Day 1

After a long, wearying flight, I arrived in Montevideo airport and helped myself to free samples of rum and lime while I waited for my luggage to arrive, presumably delayed by striking workers in this region of socialist escapades. In Arrivals, I was hugged nearly to death by Therese and Lucia and we began our long journey into the centre of town to Lucia's parents' house. I learned that her father had a Scottish ancestry and her mother's was Italian. Apparently a large percentage of the population of Uruguay and Argentina has an Italian background and their Spanish is accented with the emotion and lilt of Italy.

Her parents were very welcoming but spoke very little English, so fullscale conversation was impossible. After a Mediterranean style lunch, myself and Tee went for a walk to the nearby beach and promenade and dozed off on the sand in each other's arms. I awoke with a pleasant tinge of sunburn and refreshed. We walked slowly back. The whole area, like much of Montevideo as we would find, had a lovely sunny feel but was somewhat jaded, as of faded glory. Indeed Uruguay and Argentina have had a chequered history marred by spurts of prosperity and slumps where they languished in the doldrums for decades. Most of cities like this were built with beef money back in the 20s which subsequently dried up.

Back at the house, we packed quickly and headed to the modern bus station. We'd be catching the overnight bus to Buenos Aires, Argentina - Baires to its friends. It was me, Tee, Lucia, and her brother Vicente. On the coach, I watched the pleasant but bland countryside pass, and the sun slowly sinking below the horizon.