Hola Uruguay!

We made it to Montevideo, Uruguay today via Buquebus (a ferry/bus system far superior to any I've seen in the US.). We crossed Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires to Colonia. Madonna played in the background the whole way.

Once we got ripped off by our taxi driver (NOTE: Jamila tried to stop the man and asked him to recount change, and the second time, still gave us less change than we deserved), we entered, relatively unscathed, to El Viajero Ciudad Vieja Hostel. Things are very cheap in Montevideo and it is quite chilly! We met Warren at the hostel, a Malaysian citizen from New York who recently quit his job, sold his belongings, and is embarking on a trip around the world. He says it costs less for him to travel than to live in New York!

The three of us walked through El Centro along Av. 18 de Julio, ate empanadas (I think I may be in love with them), found the tiny Museo del Arte Contemporaneo and got a feel of the city for a few hours. It was cold but nice when we walked at a brisk New York pace. We also wandered into a crafts market and saw small jewelry-type boxes made out of orange skins! We also found this gorgeous classy bookstore- they don't make them like that anymore!

When we got back to the hostel, we ate hamburgers and hung out, chatting with the people who work at the hostel. Tomorrow we will bop around the city more and then take an overnight bus to Porto Alegre where we will stay with Arno Lehnen, the father of Jamila's Portuguese professor, Leila.

Check out Warren's blog at: www.journey26.com/blog