I really like Uruguay! It´s a lot, lot calmer and way more relaxed than ARgentina (even though I love that place). Montevideo is quite nice as well. Very quiet for a capital city, but then I guess the country has a small population. It´s a pleasent place, but parts of it are a bit "concrete jungle"/croydon like with their huge dirty high rise blocks of buildings. However, the old town is really nice. I think it´s a world heritage area. It´s all these run down, colonial-style terrace buildings, brightly colours, sitting on cobbled streets, surrounded by old cars. The site of plam trees, the sea and blue sky is never far. Feels very Latino. I went to a big market house which is full of steak houses. It´s one of the lonely planet´s top things to do in Uruguay, eat in one. The market smells like steak, and I ate a chivito. Typically Uruguayan, it´s a thin cut of steak, in this nice bread, with olives, peppers, mayonnaise etc... excellent!

I went to the Carnivals too! Amazing. Montevideo is the Latin American capital of carnivals, I saw why. Just lots of floats, big costumes, whistles, drums, music, colour, music. It was amazing!!! I have lots of pics! I went on Sat and Sun.

And today, went and saw the swearing in ceremony of the new Uruguayan president. Chaos! The streets are closed, it´s a public holiday and there were/are (it still going on as I write this) flags and crowds everythwere. They were randomly letting of fireworks in the middle of the crowds. There are loads of street vendors selling flags, face paints, hot water (for mate, these guys drink loads of it here!), cakes etc... and hundreds of uruguayans wrapped up in flags etc... Craziness! Great to be part of this Latino political event. Saw Hiliary Clinton arrive too...I reckon between 20-25 vehicles made up her security!!! One Uruguyan lady shouted out "¡ELLA NO COME!", which means "She doesn´t eat!" ha ha!

Great time in Uruguay, so far. A nice country, nice and relaxed bunch of people. I did want to go to Punta Del Este, which is a Uruguyan town, nicenamed the south of france of South America because its very rich and luxurious, but I haven´t got the time, nor feel like spending all day on a beach at this moment. When I come back to this part of the world, I´ll go! I´m now headed to Colonia, in the west of the country (on my way back to Argentina) which is a world heritage site, and is a very historic style town. I´ve heard good things about.