Sounds horrendous. But it was actually a really wonderful experience!! Probably because I was in first class... Before I even got on the bus, I made friends with Sofi, just by making eye contact. (Haha! Getting really good at this friend thing!)
There were only four of us in 1st class. We watched Knight and Day on the little TV screen, a light dinner was provided, my seat went really far back, I got 2 pillows and 2 blankets and I slept really well!! ..But that was only a tiny part of the whole bus experience. For hours I looked outside the window at the beautiful cities and countryside that we sped past.
Occasionally we would reach a small town and have to slow down through the winding roads. These moments were so beautiful to see a snapshot of local Uruguayan life: Small parks of men playing with a soccer ball, horses being tied to a nearby tree, children chasing each other around a building, old ladies perched on a chair in front of their colourful houses, boyfriend and girlfriend riding up the hill on their motorbike wearing summery clothes and no helmets... With the sun setting in the background, these made for very picturesque moments. And for once, I didn't reach for my camera, but just enjoyed watching life through my eyes and not through my lens.
Sofi rode on the top floor of the bus in economy, so we got to catch up at the border. She speaks very little English so it's fun trying to communicate. It makes it easier because she is studying theatre at university so she is a very animated character. Her acting skills are very useful when it comes to communicating!
We established that my hostel is very close to her apartment and she agreed to walk with me for part of the way. But when we reached her apartment, she invited me upstairs! How could I resist? After a short trip to the panaderia (bakery), we completely made ourselves comfortable on her balcony and she invited me to stay with her! So generous! She is currently washing my clothes while I chill out and charge my phone! Love the student life!
The apartment is a little smaller than ours but it has a massive balcony! She said that she pays approx us$500 a month and it's pretty expensive (hah!)! She lives with her brother (Santiago) and his girlfriend (Lala) and they are all so nice and welcoming!
For lunch, we ate like kings with salad, schnitzel and jamon con queso tartes (ham/cheese pastries) with grapes, cookies and chocolate for dessert. While we ate, we exchanged phrases in each others languages. So much fun!! I think I will stay here tonight but head to the hostel tomorrow, as I have already paid for it. Sofi and I are already friends on Facebook so it should be easy to catch up for cake on Friday :)
For a bit of fun, look up El Cuarteto del Amor on YouTube. They are so cute. Think barber shop + Latin America + boys to swoon over (if I were allowed to swoon).
Love you Shaneo :)
And Sofi says hello everybody!
El Cuarteto del Amor are so cool - I've just been checking out some of their videos :)
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that you're making heaps of new friends and enjoying yourself enough to swoon :P