Our party of 6 began the adventure in Guayaquil, then on South. In a short time, we were able to get a broad brush look/see of 2 cities in Uruguay, Colonia Del Sacramento and Montevideo, and Buenos Aries, Argentina. We'd like to return someday and see more.
Happy to report that none of us got sick or injured, no flights got canceled, no 'bad stuff ' happened, except for some weight gain (which is already coming back off, thank goodness!)
When we first began doing our homework, deciding where to go and live for our South American adventure, Uruguay was on the short list. Of course, we ended up in Ecuador, but our lives would have surely been different if we had gone to Uruguay instead. It would have been more European, more expensive, less diverse...and no Andes mountains! If we had gone there instead, chances are we would have also ensured our US American figures, the food/wine is that good!
The food was absolutely delicious! We ate the best beef and lamb ever, French croissants (many!), great coffee and amazing wine. We toured the cities and got a good flavor of neighborhoods. We saw some beautiful countryside and the sea. We attended a tango dinner show, toured an old historic winery, walked the streets and along the rivers, met some nice folks, admired art and architecture, trees and flowers. We visited the Pope's Church! We loved the variety of shopping, where we found shoes in our big sizes! We enjoyed the sunshine and the warm temps, mostly in the 80's F.
As you might expect, the Spanish accent of native speakers in both countries is different from any in Ecuador! There is a more demonstrative and hand-talking way, more Italian. People seem to talk louder, too. And, pronunciation of certain letters (doublé l and y) are pronounced as a shushing sound. A little hard to understand, but we managed.
This trip was the first time for us at sea level for this long (about 2 weeks) in several years...no problema. We also didn't feel anything different returning back to altitude here in Cuenca, all good.
We'll be sharing some pictures and stories to try to give you a good overview of the adventure, coming soon....Stay tuned.
Totally tuned in here! Bring it on...
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