Buenos Aires, Montevideo and Punta del Este

I was not disciplined enough to blog on a daily basis during this trip, so this one will be a quick retrospective. All in all, we had a fantastic journey, and each day seemed to have its own defining moment or two.

Buenos Aires is absolutely huge. There aren't skyscrapers like in Manhatten and Chicago and the Asian cities, but just lots and lots of really massive, tall buildings and even more 50's-style skinny semi-high-rise apartment buildings as well as plenty of impressive ultra-modern new construction. We did alot of walking, exploring the fantastic night-life in the Recoleta neighborhood where we had dinner at a micro-brewery, as well as the impressive recently established Puerto Madero area along the water where we shared an ice cream at one of the omnipresent Freddo's. With the city being so enormous, and our limited time there, we thought it would be wise to do a bus tour, and thus got to experience a number of other neighborhoods including La Boca, Retiro, Palermo, San Telmo, and of course El Centro where our hotel was. We walked across the widest boulevard in the world (Avenida 9 de Julio) a number of times, and walked Avenida Florida many times as well with it's famous Pacifico Gallerias mall and shopping district. One night, we ventured out for a Tango dinner show at "Señor Tango's" and not only was the food fantastic (Argentinian Bife Chorizo for me and Trout for Vee), and the venue, service, and costumes spectacular, but the Tango show was absolutely extraordinary...HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! The city is a glutten's paradise with eaterie after eaterie, block after block. However, as has been my experience thus far in S.A., the regional beer breweries have monopoly control of their respective markets and thus, there is no beer selection: Pilsen and Quilmes are it; and in Uruguay, it's only Patricia, Zillertal and Pilsen. On the downside, the city has absolutely heart-wrenching slums, and is quite dirty. The people we encountered everywhere were for the most part very polite and friendly, and took very good care of us.

Montevideo, a 45 minute flight across the river from B.A., has a more romantic feel to it, being more prominently waterfront on the mouth of the same Rio de la Plata. It is located in yet another time zone though, making it two hours ahead of Cochabamba, Bolivia, and one hour ahead of Buenos Aires. The neighborhood where we stayed is called Pocitos, and is a special place for us, since this is the city where Vee spent the first year and half of her professional career abroad, and also the place where we "met" through the Internet. Pocitos is beautiful with it's tree-lined streets, mid-rise apartment buildings with long rectangular terraces, and corner shops and cafes. The action though, is on the beach, where there was no end to the fútbol, and volleyball games in the sand. We walked all over the city, down the main avenue with shopping and street vendors, to the market area, and visiting some of the wonderfully green little plazas with fountains and sculptures. Many of the people in Uruguay, and Argentina for that matter, carry a thermos of máte (a tea-like drink) under their arm while sipping it through a metal straw in the bulbous "mug" that they're holding. One night we had a delicious waterfront dinner at a place that Vee used to frequent with her fellow consultants, and another night, we ate at the place that was her favorite restaurant while she was working there. The people of Uruguay are fantastic, as they were always very attentive, friendly and would even speak English with us when they found out we were visiting from the U.S. It is a VERY windy city though.

Lastly, Punta del Este, Uruguay, was our final destination, a 2 hour bus ride up the coast from Montevideo, and my (our?) favorite of the 3 cities. The beaches were neverending in all directions, the water on the Atlantic side was a beautiful blue green, the reddish-brown rocky coves were awe-inspiring, and the progressive architecture of the surrounding homes, resorts, condos and apartment buildings was extraordinary. There were plenty of restaurants to choose from, and lots of surrounding "pueblos" to explore, which we did on a rented "moto". One night, we got caught in a horrible rain-storm, and attempted unsuccessfully to wait it out under a little kiosk, but had to eventually make a mad dash for a fancy restaurant across the street, arriving soaked through, but happilly attended to regardless, and were treated to an exquisite meal (...and a dry shirt). Another night, we just drank wine and ate cheese and chocolate, and watched the sun go down on the beach. Another night, we walked the port/marina area and had a delicious (but way overpriced) seafood meal. The weather was sketchy but for one day, where we spent the whole day cruising the coastline on our rented moto-scooter and exploring little coastal nooks and crannies. The other days, we spent our time walking the downtown area, etc. We discovered a few places serving our favorite "Illy" coffee so of course we had to partake a few times. Again, the people were fantastic, everywhere. Especially the guy at the front desk of our hotel, of Russian descent. The hotel was a wonderfully intimate place, and despite being a descent hike from downtown, was only a block from the beach. The problem with PdE, is that it is too far away from everything, and too expensive and involved to travel to. And, so I understand, in high-season, it is absolutely mobbed and pretty nuts. We were lucky, as it was still not high-season and thus everything was quiet and just how we like it. A wonderful place we'd enjoy visiting again, hopefully when we can get there and return home more directly and less-expensively. Absolutely beautiful, but not a year-round destination due to it's latitude.