Another Capital City

We flew to Montevideo and were met by our host Beatriz.  The LAN flight to Montevideo went well and were happy to have had Beatriz, Belen and Silva meet us at the airport with their tourist driver Leo from Tacureambo.  We happily drove off to the hotel Melia or Tryp as it is now.  Tucked into a cute neighborhood and only two blocks from a major shopping center we were feeling like it would have been nice to have had another day in Montevideo.  I must say we made the most of one night and a day.  We ate near the University at what looked like an outdoor drive in eating Pizza that night. Beatriz, Belen and Silva stayed with friends and Leo the driver had a friend to stay with in the city.  We sense this was not cheap to hire a driver and spend the night just to come and pick us up to take us back to their city.  The city was alive and seemed much more vibrant than Santiago.  Coming to the capital from Tacureambo is no short feat so we were given a first class tour of the city, driving by the capital, seeing the Atlantic Ocean and of course visiting the street vendors.  Belen bought a pair of sweat pants and we would not help but gawk at the stands of the bras at the various street vendor places.  We also went to the bus station where there were a few shops that Beatriz wanted to visit. Belen bought a big Mac to bring home to her brother.  It was going to be a long five hour drive before that hamburger would be eaten.  By the mid afternoon we left the city and began the long drive out to Tacaurembo.  The highway was fairly straight and surprisingly smooth to travel.  One stop midway at a gas station and restaurant provided our on the road meal of toasted cheese and ham sandwiches.