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Although I received a wake-up call from the front desk at 6 AM sharp, I lingered in bed for an hour before getting up at 7 AM. By 8:15, I had checked out and requested a taxi to take me to the bus station. The Taxi arrived at 8:30. I thanked the front desk (day manager) for all her help and told the taxi to take me to the bus station. Hotel Palacio is a terrific place - both from a location as well as a price standpoint. The people here are quite friendly that I would definitely stay here again (if I visit Montevideo).
The drive to the Tres Cruces (Three Crosses) bus terminus took around 20 minutes. All I saw was a single massive cross. Not sure where the other two were! The taxi fare was 78 pesos (less than US$4). I went to the bus company (COT) window and gave her the reservation number. The fare to Colonia del Sacramento was 170 pesos (less than US$9). I had 30 minutes left before my bus departed at 9:30 AM. As I had not had breakfast (the singular bad aspect of Hotel Palacio), I headed to a nearby McDonalds and had 2 media lunas (that's what Croissants are called in this part of the world) and an Orange Juice.
I wandered a bit and was at the platform around 9:15 AM. The bus to Colonia showed up at 9:20 AM. I loaded by bags and took my assigned window seat. An European man took the aisle seat nest to mine. Beyond the bare "Hola", I went to being my anti-social self!
I had a solid sleep all the way to Colonia. Whenever I woke up to shift my sleeping position, I saw greenery everywhere.
March 6, 2008 - Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay
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The journey to Colonia took 3 hours and we reached the bus terminus at Colonia around 12:30 PM. I took a taxi to my Hotel (ROMI). It was perhaps unnecessary as the hotel was just 4 blocks from the bus terminus. The fare was 50 pesos (US$2.5). The Hotel had no Information about my request of a change in the reservation dates from March 6-8. So much for all my e-mail communications and for them being on top of things! As the hotel was quite empty, I got a single room with Television and Fan for US$20. Not finding my original reservation seems like a boon as I was scheduled to pay US$35 per night for a double room with Air-conditioning. I figured that I could use the savings of US$30 (saved over 2 nights), hence I took the room with twin beds, fan and TV. The bathroom was nice.
I headed out shortly thereafter to get lunch. I had a horrible pizza for Lunch. I was forced to wash it down with a can of 7-up. Reminder to Self: NEVER have ITALIAN CHEESE BASED dishes in South America. I wish "La Cosa Nostra" would put out a contract on these HORRIBLE IMITATORS of Italian food.
I obtained a map of the historic old city and walked to it. The Old historic city completely UNDERWHELMED me!. This would not even register as a place of Interest when compared with a magnificent place like OURO PRETO. I am not sure if this Old City can even compare to OLINDA. It has a few historical streets, buildings and ruins and that's it. The good thing is that my hotel and Uruguay in general are quite cheap!
I finished my tour of the old city by 3:30 PM or so. The weather was dull and grey (as usual). I tried to take a bus to visit a local bodega but was unsuccessful. I had an ice-cream and coffee at a local cafe where I wrote some postcards. I visited the post office and mailed the cards. I headed to an internet cafe and blogged for 2 1/2 hours. My blogs were updated until February 12 (Still 3 weeks to catch up). I also managed to finalize my hotel for San Juan (Argentina). I headed back to the hotel for a short rest and a shower.
I took my tripod and headed out for some night shots of Colonia. I spotted a nice place and obtained decent twilight shots. I went to a nice Italian restaurant for dinner. Despite the restaurant being nice, the service was bad. The Wine (a Tannat and Merlot blend from a local bodega) was bad as well. I guess I need to avoid blended wines in these parts.
Most restaurants in Argentina and Uruguay slap a cover charge at dinner. My cover charge at this restaurant was 40 pesos (US$2) presumably to cover their cost of bread and butter! I think this ought to be eliminated.
The weather was chilly as I got out of the restaurant. I noticed many folks wearing light jackets.
One of the interesting things about Uruguay is that one can find many, many antique cars on the road. These are not driven by rich collectors but by ordinary folks, who cannot afford the steep import duty levied by the government on foreign cars, and choose instead to service their old cars and keep them running. According to my guidebook, Uruguayan mechanics are considered the best in the world. Given the number of antique cars on the road is proof enough!
Post dinner I walked around the old city area. Many streets were quite deserted and I took my time composing and taking pictures. I felt quite safe. I got back to the hotel around 11:30 PM, wrote my diary and went to bed after midnight.
I have a full day at Colonia tomorrow.
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