Urugu-where???

After 30 hours of travel, I have finally arrived in Punta del Este, Uruguay. This is the hot beach spot for the rich and famous, supposedly, not that I would recognize any of the local nobility. It's the tail end of the high season, but still 30 degrees and horrendously humid! I will venture out and explore tomorrow, today I really need to compose myself after the long journey.

Uruguay may not be on many people's travel bucket list. It's a small country, dwarfed by its neighbours Argentina and Brazil, with no globally renowned sights. I mean, have you ever heard of anyone or anything famous to come out of Uruguay?? But it does exist, I have a stamp in my passport now that proves it. I thought a few days by the sea would be just the thing to recover from all the travelling, and then take on the capital, Montevideo.

 

The 13-hour flight from Amsterdam to Buenos Aires was definitely bearable, although there was a lot of turbulence on the way so I didn't get as much sleep as I had hoped. But I really pity the poor suckers that were stuck in cattle class those 13 hours! I really could not do that any more. Economy seats are designed for dwarves, not for tall, strapping Vikings like myself, and certainly not for long journeys.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that KLM has upgraded its World Business Class. The seats are now not only flat but also horizontal! They don't however provide the splendid privacy of British Airways's Club World, but the seats are a bit wider. The food was absolutely adequate. For all the waxing on about carefully selected wines and Michelin-star-chefs, it's decent nosh and does the job of filling your belly. The one special touch from KLM is the miniature Delft Blue houses they still hand out, filled with a slosh of Dutch jenever! They really seem to plug Delft Blue as their most recent safety demonstration video is based around the famous Dutch artistry.

In Buenos Aires, I had a few hours to relax in the Aerolineas Argentinas business lounge, before boarding my final flight to Montevideo. Nothing much to say about the lounge, but I was in desperate need of internet access again! Last time I could go online was in Birmingham, and the world might have gone to war while I was in the air! Luckily, it seems it hasn't. At least no more than it was before. Once fully updated on global affairs, I boarded an Air France 777 for the short hop over the mouth of the Rio de la Plata. I must say I expected at least a small snack on the way, but all we got in business class was a pre-flight drink. Champagne, of course, but not even a bag of peanuts! Dear oh dear, how the mighty have fallen. Back in the day, BA managed to serve a whole 757 with a snack box between Heathrow and Manchester!

The airport in Montevideo turns out to only have four gates! Yes, four! No immigration or customs forms to fill out (unusual for Latin America where pointless bureaucracy is king), but you got your luggage x-rayed before you could leave the baggage area. I wonder what they think people do with their baggage between the baggage belt and the exit...

As I gently ease myself into having to speak Spanish again, I must say that I am strangely unphased by being on the other side of the planet. Sure, I can feel that I have been travelling for a very long time but there is nothing emotional about actually being here. Maybe I'm just exhausted and will regain my exploring spirit after a good night's sleep.