. I saw Luis Alberto´s salon, but I didn´t stop. It is now time to pack and set the alarm (unfortunately) for going to Uruguay. My guidebook says it will be more expensive and that there will be fewer cyber cafes there. Now I will find out for myself.

Walking: 25,861 stpes (18,654 aerobic steps), 1048 calories, 17.58 km (10 1/2 miles)

Tuesday, Feb. 15 (Part I)

I am waiting to board the boat for Uruguay. It already seems like a long morning after a late night. There was a family next door to me who must not have gone to bed until 2:00 or 2:30. There was a girl and a very young child. Over and over, the girl would disturb the child who would then begin screaming. Of course, it was a "modern" family who doesn´t know how to discipline children and just let it happen repeatedly. It was so frustrating, especially knowing that I would be getting up early to get to the boat. My alarm was set for 6:00. I turned on the TV at a good volume without worrying about the neighbors. But I was ready to leave by 6:36, so it wasn´t as bad as it should have been for them.

I had planned to take the subway, since the strike is now over. It was a cool morning, however, and I had plenty of time, so I walked instead. It took only 50-55 minutes to get here. It was still too early to check int even after walking, so taking the subway would not have provided any advantage.

The system here is very organized. It operates much like an airport. There are check-in counters, and luggage is checked. There is carry-on luggage screening. One of the nice things is that there is immigration check out (from Argentina) and check in (for Uruguay) together as the next step in progressing toward the boat. That means I won't be slowed down upon arrival there. After immigration, there is boarding using a boarding pass.

I am taking the slow boat, since I had no good reason for selecting the fast boat. I have boarded and am in a comfortable leather seat. The boat is much like those in Scandinavia, except it is smaller. My seating area is in a cafeteria. There are also shops with clothing, liquor, candy, etc. There is a game room for kids. I didn{t explore the other levels of the boat, but there may be a casino and/or a movie theater. It will be a 3-hour trip across the river, so there would be plenty of time for anything. I will probably sleep and read.
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I am in Uruguay. It wasn´t as smooth on this side as it was on the other. Getting the checked luggage was a mess. They slowly unloaded it into an area. The crowd, behind a barrier, tried to get the attention of attendants and then point and tell them which pieces were theirs. Of course, the attendant would point to one, and then to another until he got the right response. It took forever with people pushing to be able to get the process completed.

It feels so good to be back in a small town. It has an open feel to it and a slow pace. The air feels refreshing. Maybe the latter is due to the fact that we are on a point with the river on both sides of us.

The town is Colonia de Sacramento. It is an old walled colonial city that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I have checked into a hotel, have gotten money from a bank, and am now at a restaurant for lunch at 2:00 p.m.

I took a room at the place I had marked as my first choice. It is a small hotel with an old 1800s home as the lobby and new, modern rooms built in back. The bath is very clean and modern, the bed feels unworn, and it is cozy. With cable TV and breakfast, it is $12 U.S.

My guidebook warned that there is a 10% charge added to all VISA and MC transactions in Uruguay. I wonder if that applies to ATM cash withdrawals, too? Anyway, I went to the bank and used my VISA, because the money changers´ rates for converting cash seemed to be low based on the exchange rate I used to create the chart I carry with me to each country. (Of course, the U.S. dollar could have dropped that much in value in the intervening 2 months!) I will just see what has happened when my transaction shows on my bank statement. Since I will probably only be here 10 days at the most, the cost can´t be too great.

I am having a splurge lunch. I am at a nicer place than normal. It´s in an old house with rough stucco walls, old wooden floors, double tablecloths (solid yellow over dark pink with yellow flowers with green stems and leaves), etc. Anyway, a splurge here is like eating cheaply in the U.S. The main reason I came here was because the ATM gave me 500-peso bills. At a cheaper place where the total meal might be less than 100 pesos, they might not be able to make change. Here, my bill with tip, should be 122 pesos. Besides, I asked before I ordered if a 500-peso bill would be a problem.