Yesterday was hot and calm with a high of 32C. This morning it is sunny, windy and 22C. Today is supposed to be sunny with a high of 27C.
Yesterday grandson had to go to Buenos Aires for 24 hours. His time in Uruguay is almost up and he has to exit the country for 24 hours. People do it on a regular basis here. Daughter-in-law went with him so son and I had a day alone. It was so hot, that we spent the day inside where it was cool.
We are starting week 6 of our trip and I have been reflecting on it. It has been a lot of fun but 7 weeks away is a long time for me. It was one of my concerns when we decided to come here.
I am still struggling with the language but can hear more words that I have learned. I can say a few more sentences than when I arrived. The people here speak rapidly and you can get lost trying to translate in your head. More of the middle and upper class people speak English. If they have a family member that has moved to North America, they learn to speak more fluent English.
I am getting through the hot days but do struggle if the heat lasts for three or more days. If I came back in the summer I would want a place that has air conditioning. I would be more inclined to visit in April/May when they are having fall. I do better in cooler weather. The morning it was 13C (Wednesday), I was ready to be outside and explore. People were complaining how cold it was.
The food here is very good. The beef is amazing but they do know how to cook chicken to perfection. The food is not spicy. When you go to a restaurant, there is no salt on the table but they do bring it with your meal. When you shop for foods, those foods that are high in salt, sugar, and fats are labeled. There is a good selection of sugar free foods available. Shopping for food is done frequently and the larger the grocery store, the more selection you have. What I like but haven't tried is the selection of prepared foods you can buy for lunch or dinner. You can get both hot and cold. There is always a butcher counter where the butcher will weight out your meat and you can get exactly what piece you want. You can also buy meat in packages but you never see "family packs" here.
Bread has been a disappointment. The loaves are small and the bread is sliced thinner than what we are use to. The best place to buy rolls, croissants, etc. is at a bakery. They also sell a large selection of sweets in the bakeries along with some savoury items.
You can get around the city easily. The bus passes are easy to get and you can ride free for an hour. We have gone to get something and paid for our trip to the store and rode home for free. You can get a taxi or an uber driver to take you to your destination. We have used uber drivers a lot. Our favourite car is the BYD electric car from China. It is comfortable and about the size of our cars at home. Some of the uber cars are tiny which has us ordering 2 cars. That gets a bit expensive.
Food delivery is the best I have seen. Your order on an app and then it is delivered via a motorbike. You can order from restaurants, small shops, and grocery stores and it will be delivered to your door. People use it all the time. I will have to say it is very efficient.
The apartment we have is large and comfortable. It is an older apartment that has had some updates. We met the owner's daughters who were brought up in it. They and their mom live in the US so it has become an Airbnb. As it has no a/c, we are happy it is close to the water as the winds help keep it cool inside. Most of the windows have metal shutters on them which we close up on hot days. It is very Mediterranean that way.
I am looking forward to going home though I will remember this trip for a long time. I am not sure where I will go next but I am hoping I can go on one more trip.
Until the next time...........................................................
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