So…. Yesterday we woke up at 6 and headed to the bus station at 7. After getting our tickets and some breakfast, we got on the bus and headed out at exactly 7:46. I’m pretty sure that the three of us were asleep by 7:47, and we did not really do much talking after that. After arriving in Colonia we went straight for the maps. The lady there was so excited that Maia and I were Uruguayans visiting Colonia that she told us where the locals eat and what we couldn’t miss. After that we went and rented some bikes. I still haven’t decided if that was the best idea, but we talked Sarah out of renting a golf cart or some mopeds. We started out by biking to the beaches in Colonia, seeing the port, and visiting the market full of handmade crafts. After that we continued to bike, UPHILL, to the historic district, where we tied up our bikes and headed to see all the that was left from what was once the only Portuguese colony in Uruguay.
We got a wonderful view of it all once we made it up the 100+ steps in the lighthouse. The view was breath-taking, but for Sarah and I, who both hate heights, it was a little too much. The way down was terrifying, but once we made it back, we grabbed our bikes and went to “Sal y Pimienta.” This was the restaurant the lady had recommended, and it had a special. We ate meat, meat, meat, and then some meat. By the time we were done with dessert, we could barely get on the bikes. After making the nice gesture of paying for the dessert even though it wasn’t on the ticket(thanks to Maia), we pedaled off.
We (meaning me) were tired of the bikes, since the seats were impossible!!! So I thought it would be a good idea to return them and keep walking. Little did I know that the man was out for lunch from 2-3:30. …. So we continued riding and stopped at the tourist visiting center. This stopping part sounds like a piece of cake… But we were actually watched and pointed at for like 10 minutes as we struggled with the locks on the bikes… Once we went in, they told us that it is the place where all the Argentinean boats dock, so everything is designed to introduce a foreigner to the country. The first thing we read was a cartoon of the history of Uruguay. This little reading session was interrupted as a glass sliding door shattered in front of what looked like a very confused Argentinean. As the poor shocked workers cleaned up the mess, the three of us snuck off and went to return the bikes. Once the man arrived, the rest of the process was a piece of cake and we changed our returning tickets for a 4:00 bus, since we had already visited most of everything. Again, we quickly fell asleep! We were awakened an hour and a half later by a very large snoring man behind Maia. I made eye contact with the man sitting next to him and could barely keep in the laughter. At that point he says very loudly “POR FAVOR”!!!!!! The sleeping man got up and quickly stopped snoring, but by then we were home and awake. Back at Elena’s we watched the opening to Copa America and enjoyed the first game as Bolivia almost beat Argentina (the host)! Too funny! Sarah was very happy Bolivia had such a good showing!
Today was CRAZY! That is all that can describe it!
The day started late as we headed to La Ciudad Vieja to take a tour of the Teatro Solis (Solis Theater), which has been recently renovated. Before that we had the pleasure of walking around the area with a clear sky and some great sun!
The tour was wonderful, the theater was impressive, but the guide spoke too fast! Hahahaha! I wouldn’t have cared if it hadn’t been for the fact that Sarah was with us, and it was torture to understand. All in all it was great! After that we headed to “El Museo de Carnaval,” where Sarah got a great tour and explanation from the one and only Nacho! It was great
After that we headed to the “Mercado del Puerto” (Market of the Port), where there are tons of parrilladas and a great atmosphere! My aunt Elena invited us to some “Medio y Medio,” some sort of champagne and wine, and then we found a table and ordered A LOT OF MEAT! It was all wonderful and the atmosphere was great! On the way out it was Elena, Maia, Sarah, Nacho, Lucia, Marianne, and I. However, Marianne left and the rest of us continued to walk toward the cathedral. At some point, as the 6 of us are walking nonchalantly a guy tries to take Sarah’s purse, she hits him, and Nacho yells, “que haces boludo!” (equivalent to what are you doing dumbass?) At that point the older one of the two pulls out a MACHETE!!!!! Yes, a long silver HORRIBLE sharp thing. The six of us freeze! The guy is separating Lucia and Nacho from the rest of us. He asks Nacho to give him his money, but my aunt yells "Nooo, Nacho don't give him a thing!!!" Lucia starts running, telling Nacho to run. Nacho is checking that we are ok. The man says “then give me the camera,” to which Elena responds with some very loud “policia,policia!!!!” The guy with the MACHETE seemed shocked to discover that we were not tourists. He froze and then he and his friend ran off down the opposite street. That is all it took for everyone in the surrounding areas to ask what they could do.. We were in shock, but really didn’t have much time to freak out. After that, we continued to the ice cream shop in a little park, and took the bus back home.
Now looking back on it, we realize how dumb it was to walk with 3 cameras out in the most touristy part of Montevideo without paying any attention. We gave the obvious idea of being clueless tourists. As my aunt informed us that in her 52 years of living in Montevideo nothing has never happened to her, we realized that we legitimately drew the lucky number (or unlucky number) today. Today, I also remembered a story from an Ole Miss student that had come to Uruguay and had the same thing (in the same exact place) happen to him. He swore never to return to Montevideo, and he is now living the second semester here. He came for one and stayed for 2!!!
I am very glad that all of us took the event lightly and that Elena, Nacho, and Lucia responded so well. It has truly added some spice to our experience.
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