Leaving Uruguay

Wednesday, Feb. 23

It´s 1:00 p.m., and I am sitting in a small square in Barrio Reus waiting another half hour before going to eat lunch across the street.

I began the morning by walking to the legislative building. It is slightly away from the center of town on a wide avenue that angles across the normal grid pattern of the other streets. In front of the building were many tour buses somewhat spoiling the overall look of the place. (There is another cruise ship in town. I could tell by tags the tour groups were wearing. It has been my observation that tours off cruise ships tend to favor stops at places that have free admission --although they tend to charge high prices for the tours. Well, the legislative building is free, so there were hoards of cruise ship tour buses!)

It is a somewhat strange building on the outside. It has the shape and style of building like the U.S. Capitol. It doesn´t have a dome, however. It has a rectangular-shaped roofless structure formed by columns that are statues sticking up above the regular roof line.

Inside, the building is in pristine condition and has many nice features. It is known for the many (28, I think) colors of marble that have been used to create beautiful patterns. Also, there is liberal use of stained glass windows. Neither hall where the two houses meet was open, so I missed seeing them.

My guidebook had said that Barrio Reus, with colorful houses, was about 6 blocks further from town, so I came searching for it, passing the medical school on the way. An d colorful is the right word for this place. The buildings are painted with an emphasis on bright when it comes to shading--bright red, bright blue, bright yello, bright florescent green, etc. Some more muted purples, pinks, golds, etc., also exist.

There is a concentration of shops in the neighborhood selling school supplies, party supplies, children´s clothing, and toys. I get the impression that people come here from far away to shop for these items. There are other shops, too, but 50-60% specialize in the items I listed.
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The restaurant where I ate made their on ñoquis (gnocchi--Italian dumplings). I ordered them with chicken. I got a roasted leg of chicken with a big plate of dumplings topped with meat sauce and Parmesan cheese. I should have ordered the ñoquis without the chicken. It was too much food.

After resting at the hotel, I went to the waterfront. For about 2 hours I walked along watching the people. Many were sitting, some were fishing, and most were walking like me. I went as far as a big beach and amusement park. There, I watched people playing volleyball. Then I walked back. For many people here, the waterfront is the place for socializing with neighbors. It was a very good place for a walk.

I bought roast chicken and fried potatoes to go and took them to my room for dinner. The lady gave me a huge portion, so I ate well.

Walking: 32,487 steps (29,180 aerobic steps), 1299 calories, 22.08 km (13.2 miles)

Thursday, Feb. 24

I was up early today. I decided it would be better to leave tonight rather than stay another day. I walked to the bus station and got a ticket for the 8:00 p.m. bus to Porto Allegre in Brazil. It is a 10-11 hour trip, so I will arrive there tomorrow morning. That will be my first stop in working my way toward Rio de Janeiro where I should be next Friday, Mar. 4.

I spent the rest of the day seeing museums. I went first to the Museum of the Gaucho. It is housed in another wonderful townhouse mansion. The exhibits were of high quality and there were signs in English. From there, I went to the Governor´s House which was originally the Uruguayan equivalent of the White House but is used today only for ceremonial purposes. It was strange being there, because there didn´t seem to be signs or workers to indicate where I should and should not go. A couple of times I felt I had probably entered areas where visitors weren´t supposed to be. After that came parts of the National Museum (consisting of old homes with exhibits). The nice thing is that every museum I have visited anywhere in Uruguay has been free.

I had pescado gratinado (fish au gratin--fish topped by sliced tomatoes and cheese and baked in the oven) with mashed potatoes. It was filling and good. A pastry came with the meal, so I chose a strawberry tart which was very refreshing.

It was hot and humid today with little breeze evident. I found myself drinking lots of water and feeling uncomfortable if I walked too much in the sunshine. I stopped at parks and relaxed and read. I am now reading Oxygen by Andrew Miller.
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Clouds formed and I heard thunder. I decided to leave for the station earlier than planned. I arrived at 4:45 p.m.--2 1/2 hours before I am required to check in for the bus trip--and dry!! Actually, it is an easy place to wait. It, like the station in Salto, is ultramodern. It is airconditioned, has monitors telling the arrivals and departures of buses, and includes a shopping mall. These two are the best bus stations I have encountered anywhere.
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As I waited at the bus station, I heard this strange, annoying sound. It was high-pitched humming that sounded a lot like people do when they try to sound like a trumpet--Brrrrrrrrr-rrrrrrrrrrr-rrrrrrrrrrrrr. I looked around, and it was a guy about 40 years old who was listening to a CD with earplug headphones. I am not sure if he was ware that he was making a noise people could hear.

Since the bus trip was to be 11 hours, I was worried about who would be dmy seatmate. I was one of the first on the bus, so I watched to see the possibilities as people came onto the platform. In just a moment, Hummer showed up. I couldn´t believe it. In my mind I was saying, "Don´t sit by me. Don´t sit by me! Don´t sit by me!!!" He paused a few rows in front of me to look at seat numbers. Then he continued again. He paused by me and looked at the numbers again. Then he put his things in the overhead rack just beside me. He sat, not as my seatmate, but directly across the aisle from me. Was there to be humming all night?

A very stylishly groomed and dressed man sat beside me. His haircut and clothing gave the impression he was about 35, but his face indicated he was probably 48-55. He had just taken his seat when Hummer began to hum. I saw my seatmate lean forward and look around me at him. I grinned and looked at the seatmate who made a face implying something like, "Can you believe that," and, "Do you think we are going to have to put up with that?" Fortunately, Hummer closed down his CD player and slept all night!

They served dinner on the bus. A cold platter with sausage roll, a piece of bread, a cheese sandwich, a meat sandwich, and 2-3 small sweet items was accompanied by a warm package with milanese, two fried potato rolls, and one fried rice roll. Cola was served as the drink.

Walking: 28,108 steps (21,725 aerobic steps), 1144 calories, 19.11 km (11.5 miles)