The Lemmers Lynns, Lachine, QC, CA - SA Cruise 2004, Montevideo

The Lemmers Lynns
Lachine, Quebec, Canada
Bienvenue! / Welcome!

South America / Antarctic Cruise 2004
Sunday, February 15, 2004 - Montevideo, Uruguay

Over night we sailed back down the river Plata, which is immensely wide at this point, to arrive at Montevideo Sunday morning.
We took a shot of the skyline in the early morning sun and of the unusually shaped telecommunication building, which was designed by a Uruguayan who also designed a similar building for one of the Scandinavian countries.
And then a shot of the buses lined up on the dock to receive the tourist horde and carry us on our various day trips.

Our tour took us to Colonia del Sacramento, the first capital of Uruguay which has been restored as a World Heritage site. We saw only a little of the Montevideo port area on the way; not the most appealing area.
Our destination was about a two hour drive along a four lane highway with very little traffic. Our guide told us the average income in Uruguay is $200 - $400 per person per month, and in most families both parents work to give an average family income of $400 to $800. These are US dollars, but gasoline costs about US$1.00 per litre, so little wonder that the road was not filled with Sunday drivers.
Along the highway the villages on each side seemed to have grown haphazardly, with no apparent streets, and most houses little more than huts. Not a very rich country.

At Colonia the inevitable gate in the old wall led us to a view of the Plata river, so wide the other side is not visible. The water is brown from silt pouring down from the hills. I did not discover where the drinking water comes from.

The Street of Sighs was named (I think) for prisoners being led to their final destination. The houses along the street (at least the one we visited) seemed surprisingly roomy, sort of a rabbit warren of small rooms with a garden out back.

A lighthouse, a large moss-covered tree, a typical street and some dancers with their collection basket.

The church was simple and very tranquil inside.

Vintage cars seemed to be not just for show, and a broad tree-lined street gave welcome shade. A man and his son visiting for the day from Montevideo said (in English much better than my Spanish) that Canada is their model country. I was at a loss for words - not just because of the language.
As we left we saw Bryan Vickers, one of the assistant tour directors, in a photo op with a group of local soldiers.

Leaving Colonia we saw a bull ring that had been built by an entrepreneur just before bull-fighting was outlawed in Uruguay, so has never been used. We then had lunch in a new hotel where the staff were not accustomed to accommodating a horde of 200+ at one shot, even buffet style. However, they did their best and worked like trojans to meet our needs. As we left we noted a Valentine from the previous day.

Back on the ship the sun was setting as we sailed out on our last leg to Rio de Janeiro, a two day cruise. (Distances down there are greater than I had ever imagined!