Welcome to Uruguay!

Welcome to Uruguay, I hope you brought your wallet.  Although that is not the national slogan (as far as I know), it probably should be, at least for those who like to eat.

My trip to South America started as so many of my trips do, with a bit of chaos.  Funkship had their annual Halloween gig on Saturday night and I had to check in at the airport at 3 a.m. on Sunday, so I just didn't go to bed.  Rod dropped me off at the airport and then drove to Jasper's apartment to sleep before heading back home.  My flights from Portland to Houston and then to Panama City went fine.  However, when I got to Panama I discovered that my bag had been checked through to Uruguay, but I hadn't.  The customer service agent was helpful and informative, "Right now the plane is full.  Well, not full, but they will only fill those final seats after they check the weight of all of the luggage and see what the weather is like on the way down there.  That way they will have enough gas.  If you can't get on the plane, we will put you up in a very nice hotel and send you tomorrow."  Luckily, the weather and weight conspired in my favor and I got on the plane.  Sitting in the middle seat, I slept in small bursts before waking to reposition myself.
I got to Montevideo Monday morning at 6:30 and caught the city bus to the main bus terminal downtown.  I wanted to go to Colonia, a small town 2-3 hours away and just chill for a couple of days, walk around, maybe taste some wine...
The bus ride was long because it stopped at all of the small towns along the way.  However, it runs along the coast and I got to see what the terrain is like-- fairly flat with some trees and a few farms.  It is spring, so many plants are in bloom.  And although it was sunny, it wasn't hot.  It was perfect weather to walk around and discover a new place.  I found my Airbnb and, after dropping my stuff off and taking a much-desired shower, I headed out to see Colonia by bike.

The bikes were part of the Airbnb and they were slightly terrifying.  It wasn't their age as much as the bad brakes and the slightly askew handlebars.  Added to that was the lack of stop signs at most intersections...
Anyway, I found the old town.  I have included this picture because I think this may be the ugliest Catholic church I have ever seen.  And the interior is no better- white-washed walls and a crucifix stuck at one end.

The 29th of every month is Dia de Noquis in Uruguay, so I had to find some for dinner...
My hosts and my guidebook had recommended a few restaurants but they were closed, so even though my instincts warned me against it, I went with a place that looked as though it should have been in the food court at a mall.  Here is a picture of my meal.  Doesn't it look lovely?

Appearances can be deceptive.  The wine tasted like bad fruit juice, the bread was stale, and the gnocchi was very heavy.  All for only $14!  I was sitting on the terrace out front, the waiter was at another table, and a man came to look at the menu.  After checking it out and looking at the customers, he started to come up the steps.  I quickly caught his eye and shook my head.  He immediately understood what I was saying and turned around and left.  The waiter had also turned around, so I acted like I was just wiping my mouth and looking around.
Adding to the general ambience was the very bad pop song that just kept playing over and over.  If I had liked the song, I might not have noticed as quickly, but this was such a bad song and the only one that they had on their sound system.  It just repeated and repeated.  Needless to say this was not one of those times to linger over a fantastic dinner and enjoy watching people.
I decided to stop at a grocery store on the way back to my room.  This is how I manage to keep the costs of traveling down.  Eat breakfast (hopefully provided with your room) and then for lunch or dinner, pick up some cheese, bread, fruit, and wine and have a picnic.  Here in Uruguay that isn't an option.  The grocery stores here and in Montevideo are extremely expensive.  For example, an apple is $1 or 35 Uruguayan Pesos.  I saw a woman buy a small bag of oranges for $14.  The bakeries are not cheap either.  I don't know how people here afford to eat.  This made it easier for me to understand this morning when the breakfast provided by my Airbnb turned out to be tea or coffee and saltines with jam.  If they gave me anything else, they wouldn't make any money.
One extremely positive aspect of Uruguay is that I can communicate with people and they are friendly.  Perhaps the first influences the second.  Although I often have to ask them to repeat themselves because they are speaking so fast, I can understand what people are saying and get the information I need.  It makes everything so much easier.