La Gauchita

It was a dark and windy night....disembarking from the supercat that had sped us across the Rio Plate, Kaz's hair blowing across her face, obscuring her vision and the bumpy road ahead. Yes, it was an unenlegant entry to Uruguay when she stumbled across the blob of cement, some thought she was emulating the Pope and kissing the ground. Pride wounded more than anything else we quickly found some lodgings in Colonia, Uruaguay and hoped things would improve!

After this not so great start things got better and better. Uruguay is the first country to remind us of Oz. What a relief to us non-fumadores to find, as of March 2006, it is the first South American country to ban smoking in restaurants, etc. First night in a lively, karaoke pub and we left without the normal smokey smell through our clothes and hair - sorry fagging annie but yeah-hah.

Colonia is a quaint old portuguese town, yep the Brazilians were here before the Spanish. A day was plenty to walk the cobble stoned streets, gawp at the vintage car parade, they're mad for them over here (even spotted an MGB! - Kaz's dream car), try the local calorific Chivito (steak topped with fried eggs and ham on a healthy bed of chips) and take the walking tour around the historical sites guided by our favourite LP. Awwww...all very pretty, even the chocolatey, Yarra like River Plate.

With our camera full of colonial Colonia shots we left for a taste of the capital, Montevideo. A big-smoke much like Buenos Aires, but on a smaller scale. Keen to keep up our cultural intake we bought tickets for Teatre Solis. At $6 a ticket we weren't too fussed about what we were seeing - until we found the stage set with 4 seats for a Mexican Baroque band. Being the great fans of classical music that we are, only needed until intermission to soak up the atmosphere of Teatre Solis which was all rather nice. The non-smoking pub across the road was calling as was a massive paella eaten on South American time - 11pm.

Changed the musical tempo the next night catching the CD launch of Cultivatadores de Hongos. What a change. 30 men with booming, fantastic voices all dressed as salt and pepper shakers with Willy Wonka on a caffeine high conducting them. What they were singing about - no idea but the crowd was rolling in the aisles. After the curtains fell they carried the party out into the foyer.

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Fearing the effects of Parilla withdrawl had a huge lunch in the Mercado de Puerto, an old train station converted into vegetarian hell. Stu got more than he bargained for after asking Snr Mozo to take a photo. So did the chicken. No its not their alternative to washing dishes...

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After spending the last 3 months being bombarded with images of the rich and famous of South America partying in Punta Del Este we knew we had to see it for ourselves. Ok we left it too late, the town was deserted, but we had a beatiful sunny if somewhat cold day on the beach to ourselves, plenty of time to play with a huge concrete hand, creatively named La Mano. Attempted seeing Punte Diablo 3 times unsuccessfully and retired to G&Ts on the beach with our mochillero pride slightly dented.

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With a bit of hard work we wrestled some ideas from Cecelia of her namesake´s travels for an estancia stay to clean the city smoke away. Two days on the farm with a promise of all activities being included - yep they weren´t going to charge us to shovel cow "manure" or sow crop seeds. Without wild expectations, took the luxury collectivo to Mercedes where we were whisked away by our host Alicia to La Gaviota. WOW! Our budget backpacker jaws dropped as we rolled onto the green front lawn of the enormous hacienda and were swept into our sumptuos 19th century budoire where everything comes with the tinkle of a bell and flurry of smiling servants - no kidding. Farm work has never been so easy - 3 course lunches and dinners, merindar (afternoon tea) al fresco watching the sun set, beds turned down each night with an antique bottle of spring water at the ready, a well stocked bar by the pool table and an open fire that never went out. We could get used to this life!

The only estancia work that got our bums out of the comfy fireside armchairs and away from sunbaking on the veranda was galloping around the cropped soya bean fields like bandits on the run until our backs could take it no longer. None of the usual rule run down before take off our only instruction was "go where ever you want however you want". Best horse riding ever! Still getting over it 2 days later - the ibuprofen isn´t working yet.

To mix things up, returned to Argentina via Carmelo, a sleepy little hollow that LP promised we would want to spend a week in. Well, one night was enough and we were floating back down the River Plate on the cat to Tigre, Argentina. A scenic trip.Fellow Amazing Race fans - remember the episode where they had to search the Tigre Delta for shipwrecks? Been there, done that :-)

Unfortunately it was too dark by the time we arrived to take the Tren De La Costa back to Buenos Aires so just jumped on the faster alternative and crossed our fingers that our post from Australia and the UK had finally arrived.

Kaz and Stu xox

Arse of the week: Correo Argentina - no post after 5 1/2 weeks!

Sight of the week: A thirsty dalmation in Montevideo

Bargain of the week: Getting Kaz drunk on Grappa Miel for $1