Drive to Montevideo

We had to be up for an 8am breakfast and 9am departure this morning.  Unfortunately, the hostel staff didn't seem ready to do 28 breakfasts at the same time, so it took a while!

There were more of us on the truck today seeing as we were joined by all those who took the ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia, as well as Britt and Greg who we haven't seen since Ushuaia.  Fortunately, we still managed to get a double seat each.  It's better for Mark if he can spread out.

Ritchie drove us out of town.  Then Tim took over.  It clearly took him a while to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road in a huge truck with a dodgy gearbox!  I guess it's a bit different from driving a double decker bus around Exeter!

Once again, we were driving through verdant rural landscapes.  We are struck by the small amount of rubbish on the verges as compared to everywhere else in South America - and the UK, for that matter!

We had a toilet stop at a service station that had one of the best shops we have seen on the entire trip!  We didn't need anything, so we resisted all the familiar products, like the full range of Cadbury's chocolate, Walnut Whips, and tins of sour lemon travel sweets!  Some of the group enjoyed a bar of fruit 'n' nut with their coffee 😀.

As we approached Montevideo, we started to see more industry and some slum housing nearby.  There was also more rubbish left by the roadside.

We entered the city via the docks.  It was very reminiscent of the approach to Marseille.  The port is one of the busiest in South America due to its low fees compared to other places.Read more