Posts From Uruguay

The ferry ride to Uruguay was a crowded and tedious exercise. The vessel had a single vehicle deck and three passenger decks. Because of the size of the Tiger we were held back until all other vehicles had loaded. I found this frustrating though it really did not matter. The crossing of the Rio de la Plata (River Plate)took 4 hours. This was slower than the usual three hours and was in part the result of high winds that, the crew said, made maneuvering difficult. The unloading process was a real riot, total chaos. For some reason, perhaps the wind, the vehicle docked in a manner that meant that all vehicles would have to reverse off, and that was a challenge that many of the drivers found was at, or beyond their skill level. Cars wobbling everywhere.

The first order of business this morning was to repair the lighting problem. It took a while but I eventually discovered that at the point where Provan (the Tiger manufacturers) had connected their wiring into the Chevrolet wiring harness one of the connections had failed. A simple reconnection fixed the problem.

We spent the morning lazing around the campground and waving goodbye to Sam and Bernie; we may see then again at Iguazu Falls.

This morning we drove the 170 km into Montevideo. The road was straight, mostly 4 lanes, and in places in need of repair. The country side was flat or slightly rolling hills, green with enough palm trees to give a slightly tropical feel. The towns and dwellings along the way indicated a population that was not particularly affluent. The old cars and trucks emphasized this.

We spent an hour or so today walking through one of the local flea markets, but other than that it was a day on computers trying to finish the revamp of the whiteacorn website.

As you read this, you will no doubt have noticed the site has a new look. That is all thanks to our son Brendon. He has done all the graphic design for the new site (except where I would not let him change something).

We had intended to be on our way today, but during the night I was suffering from a stomach upset of some kind, so we decided to stay at the Days Inn another day.

Driving out of Montevideo today we finally saw the more up market side of the country and the beach side communities and resorts we had heard about. We followed the Rambler (a road and promenade beside the river) north and east out of old town into what I guess is called new town with many high-rise apartment buildings, nice beaches, yacht clubs, and many many people walking, jogging, and walking animals. The weather co-operated with bright sun and warm calm weather. We were seeing Uruguay and Montevideo at its best.

We spent the morning in Puente Del Este looking for Uruguay souvenirs and taking in the beach, Nina even got a chance to join the throngs and lay on the beach sunbaking. We also got a few more photos of the hand and a few local vacationers. Later in the afternoon we visited the very eccentric house of local artist Carlos Paez Vilaro. A white structure of 9 levels with whimsical spires that cascaded down the side of Puente Ballena.

We spent a quiet day, a bit of shopping, reading our novels, talking to the German couple camped next to us.

A leisurely start meant that we were not under way much before midday. Continuing north and east we traveled along highway 9, the road was inland from the coast and passed through rolling green country side with frequent stands of large eucalyptus trees.

Today we headed inland away from the coast and probably have said goodbye to the Atlantic Ocean until we get back to Colombia to ship our vehicle north.