MONTEVIDEO: Well today I started early, and a lot has happened. It seemed easy to rise just after 8am this morning, although a fight with the shower again set me back in my early schedule. It turned out that the flame on the gas heater had extinguished, so until we re-lit that there was never going to be any hot water. Breakfast was both the bread provided by the hostel and a banana I bought later. More than sufficient to keep me going until the afternoon. Now I was ready to head out. Climbing Cerro First destination was the bus stop that would take me to Cerro, a hill on the other side of a small bay to Old Town. On my way there I passed by a fruit market that had set itself up down one of the streets. Following on from it was a bits and pieces market which seem to comprise of enterprising individuals selling whatever they have for whatever they can get. I wandered through this most interesting and eclectic mix of items and then continued on my way. Somewhere in my map reading I confused my bus stop, resulting in me walking far too far and having to return again. Once I returned it was easy enough to catch the bus heading out to Cerro which passed through a number of villas (slums) and poor areas. As we passed through I noticed people sitting out on the corner of the streets displaying their wares for sale. Most of the items on display looked like junk to me, worn out shoes, broken lamps, rusty keys, dirty bottles, and more, but they obviously held value for each vendor. Driving along the streets were cars that were totally decrepit. Surprisingly, these vehicles were still registered, some of which had no lights, were filled with rust, had badly cracked windscreens, and whose doors that never really shut, would almost fall off with each opening. Some were extremely old, while others had simply had a very rough life. Not only where these cars around the place, but also many horses were pulling carts full of carefully collected rubbish as well as people pulling or pushing smaller carts carrying the same thing. I could see Cerro, a small hill, getting closer, but I did not really know where to get off. Following the advice of a policeman who was also on the bus I got off too soon. This gave me quite a long walk through the villa and up the hill in my plush "Columbia" feather down jacket and designer style jeans. There were a few times that I felt a little unsafe during this wander, but the view was fantastic. It amazes me at how many slums seem to end up with some of the best positions in town. Perhaps this is a way to offset the more painful parts of life. Once at the top of the hill I discovered that the Artigas Museum was closed and the view I was expecting to see of Old Town was very hazy, but I had at least made it there. When I entered the only shop on top of the hill it became painfully obvious that I was the only one there. Four people who appeared to be family were overly anxious to please and help me. I had come in search of Tortas Fritas but found none. They offered me baked fritas filled with jam instead, which served as a very poor substitute. Heading back down the hill again, I once again walked through the villa. This time I decided to wall through the centre of the place, right back to the township I had seen on my way through. It was actually quite a long way. Perhaps it was a little bold to wander as I did, through the private roads of the villa, but they were much more direct than taking the more public routes, although there were a few times that I was concerned for my safety. The town turned out to be very unexciting, so I found a bus stop and proceeded to wait. A very old bus rambled up to the stop with a sign indicating that it may be going in my direction. Now that I was a seasoned bus traveler I saw it as an opportunity to experiment, so I took it. It turned out to be an express bus taking me back in the Old Town via the main expressways. Palacio Legislativo My next goal was to head out to the Palacio Legislativo building which is the main Parliament building, located in a palace. I tried to find a bus but could not work out which one I needed to take. Since it did not seem too far I decided that I could walk there instead, although a bus would have made the three kilometer journey easier. The outside of this Palace was totally incredible. There was intricate detail all over the building, even on the flag poles. The size of this building, built entirely out of marble, rendered me in awe. I had seen many amazing churches and other places in Europe but this was the first time I had seen somewhere that I could call a true palace. It was just incredible. On reaching the main doors I discovered that to enter we needed to hand over some form of identification for which we would then receive a badge indicating who we were, which for me was a visitors badge. After the customary frisk by the friendly security I was directed up the stairs to join with a tour that had just begun. With me there was now three of us on the tour. The older Uruguayan couple that I joined told me that they had lived here all their lives and this was the first time they had ever come to see this place. The whole place was breathtaking wherever we looked. The entire tour was in Spanish but the lady, knowing that I was from Australia, simplified things for me enough to allow me to understand most of what she was saying. The tour of the Palace was just incredible. Everything about it was amazing. Wood ceilings painted in pure gold, huge marble pillars with intricate designs covering them, massive rooms with several story ceilings. It was all just mind blowing. Even the representative and legislative sections of their Parliament were both very impressive rooms. I had seen much like this in Europe, but this truly was just incredible. The old library, the second most important in the country, was the cutest thing I had ever seen, filled with old books from floor to the third story ceiling. The most amazing part was that it was open to the public. After collecting my identification I left this amazing building, staring at it as I walked away, still mesmerised by the incredible beauty of the place. A nearby cyber shop allowed me to stop in and quickly write about my experiences there before I then caught a bus to Parque Rodó on the other side of town. High Court In between buses, on my way to the next bus stop, I wandered past the High Court of Uruguay. Having