Uruguay-Argentina 2008, Part 2

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

As I prepare to post this blog from my youth hostel in Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay, I am pondering one profound question: Did the Dallas Cowboys make that final field goal to force the Arizona Cardinals into overtime, with four seconds remaining?

Kathy and I transferred planes in Salt Lake City and arrived in Atlanta just in time for the first quarter of the Dallas game. Strolling down the concourse, we stopped at each TV screen whenever we saw the Cowboys assemble on the line of scrimmage. Our layover in Atlanta should have been just long enough to allow us to watch the entire game.

Kathy and I had already been assigned seats on the flight to Buenos Aires, and Delta was boarding all zones. I kept stepping out of the boarding line to walk across our gate to the TV monitor. The Cowboys were down by three, with four seconds remaining. Faulk was about to make a 50-odd yard field goal attempt (which was repeatedly interrupted) to tie the score at the end of regulation play. As the gate agent impatiently shouted the final boarding call, I peeled myself away from the game and handed her my boarding pass. After that last ten hour flight plus a day of exploring South America, I still have not gone online to post this blog or see the final score. No matter how that game ended, GO COWBOYS!!

Keeping with my tradition, I waited to open my Lonely Planet travel guide for Argentina (it also covers Uruguay) until we were actually seated on our international flight. I've learned from past experience that leaving a book unopened will allow me to return it to Barnes & Noble if I get bumped off a flight and need to choose a different destination. I skimmed the book while watching a minor Kevin Costner comedy, promptly dozing off as the final credits rolled. A virus I caught in late September has kept me awake all night, coughing, several times in the past couple weeks (including Friday night). Though I am still far from a full recovery, nothing could keep me awake on that flight.

Gray skies greeted us at Buenos Aires' Ezeiza airport, along with a professional driver named Richard.

He was so helpful in providing visitors' information (and competitively priced) that we hired him to drive us to the Burqebus boat terminal for our ferry to Uruguay.

Richard drove us through the neighborhoods of Buenos Aires to get us oriented for our return to Argentina on Wednesday. We discussed faith, culture, and Argentina's economy. At the port we said our goodbyes, ate some pizza, and boarded a ferry bound for Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay.

At the Hotel Colonia, we checked out their complimentary mountain bikes. Kathy's bike had only a front brake (one more brake than mine had), and mine had two low tires and erratic steering. It was quite an experience, but it would be an understatement to say that they were safety hazards on wheels.

We spent the rest of our day wandering the cobblestone streets of Colonia, impressed that structures from the 1600s were still being used by citizens of Uruguay today. We had dinner on the waterfront patio of El Torreon and desert shakes at a nearby café.

I would share more stories from Colonia, but our bus is about to leave for Montevideo. I hope I can access this hostel's Wi-Fi signal so I can post this blog entry. If all goes according to plan, we should be leaving Uruguay late tonight to return to Argentina.