Uruguay, turkeys, and getting robbed
Dec 21st, 2007, 11:45 pm
After finishing my exams, my research paper, and a grad school application, I decided to take a solo trip to Uruguay to relax and know a new place. I left for this tiny country of 3.3 million people Sunday morning by Buquebus, a company that transports passengers from Buenos Aires by boat, and arrived in Montevideo, the capital and largest city, three hours later.
I spent the first day exploring the areas closest to my hotel and checking out the Feria de Tristán Narvaja (Tristán Narvaja Fair), a huge street market held every Sunday where they sell everything from live turkeys to Nintendo 64 consoles and games. I felt bad for the birds kept in tiny cages. That just ain’t right.
The next day I took a guided tour to Punta del Este, a resort town located about 140 km east of Montevideo. I almost missed the tour because I had fallen asleep while watching TV the night before, so I didn’t set my alarm. The tour guide called my room at 8:30 a.m., and I told her I wasn’t going because I didn’t think fifteen minutes was enough time to get ready. After hanging up and thinking for a minute, I changed my mind because there was no way I was gonna miss the opportunity of seeing the famous Punta del Este everyone talks about in Buenos Aires. Basically, I just brushed my teeth and did wudu and washed my hair. I normally don’t go out without showering, so I felt a bit dirty. If she hadn’t called, I would’ve surely missed the tour.
The tour guide asked me if I was Brazilian when we were on the phone. If I got a peso for every time somebody asked me that, I’d be a very rich man. My hotel was filled with Brazilians, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t sound like them…
Anyway, Punta del Este is super expensive. It was essentially made as a beach playground for Argentina’s rich. I spent $20 for lunch, something I rarely, rarely do in this part of the world.
Oh, after spending a long day exploring Montevideo on Tuesday, I got robbed by a group of four boys on the bank of the Río de la Plata. I was tired and wanted to relax for a bit by watching the waves from the estuary before leaving for Buenos Aires that night. I picked a nice, quiet area underneath a palm tree, far away from other people and the highway. Because of its isolation, I thought about the risk of sitting there, but I did it anyway. After eating an alfajor and taking several pictures of myself, I saw a group of boys that appeared to be around 15 or 16 years old walk in my direction. A few minutes later, they sat around me and began to ask me questions. They started off by asking me if I wanted a smoke. After declining, they asked where I was from. I lied and said Bangladesh; if I had said the US, they probably would’ve thought I was loaded with cash. I figured they had never heard of Bangladesh, so I told them it was by India–one of the boys asked me if I was meditating. One of them asked me if I worked, and I told him I study but teach English part time. They acted like they wanted to practice speaking English with me. A few seconds later, one of them says this to me: “Listen to me, negro (pronounced nay-gro; usually refers to those of black African descent, but the word is often used in Argentina and Uruguay to refer to all darker skinned people). ¿Sabés que es un nueve milímetro? (Do you know what a nine millimeter is?)” At that point, I knew they wanted to rob me. I told them they could have everything, but they “just” took my camera, cell phone, and about $100 in US dollars and Argentine and Uruguayan pesos. One of the kids wanted my backpack, but his buddy told him not to take it. Luckily, they didn’t take my passport and debit card. If they had, I would’ve been screwed. Before leaving, they told me not to turn around because they said their friends were waiting in the distance and would shoot me if I did. I knew it was BS, but I didn’t want to take a risk. I sat there for half an hour more and didn’t turn around.
I’m such an idiot for not listening to myself. If I had not sat in that spot, I probably would still have all my stuff. I had doubts about sitting in such an isolated area. And I knew those kids were up to no good when I had spotted them from a distance. Oh well. It could’ve been worse. At least they didn’t beat me up or kill me (they said they had a gun, but I didn’t see anything). It sucks that I don’t have a single pic from my trip, though. I even planned which ones I would put on my blog.
Apart from the robbery, my trip was interesting and relaxing. Uruguay is very similar to Argentina, at least on a cultural basis. They talk the same, have the same accent, and eat the same food for the most part. The thing that really stands out is that they have a sizable black population, unlike its big neighbor to the west.
And Montevideo is a bit run down. Judging by the beautiful architecture, you can tell it was a nice place decades ago before things went downhill. Nonetheless, it has its own charm.
I’d keep going, but I should go to bed pretty soon. I’m only in this part of the world for the next three days, so I have a lot of packing and gift shopping and hanging out with friends left to do.