discovered that the people here are quite friendly it seemed reasonable to me to ask if I could look around the building. Sure enough, even though the building was officially closed to visitors today, I was permitted to be taken around the building. As a result, one of the officials accompanied me around the entire building, showing me the rooms and decorations throughout. This amazing building, built in a French style, was actually owned by a millionaire some years ago but now was housing the Uruguayan Supreme Courts. It was a very beautiful place and I found it incredible to think that this had actually been a house. After seeing through the entire place and taking lots of photos, some with me in them courtesy of the man who was showing me around, I finally left. How amazing it was that I was shown such hospitality by complete strangers, simply because I was a visitor to their country. How the United States and so many other places need to learn from their smaller cousins. Parque Rodó The bus I took to Parque Rodó did not take me directly there, turning off instead toward a shopping centre while only part way there. I quickly got off at the next stop and walked. This was a much richer part of town and my wanderings revealed many interesting and very attractive houses on the way to the park. Just before the main park that I was aiming for was a fun park that had been closed up for winter. Everything was still there, it just had covers over them. Further on there was a lot of noise being made down in a pit. It turned out to be the local bowls club which consisted of a single lane for bowling and not a blade of grass. Beside the lane, leaning on the fence that surrounded it, were a bunch of guys, all giving out their share of friendly remarks and advice as the bowler sent his ball down along the tiles toward its goal. On reaching the park, the first thing that I notice about it is the lovely trees surrounded by fallen leaves, and roads lined with grand trees. It was a wonderful place with a feeling of peace about it. I even wandered around the inevitable lake located in the middle of the place, enjoying the ambiance of the late afternoon with the setting sun. By the time I reached the beach, right next to the park, there was little sun left, but the beach had a cosy feel to it still. On a full tide it would be a very busy swimming hole this close to the city. From here I could see the city clearly and the view was quite spectacular with the orange clouds hanging over the top of the well lit office buildings. Wandering toward the city again, I search among the side streets for a bus stop that will take me back to the Palace. I had heard that it is well lit at night time which would I thought would make good photos. But when I arrive back there I find that it is not so true, taking a few photos anyway since I am there. Palacio Legislativo Again Just as I am leaving the area, I meet a guard whom I had previous talked with during the day. He tells me that there is another tour that I can do right now which is actually different to the one that I had done during the day. Following his directions, I went to the door he told me to enter only to be told that I needed to go to the smaller door to the side of this one. When I get to there, the police stationed at this smaller door revealed that I was actually on the wrong side of the Palace and needed to find a similar sized door to this one on the other side. I also discovered that there was no actual tour but instead I was able to view the Parliament process in session. So I walk around the building to the other side and discovered a line of people waiting to enter. Joining the end, I started chatting with the last few people and find that everyone standing here had just come from the public seats and were lining up to get their personal effects left at the guardhouse before entry. Apparently there was a controversial law that was almost passed (or almost not passed) and these people had been protesting about it. The door I was entering provided access to the top balcony of the Parliament which was currently in session, and these people had been present to witness the processing of this controversial law. Whichever way it went, the results were favourable and everyone was now collecting their things and going home. I was just arriving. After surrendering my bag and everything in my pockets including coins and being frisked by one of the police officers, I was allowed to enter with just my wallet. I climbed the four stories of stairs to the top level balcony and sat on the front row watching the proceedings. I was one of only three or four people there from the public. Although microphones were in use, the large marble room prevented me from understanding much of what was said. So I watched the speakers change a couple of times, noting that there was a light on the microphone that indicated who was currently talking, and then left. It seemed little use to remain there. Once back outside, I took some more photos of the place and then caught a bus back the way that I had come. Wandering Through The Streets The idea was to visit a local artists market place, but by the time I had arrived they were all closing up. I looked around a little at the few places still open or in the process of closing but there was not much to see. Based on my history of always looking and never buying, being closed probably saved me a lot of time. It was not too far from the familiar district of Old Town so I wandered my way slowly through the streets, stopping to admire any interesting buildings or shops and observing the people on the way. Along the way I saw a magazine in English for the first time since arriving in South America. It was a Newsweek with a large "future technology" article in it. I found it to be too much to pass up, so I bought it. Now I wanted to read it, so after wandering across the road to a bar and restaurant, I was provided with a nice couple of beers to keep me occupied while I enjoyed reading through the main articles. It was great to read in English for a while. It was now getting late, and with little tourist things to do around here at night, the local cyber cafe became my home for the next few hours so I could write my current journal entry. From here it was straight back to my hostel where I tucked into a lovely warm bed, surrounded by bitter cold, and happily drifted off to sleep.