It’s a good thing I have fallen in love with Uruguay, since
I unexpectedly was awarded the opportunity to stay another 8 days. The bus
driver was supposed to drop me off at the Punta del Este airport terminal on
the way to Montevideo, but he apparently didn’t get the memo and, well, here I
am! Didn’t quite make that flight to El Calefate. I was pretty shattered over
it at first… that was an expensive mistake – $450 – and there’s no guarantee I
will be able to cancel or get a full refund on the return ticket. So there I
was at the Montevideo airport, trying to communicate with the bus station that
because of their mistake I missed my flight, and would I be compensated for
that at all?? But I could see that there was absolutely no way I was getting my
money, or that part of the trip, back.
In a very depressed state, I boarded a bus for the city and
decided to make the best of it. The bus was packed and there was no place to
put my backpacks, so I stood there in the isle with them on. A sweet local boy
took pity on me and motioned for me to come to the back of the bus where he
helped me take my pack off and place it in a corner. He spoke fluent English,
and was passing a cup of mate tea around with his 2 sisters. I asked if the tea
was really that good, since everyone seemed addicted to it. “Please! Have
some!” he offered. It was really strong and bitter. Now I know what the straw
is they are sucking on. It’s actually a spoon type thing with holes in it and a
hollow handle, called a “bombilla”. How it all works is, they put the loose dry
mate powder in the mug and stick the spoon in there. Then they pour hot water
to fill the mug, suck the tea through the bombilla , repeat. He said that when
someone hands you a freshly filled mug of tea, you drink it all or it is
impolite. He doesn’t really like the taste either, but it’s a tradition.
Ukelele Hostel was my destination, a decision I quickly made
at the airport by searching hostelworld on my phone using their spotty wifi. It
had really good reviews, seemed central to everything, and supposedly had the
only swimming pool of any hostel in the city. As soon as my depleted self
walked through those doors, I felt better. The hostel was gorgeous! And the guy
at the front desk – Vladmir – was a doll. The owners are a young Uruguayan
couple who bought the very large 1950’s home and renovated it, turning it into
the beautiful place that it is today. You enter the hostel through tall wooden
doors. The floors are all wood and tile. There is a spacious music room with
plush couches, a wood fireplace, a piano (a piano!),
and as would be expected, a ukulele. The kitchen is spotless, and the breakfast
room bright and cheerful with a long wooden communal table in the center. The
best part – the outdoor veranda, shaded by vines and hanging flowers, right
next to the pool. Such a lovely space. I felt right at home.
By the time I got settled it was noon. Then I had an idea!
Go to the Brazil consulate here in Montevideo and see if they would let me
apply for a visa!! It was only a 10-minute walk, and the further I walked the
more at peace I felt about what happened this morning. This city is a breath of
fresh air. The streets are lined with huge sweeping birch trees. The buildings
are in the style of old colonial architecture. The people are simple and
unpretentious. A quieter, quainter city compared to Buenos Aires. I walked into
the Brazil consulate and…. What? No line?! The young pretty girl at the counter
spoke pretty good English and walked me through the whole process. This
involved me going to a computer/printer café and buying a ticket to Rio. She
said they wouldn’t grant me a visa unless I had a ticket into/out of Brazil,
and all I had so far was the ticket out. There was a girl in the café from
Seattle, who spoke perfect Spanish and has been living here for a year now. How
amazing is that?! Then I went to a Cambio and payed for a cashiers check in the
amount of $160. After all my paperwork was turned in, she said I would have my
visa on the 9th at the latest which would give me 5 extra days in
Brazil! This made my day all the more better!!!! See, things do really work
themselves out. You just have to trust that it will.
I spent the afternoon exploring and lying by the pool in the
glorious sunshine. Sang a few songs with Vladmir who was quite good on the
Ukelele. The hostel kitten, Millton, scampered around playing with everything
in site. She is midnight black, 2 months old, and the cutest thing ever. Made
myself some homemade paella for dinner. Gonna have to make cuts in the budget
somewhere after that exorbitant expense this morning. It’s pretty easy to do it
in the food department since food in South America so far isn’t super tempting
to me. It’s mostly meat, bread, fries, pizza, and sweets. Even their sweets are
too sweet for me!!! Several people have told me that the dulce de leche in
Uruguay is the best, but it all tastes like straight up sugar to me. Watched
the sun set over the ocean that evening, and it was heaven. Slept like a baby
that night for the first time in a week.
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