montevideo
We made our way back to the mega bus station for a long overnight bus journey to Paraquay. 10 hours to the capital of this small country. Border passing was easy. No fruit control thank god. It was early morning when we arrived. Me, knackered. Jumped in a taxi and thankfully we found a nice, comfortable hotel pretty quickly. Good price too.
Montevideo is a nice, quaint place. In its glory days it was booming city with its fortune based on the beef trade. European and North American markets couldn't get enough of it. Many of the city's magnificent buildings date from these times. Some are in good shape especially around the centre but if one walks a little beyond there, it is sad to see many buildings crumbling away. If they aren't already falling apart then they are simply slums.
A bloke called Artigas is their national hero. Credited with winning their independence. In the main plaza, an impressive underground mausoleum is dedicated to his memory and is quite tastefully done. It is the first such mausoleum I have come across in a non-communist country. We didn't get much beyond that in the first day due to continuous rain.
The next day though was a little more successful and we got to see the celebrated Puerto Merado. This is an indoor market that is really just a temple to meat eating. There are a number of individual eateries but they all share a common feature, a massive BBQ. We thought we ordered quite modestly but still have a farmyard arrived on our plates. It is quite an experience with live music, hundreds of people and a festival like atmosphere. Naturally, everyone and his dog was sporting a cup of mate and the more daring a thermo flask for on the move refills.
There are two Irish boozers. Pretty good ones too. Met a girl called Gabrielle whose father is a bigwig in the city or so she said. I believed her anyway as she lives in an exclusive apartment in the main square. I wasn't allowed in and had to wait for her by the statue of Artigas. I never got her telephone number but then again, she works as a psychologists so she probably figured out that I'm a proper loon!
Montevideo is a nice, quaint place. In its glory days it was booming city with its fortune based on the beef trade. European and North American markets couldn't get enough of it. Many of the city's magnificent buildings date from these times. Some are in good shape especially around the centre but if one walks a little beyond there, it is sad to see many buildings crumbling away. If they aren't already falling apart then they are simply slums.
A bloke called Artigas is their national hero. Credited with winning their independence. In the main plaza, an impressive underground mausoleum is dedicated to his memory and is quite tastefully done. It is the first such mausoleum I have come across in a non-communist country. We didn't get much beyond that in the first day due to continuous rain.
The next day though was a little more successful and we got to see the celebrated Puerto Merado. This is an indoor market that is really just a temple to meat eating. There are a number of individual eateries but they all share a common feature, a massive BBQ. We thought we ordered quite modestly but still have a farmyard arrived on our plates. It is quite an experience with live music, hundreds of people and a festival like atmosphere. Naturally, everyone and his dog was sporting a cup of mate and the more daring a thermo flask for on the move refills.
There are two Irish boozers. Pretty good ones too. Met a girl called Gabrielle whose father is a bigwig in the city or so she said. I believed her anyway as she lives in an exclusive apartment in the main square. I wasn't allowed in and had to wait for her by the statue of Artigas. I never got her telephone number but then again, she works as a psychologists so she probably figured out that I'm a proper loon!
posted by Ciarán at 12:45 a.m.
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