Acted the total tourist in Uruguay. First went to the thermal springs in Salto. They were nice and warm but the hot water is so far down in the earth that they just pipe it up into swimming pools. Before I went I had expected something like Rotorua in New Zealand where there are thermal pools on the surface. Stayed in a posh hotel there but it was kind of a waste of cash cos everyone else was Uruguayan and either seniors or families so there was no one there for me to hang around with. After that went to Montevideo where I stayed in the old city. The architecture is fantastic there. Found myself sharing a dorm with 7 argentinans who were having a hen party and playing games before heading out in the room. Very strange. There was an American girl there so we hung around together sightseeing mostly. Went to Punta del Este. After Rio de Janeiro, it is the spot where rich South Americans vacation but it is a far cry fom Copacabana. Was not that impressed but it might have had something to do with the fact that it completely lashed for my first day there. All in all it reminded me of Bray, with casinos instead of slot machines. Headed on to an estancia (a ranch) after that. It was in the middle of nowhere. There was a hummingbird nesting in the thatch outside my room. Very scary creature - it is so small that it looks more like a big insect rather than a tiny bird and the humming is not humming it is more like the loudest bluebottle / wasp you can imagine. Everytime it left its nest it gave me a huge shock. All in all I was kind of disappointed with Uruguay - I don´t want to dismiss a whole country but there was not a lot to do there.
