Across the Rio de La Plata

Just yesterday, I quickly booked a ferry to Uruguay across the Rio de La Plata and a hotel in Montevideo, where I am currently sitting on the 8th floor with a view of the blue open sea. Everything went great today! Taxi drivers in Argentina seem to be very professional. This one first asked at the hotel if I was the right passenger for whom the taxi was called - 'you never know,' he apologized. While waiting to board the ferry, I met some funny tourists from Sweden, France, and also from Germany. With the Swedes, we make the journey more enjoyable with beer and exchange travel experiences. By bus, we go from the neighboring town of Colonia Del Sacramento to Montevideo - 160km. Uruguay is very green: lots of agriculture - brown and black-and-white spotted cows. Beef is also important here - and dairy farming (run by Swiss immigrants). Everything looks very clean - a long palm-lined avenue, well-maintained, but before Montevideo, I see a very large prison where clothes or bedding hang from the windows everywhere. Watchtowers and barbed wire, I also see a kind of favela - small self-built mini houses - do-it-yourself social housing. Montevideo is a mix of medium-sized modern houses, old colonial architecture - a bit like a western town. A colossal classical palace in the center. At the bus station, I am politely asked to take off my cap - that would not be allowed here - oh well. Got some pesos and took a taxi to the hotel. The old taxi - a Fiat - has a hermetic partition with a window between the passenger compartment and the driver - he apologizes in fluent English. He is Portuguese and has also lived in Canada for a few years. The man has traveled a lot - he also does cooking shows and has been a host - real estate agent, etc... At the nearby waterfront promenade, many people are enjoying the fantastic weather and looking forward to the sunset. I will stay here for a few days - a very pleasant country.