After Argentina it was on to Uruguay. We took a ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia...and for once the description of a ferry lived up to its title. It was like a cross channel ferry, with proper lounges, duty free shop and restaurants. So plenty of comfort in which to sleep as the view was one of cloud and greyness - nothing too exciting.

When we arrived and got off the boat the temperature was a bit of a shocker...it was freezing. Everyone was rummaging in their bags for thicker jumpers and coats as the wind whipped across the water. Thankfully it wasnt far to the hotel though and the warmth of a heater. After the coldness in Bolivia this was really nothing, and the fact that our rooms had a heater was a definite improvement!

In the afternoon we hired golf buggies to explore the old colonial town. It was good fun but given the size of the town we really could have walked to all the sights. We went to a small local market, where those less prepared for the cold than me spent their time buying hats, gloves, scarves etc etc...We also visited the lighthouse and climbed to the top for a view of the town and then walked along the short pier.

That was our only time in Colonia, although it was really enough as there wasnt much to see. The next day it was a short bus ride to the capital, Montevideo. One of the guys in the group was celebrating his 21st birthday so it turned into quite a big night out, but we ended up in a bar with live music which was good, although the band were a little odd, kitted out in wooly jumpers!!!

The next morning, after a sleepless night, I managed to drag myself out of bed for an organised tour of the city. I have managed to avoid most such organised tours for most of my travels, but by now I am pretty exhausted and only having a few hours here it seemed easier to let someone else transport me from A to B and just sit back and enjoy the ride. As it turned out it was a good idea as we were taken to many different places that you would not have seen on foot and spent much more time and money on taxis and buses. We went to the main square with a statue of the citys founder, the presidential palace, cathedral, port, sports park and the home of the first world cup football stadium (hadnt realised it was in Uruguay before now). We also went through some very exclusive districts with large mansions - not at all what I had expected in Uruguay. I had assumed Uruguay would be quite a poor country, comparable to somewhere like Bolivia, but I couldnt have been more wrong. It certainly has its poorer areas, but in general it is quite developed and there is definitely some money around in the bigger towns/cities.

I also learnt that Uruguay is famous for its caviar from the River Negro. So important is this commodity that is sells for $1500 a kilo?!

Next morning was another early start as we took the 6.30am bus to Salto, in the nrth of Uruguay. But it was a pleasant surprise to see the sun when we arrived...definite cause for surgical removal of the walking boots and a revival of the flip flops and shorts! Spent the afternoon enjoying the warmth and wandering around the small town, with its plazas, churches and small shops. In a town with 70,000 inhabitants, its incredible that there are 40,000 motorbikes - thats ove 50%.

And then the next day more relaxation as went to a spa for a few hours. It was nice and relaxing in the hot pools, a chance to finally get rid of some of the bulky clothing I had been sporting for the last few months and finally feel warm again. But more importantly the relaxation was vital before embarking upon my next night bus. That afternoon we took a ferry across the river back to Argentina - although this time "ferry" really was stretching the truth...it was more of a small barge that with all of us and our luggage was dangerously close to the water?! But fortunately the crossing was only about 15 minutes and we could always see the other side of the river!

I wasnt happy with the Argentinian immigration though, when we handed over our passports for stamping...as despite there still being plenty of space left for stamps they decided to go over my stamp from the middle of the world, equatorial line, showing the latitude 0 0 0. Now admitedly I realise it is not a real stamp, but I liked it and still cant believe they just went straight over it...grrr...

And then it was the night bus...but a pretty luxurious one, so not too arduous. A double decker bus, I had one of the front seats, which was a real bonus as it means much more leg room and space to stretch out. After a somewhat suspect dinner that was served to us I got a pretty good nights sleep and awoke the next morning to the call of breakfast...