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.

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA - PART 3

After I returned from my tour of Buenos Aires, which I was really am very happy that I did go on my own, as I saw so many wonderful sights. But ohhhh, my sore feet!

When I came back, Tom and I had some lunch and then went and sat outside on a deck chair and had a little snooze. It was lovely and warm

Our entertainment that night was at 6:30 and what fabulous entertainment it was!

We got to see a real Argentina Gaucho show! Beautiful music and dancing. I just loved it!!

Music was fantastic

This was all one family of 17 brothers and sisters.....yeah.....one family!

And so very good looking. The did every kind of Argentina dance from folk to the Tango

Below, the mother and father did this very romantic and pretty dance! Very Romantic!!!!!!! I can see where the 17 children came from!!

This is the very handsome father! What a smile!

Brother and sister doing the tango

The whole family! What a wonderful show it was!

After the show, we hadn't looked further on our program and we where surprised to find a fabulous sail away BBQ by the pool. Music playing and very festive. We ate our choice or all of chicken, steaks, sausage, pork chops, ribs, corn on the cob, baked potato's, salads and just about everything and anything you could possibly desire.

I've got my camera on the wrong setting again and now everything is all blue!

I've gone up to the next floor to look down through the open roof which slides open.


Thank goodness our big meal has been cleaned off our table!!

We went up on the top of the ship for a walk after dinner. It was very hot up there, but take a look at this cruise ship!! It's a block or two long!!



Night has fallen, the ship parties on, and we head to bed, very tired!

Tomorrow...Montevideo, URUGUAY

BUENOS AIRES PART TWO

BUENOS AIRES - PART TWO

After I left this spot, I realized, I'd made the wrong turn somewhere, so I started on down the street, looking for a person I could ask to Florida (pronounced Floweedo), but nobody spoke English! So, I wandered on with by now, very burning and sore feet.

I came across the entrance to a Cathedral, where many people where going in, so I did too! So very glad I did too!! It had to be the most beautiful Cathedral, I have ever seen and HUGE!!

Beautiful statues, awesome, incredibly wonderful paintings of the Stations of the Cross

I knelt on my sore knees to say a few prayers for everyone. Took the pressure of my sore feet too!

Argentina's Hero Below is the tomb of General Jose de San Martin (1880), Argentina's greatest hero who liberated the country from the Spanish, guarded by soldiers in fancy uniforms. The tomb of the unknown soldier of Argentinas independent is also here.

Little blurry, but you can see the soldiers guarding the tomb.
Beautiful lavish ceilings and marble interior

Caught this beam of light, which looked lovely! I felt very religious in here with the hush of the crowd of people whispering prayers.

What a beautiful place and I'm so lucky to have happened upon it! When I left the Cathedral, I must have left from another entrance, so now, I'm really lost!!! I wandered along trying to find Florida street, and no luck, so finally asked a young family if they could give me directions. Of course they spoke only Spanish, and I'm gestering wildly and saying Florida Street, intead of Calla Floreeta. So, the fellow, put up 3 fingers and then a turn right. So, I said Mucho Gracias and went on my way. Before long he was tapping me on the shoulder which scared the living daylights out of me, only to tell me the next street was Calla Floreeta! What a nice man!

So, by this time, I'm on the right street and oh my poor feet where sore, and I had to sit for a minute, so there was a McDonald's Restaurant and I went in for a coke, pretending I'm sipping through a straw to let them know what I wanted but they understood COKE! Now, to pay for it!! I had only American dollars and boy did they examine them with a fine tooth comb!! It cost me two American dollars for a small coke! I didn't care, just give it to me and let me sit a minute.

So, after a little rest, I head out, and walk, walk, walk, wanting to see I. Stern's store and the shuttle to return me to the ship. I really look the tourist now, snapping pictures and sucking on a coke! Then...lo and behold....was the same statue, I'd passed before I went to McDonalds. So, I'd come out of the restaurant and turned back the same way I'd come! Frig!!

By the time I'd retraced my steps, I was limping to where the shuttle was, but was the first on and oh golly, did it feel good to sit!! So, back to the terminal, got off that shuttle and onto the port shuttle and back to the ship, through security and up to the Exploration Lounge where Tom was sitting wondering if I was okay and I flopped down to tell him where I'd been and what I'd seen.

These little mini cars where sitting on the dock. I wish I'd taken a picture of the inside of them.

We went down for lunch and then took our books outside to sit on the deck chairs for the rest of the wonderful warm afternoon. My shoes where OFF!!

PART THREE TOMORROW...A FABULOUS NIGHT IS COMING UP!!!

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