Arriving to Montevideo

By Lawrence Selby - Guest blogger traveling in Montevideo.
Extremely Jet Lagged
I always forget how much of a pain-in-the-neck traveling can be. My memory seems to always filter this out after the trip is over and skip to the highlights. I arrived at Montevideo today extremely jet lagged. There was a bit of a concern in the Buenos Aires airport when I heard the United Airlines gate attendants speaking rapidly in Spanish and mentioning my name repeatedly. When I questioned her, the gate attendant told me that American Airlines had forgotten to transfer my luggage onto the plane.
However, I should not worry because my luggage would most likely be waiting for me at the baggage claim in Montevideo! Needless to say, I was a bit concerned. However, at that moment a man arrived speaking on a handset and told us that they had located my bags and that they were on the plane after all. Perfecto!
From what I've seen of Montevideo, so far, it seems pretty much on-par with what I've expected and the descriptions in the Rough Guide. Though I haven't ventured into the Cuidad Vieja (old city) and have only been in what is considered the outskirts of the city (Parque Rodo and Pocitos Barrios) this seems like a pleasant enough and relatively laid back Latin American city by the beach. Las Ramblas is a main thoroughfare along the Rio Plata (River Platte) and runs the southern length of the city. Some sections do seem a bit run down, but not much and there is a good energy about the place. One of the strange things I saw is that there seems to be a craze here (what I gather) is some sort of strong green tea called mate. I noticed lots of young people walking along Las Ramblas carrying these strange huge flasks with many straws in them. I can't help but wonder if the drink is laced with something!
By far, the biggest adjustment has been the (almost) total Spanish immersion. My hosts, Sr. and Sra. Ortega speak no English at all. I arrived just before the big Sunday family brunch where I had a chance to meet my hosts and the extended family. This included their 2 daughters, one son, their spouses and several grandchildren. Everyone was extremely gracious, but the long afternoon meal passed without any English spoken, whatsoever. As I was extremely tired from the long trip and mentally drained from some long conversations in broken Spanish with Alejandro (the grass and pecan consultant from Buenos Aires) this was a bit much and my brain was reeling from the newness of everything. Hopefully with some rest tonight and some rapid improvement in my Spanish fluency things will smooth out a bit.