MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY

Day 17, Wed. Dec. 31st NEW YEARS EVE

MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY, AND NEW YEARS EVE

Placed like a tiny buffer between Argentina and Brazil, Uruguay is one of the smallest countries in South America. It's geographical size is slightly larger then England and Wales combined, with a population of just over 3 million people.

This is the port police building, and it looks like an nice area. There was suppose to be I.Stern shuttle to a shopping mall nearby, which I was planning on taking, again by myself. I was up early and out to look for the shuttle but apparently the shore director wasn't sure if it was going to show up or not. There were many other shuttles, willing and waiting to take you to leather stores. I sort of go hustled to go on one shuttle, and when I got on, found out I was the only one going as we pulled out!! Where was the rest of the people?? It was a lady driving the shuttle and did not speak English and we where having a hard time communicating, and I'm trying to find out when she will pick me up and if it's where she drops me off! I didn't get much information from her. So off we go through these area's.

Through the port gates.

Heading downtown....I'm hoping and getting a little nervous now!

Not really thrilling place to be!!I got dropped off in this corner of a square where very rough looking people where just sleepily getting off park benches. This fellow from that black door beside the blue framed one, came out to greet me and wanted to take me up in an old grate style elevator....just him and myself. I declined, saying I wouldn't go up, so he then showed me the stairs I'd have to climb to the leather factory. Four flights with my sore knees! A lady at the top was beckoning me to come up, so up I went. I was relieved to see other people from the ship there as well, so I looked around, declined their offer to make me a leather jacket and ship it to me, and left back down the stairs. I was relieved to see Ed and Pauline who I had shared a taxi in our very first port. They didn't like what they saw either and wanted to return to the ship. I took a picture of this square and back to the ship I went. I just didn't like this place at all, although, I'm sure it's very beautiful, but our first introduction did not go off well.Zoomed in on this statue. Apparently we where in Independence Square.
So using intuition that this wasn't safe, I went back and took picture's from the ship.



Montevideo, looks like a lovely city and I have heard before I left, what a romantic city it is,and that may be so. I just got off to a bad start......maybe!

Tom and I just walked around the ship, sat outside, and then Wohpeng and Colin came and invited me to go for a walk outside the terminal gates where there where some vendors set up, so away we went.

As we got to the gates, people from the ship where coming in with warnings NOT to go outside the gates as there was a crowd of rowdy locals, apparently causing trouble and celebrating New Years Eve, drinking and throwing firecrackers at people, as well as throwing pails of water on people which is suppose to be their greeting into the New Year. The street, that I was on earlier in the day, apparently was the worse with many people dumping pails of water and dear knows what else over the heads of people walking below. People where coming back to the ship with sticky gunk thrown on them.


I bought this lovely leather hat here, with white fur trim. I love it and it's the only hat that fit me perfectly!! However, this is something VERY strange about this hat! I'll tell you that story after I get done the blog of the trip. This hat is one huge mystery!!!! Will ANYONE solve the clue?


Crowd is getting larger now and my camera is also on the wrong setting again.
My friends decided to risk going through the crowds, but I wasn't as brave and turned back to safety behind the port gates. They soon arrived back as well, changing their mind when they saw how huge the crowd had gotten.I'm on the safe side of the gates now...or so I thought. I was trying to get a long shot of the Amsterdam, and was walking backwards to see how much I could get in the camera. I stopped, glanced behind me and I was TWO steps from ending in the DRINK! The dock took a bit of a turn just there, and I didn't realize it. Can you imagine how embarrassed I would have been getting fished out, and Tom pretending he didn't know me when they brought me into the ship!! It would only happen to me....as some as you already know!!


Sad looking little pooch!
We went up on the top deck of the ship and looked at the crowd now gathered. Firecracker's where going off like crazy!! The ship pulls out at 5:30 PM. They won't stay in port on New Years Eve, or during Carnival Time in Rio.

It was SOOO hot up here, we couldn't believe people where playing shuffleboard in that heat!! Nice picture.....are we in Dubai?

We pull anchor and away we go! Leaving Montevideo and Uruguay behind!!! Thank Goodness!!

The sun goes down on another day and another year. It's New Years Eve, and the ship is prepared to party....more about that tomorrow, when I do Part 2 of Montevideo.