Today I met up with the two Canadians we had met in Temple bar the other night. They were here in Uruguay to get some US Dollars, to exchange them for Argentinean Pesos at the ‘blue’ (e.g. unofficial) rate of 1:10 instead of 1:6.
This way you can shave off 40% of your costs… It’s illegal, but everybody does it, and in some streets in Buenos Aires you cannot walk a few meters without being offered cambio.
I should have brought some cash with me, it would have been a deal. But as I am traveling for so long, I did not feel comfortable to carry a lot of cash.
Anyway, back to Uruguay. I met the Canadians in their cute hostel in the old town. The house is breathtaking, high ceilings, old wooden floors and beautiful windows… however the area is rather scary. Lots of beautiful old buildings, but mostly abandoned or closed or locked up. Or plain ruins. You don’t want to walk there at night. How beautiful this could be…
We walked over to the Mercado del Puerto, which houses a number of meat restaurants in an old market with a beautiful metal ceiling. I did not take too many pictures in this area though, as it was somewhat sketchy, even during daytime. Taking out the big Nikon did not seem like such a good idea.
We walked on toward Plaza Independencia, the heart of the city, that separates the Ciudad vieja from the Centro, and on to Avenida 18 de Julio, the city’s shopping mile. It started to drizzle on and off, so we finally went for a pizza and beer in one of the side streets.
It’s a colorful city. The pictures don’t really show it. I wish I had full light and blue skies. There’s hope for tomorrow.
In the evening, the old dilemma of traveling alone in a new city: what to do, where to go and whom with? The Canadians have an early trip back, so they’ll sleep, and I don’t know what bars are good, and which areas worth it to go out on a wednesday night…
That’s why it is so much better to stay longer than those few days. You have time to explore and find the place that you like most….
Now it’s 10.45, and I feel like bed.