This past weekend I travelled to Uruguay, where you can have it Urway! Hey!
…Alright that was lame, but I had to try. Anyways, I visited Montevideo and Colonia. The goal for the weekend, besides the obvious getting to see a different country, was to be technology-free for the weekend. My phone died on time, I left my iPod at home, my camera died (that one I did not plan! But I got some photos), and I did not bring my laptop. It was a chill weekend without the distractions of emails and status updates. I was able to focus on myself for a change. Plus, I was getting a bit homesick for the Big Apple, and needed to stay away from the constant Tumblr photos of NYC. I miss that artichoke pizza and late-night delivery.
So, while in Uruguay, no technology and for the first time Couchsurfing! My friend and I stayed in Montevideo at this guy’s house. We kind of crashed his sister’s birthday party, but the cake was delicious and his friends were super nice. My favorite part: one of his friends caught my “Mande” and knew I was Mexican. Then they assumed since we were from the West Coast, we obviously knew West Coast Choppers, rode in convertibles, and lived in traffic all the time. One out of three isn’t that bad.
In Montevideo, we walked along the coast, visited the Old Town, and chilled. It very much had that Californian vibe. Buenos Aires is a bit more hectic, so that city tends to remind me of NYC. Montevideo was just what I needed to remind me to get homesick for Cali as well.
The next day we headed to Colonia, which is smaller and even more quaint. We walked in the Old Town as well. Bought some postcards for friends, and had dinner in the smallest and well-hidden restaurant. I never understood what the big deal was about cheese until that very moment. Cheese… let’s just say it would have been Gus’ paradise. (If you did not get the reference, go watch some “Cinderella” right now.) The lack of technology made me appreciate the coast, the food, and the people way more. It was great taking the time off. But I can’t say that may happen for Chile this upcoming weekend. We shall see…
Overall, I gave Uruguay 4 stars. It lost a star because the buses don’t run as often as in Buenos Aires and I was chilly waiting for the bus after dinner along the coast.
I’ll admit: I cheated. Found a computer, checked my email (not Facebook!), BUT I did not respond. So does that even count?