The journey from Colonia was only a few hours and when we arrived it took us about three and a half hours to find a hostel that had any availability. Montevideo was obviously popular! We literally walked from one end to the other and back again in the midday heat before we found a very cheap hotel with en-suite and TV, bonus.

Went for dinner in the cool Cuidad Vieja old city and watched the sun go down over the plaza Independencia. The Palacio Salvo is an art-deco style tower that was South America's tallest building when it was built in 1927. For a capital city, Montevideo is so laid back and relaxed; it seems like nobody goes to work. The port section of the old town is pretty rundown and dirty but the main streets are beautiful. The skyline view from the port is impressive as well.

We walked up to the main park where the football ground is; it was boiling hot and the road was packed with people selling crappy pirate CDs and old clothes. Nick went to see the ground while I sunbathed, and I got a bit worried when he didn't come back for about an hour. Turns out that he got collared by an over excited museum curator and got taken around the whole club, then made to watch a film about it.

There isn't a great deal to do in Montevideo, but the city itself is really nice, the Cuidad Vieja in particular. We decided to move on after two nights and hit some beaches.