We woke up early to catch the slow ferry to Colonia Uruguay, followed by a 3 hour bus ride south to Montevideo - the capital city that many refer to as the little sister to Buenos Aires.

We were looking forward to our trip to Montevideo because we had used Airemiles points to stay at the Four Points Sheraton in a huge room with a jacuzzi bath. We jumped in a taxi from the bus station and, after some time trying to figure out what our taxi driver wanted as payment (they have a weird pay system here), we arrived to a clean, huge room with a king sized bed. We had some trouble with our around-the-world tickets so we had to stick around Montevideo for a couple days extra to wait for the airline office to open (nothing is open on Sat and Sun); only to discover that there really wasn´t a problem at all (I guess we just had the good fortune to be speaking with a new person at the one world call center!).

During the next couple of days we walked the city and took in all the sights. It was nice to not have an agenda so we took it easy and enjoyed our visit. Montevideo has some rich history and the arcitechiture blends the old with the new. You can definitely feel the European influence in the older heritage buildings. The culture is slower than Buenos Aires but it has the same feel, the same appreciation for good food and the dining experience.

Arriving in Montevideo we really didn´t know what to expect; we had heard mixed reviews. We leave the city with fond memories and will speak highly to those that want to make the trip to this very safe and modern city that still carries it culture and South American charm!

Now we head northeast up the coast of Uruguay to seek out the infamous white sandy beaches for some fun in the sun...