Exhaustion

So I'm fairly certain I am getting sick. My throat hurts and I'm stuffy. I haven't been sleeping well the past few nights so I tried to nap today with no luck. That's okay though because tonight, drugs :)

So I finally got to try mate (ma-tay), the South American loose tea that EVERYONE drinks. One of the guys, Mathias, who works here at the hostel, sat down with our group last night and introduced us to the ritual. There is a specific way you fill the mate (cup) with loose tea, a particular way you pour the water, a specific metal straw with a filter on the bottom that you drink from, and a courtesy to passing it around. You also do not say gracias when you return the cup to the host, because that implies you do not want more (unless of course you don't want more). We had a lovely time sitting around and learning something of Uruguayan culture, and I am muy feliz that I got to experience it.

Mathias and his girlfriend also took myself and my new Montreal and French friends out to the bars last night. We went to the more modern downtown area, very close to the Uruguayan world trade center. The area was much more modern and looked like any north American or European city. We ran into some other Americans here for work, and had a wonderful time sharing stories and laughing. One of my favorite nights of this trip. No pictures though since I didn't want to lose my camera.

Today it rained all morning. First bad weather of the trip. As this was my only full day in Montevideo, I didn't want to miss anything, so I went ahead and rented a bike and headed out in the downpour. I'm glad I did, as about 30-45 minutes into my ride, the rain stopped, and after another hour, the skies cleared. I ended up sweaty and exhausted, but was spared a sunburn thanks to multiple sunscreen applications.

I biked a total of 14 miles along the Rambla (coastal road). I took a lot of pictures and stopped at a large mall for lunch. At 7 miles I turned around. Less then a half-mile later I was walking my bike over a curb (no ramped at the intersections here!) and the wheel some how got whacked out of alignment. Basically the wheel was rubbing against metal my whole ride back. On top of that, the left brake didn't work, and the chain kept falling off. One of the times this happened, a nice guy stopped and helped me out it back. By the end, I was dirty, sweaty and exhausted, but I had a fantastic ride overall. And as a bonus, I didn't have to pay for the rental because of the issues :)

Tonight I am planning to go to the Irish pub and listen to a band that apparently plays American covers. Should be a good time. Also, I met a group of men at the hostel who play in a South American American Football league, for Argentina. They are here to play a game tomorrow against the Uruguayan team. I may try to go, as I think that would be a fun experience and I can't make a futbol game here.

My friends from last night left this morning, and most people here came as a pair, so I'm hoping some new folks show up tonight. If not I'll be taking a taxi to the pub, and maybe make friends there :). Just 2 days left til I'm on my way home!

Pictures of the hostel (which is awesome), dinner last night (gnocchi), drinking mate, and my day today:

Faith in humanity

Once I arrived in Montevideo (3 hrs ahead) at 2pm, the day went quite smoothly. My cab driver was quite nice, though we could not speak to each other, the hostel is huge and very beautiful, and I spent the afternoon wandering the old part of the city, Cuidad Vieja, and walking along the Rambla (a street along the shore).

In Cuidad Vieja, I visited Mercado del Puerto, which is an indoor market of sorts, just filled with parillas, which are a bit like steakhouses. I circled the place a few times then picked a bar that looked semi busy. The staff did not speak English but were very friendly and pointed to what I should order. I added a beer, and was instantly served up a delicious steak and salad. They later provided me with different things to add to the top of the steak, and showed me by scooping some onto my plate. It was very generous of them. But the most interesting part of my meal was toward the end, when an older gentleman who had been sitting at a table nearby came over to tell me that he was surprised to see a young woman sitting at a bar, eating meat and drinking beer alone. He explained that he had daughters and they would never do anything like that, and that seeing me had restored his faith in humanity. It made me feel very good after feeling rather lonely the past few days.

Another gentleman stopped me on the street to let me know I shouldn't go down a certain nearby street, as there had been thefts there lately. I have to say, Uruguay is quite nice.

It is about 530pm and I am back at the hostel relaxing with a couple from Montreal and a guy from France. They are wonderful to talk to, and now we are going to have a drink :)