Uruguay

The German and I hopped a ferry to Colonia, Uruguay this weekend - a one hour trip. As we entered the port area of BA we were surprised to see the beginning of the Olympic torch ceremony. There were more police than you could shake a stick at.
We arrived in the Colonia and strolled up the cobblestone streets to a small hostel that had been around for ages. Very charming little place with old bouganvilla plants and avocado trees in the courtyard.
We rented bikes - the German's bike-chain broke immediately and some Brazilian cyclists on their way to Chile/New Zealand fixed it for us. Passing parilladas and heldaderias we picked up some wine and beer. Back at the hostel some New Zealand, Swiss, Dutch, and English travelers had arrived and we all chatted. I lost at games of pool.
The German, Swiss, and myself grabbed some delicious grilled meat at a restaurant and I befriended the area's stray dog population with trimmings from our meal. I tried to chat about oak wood cooking and hormone-free meat with the grillmaster, but was checked by my Spanish.
It seems after a week of Spanish school my command of the language has worsened - maybe I'm just intimidated because now I know how much there is to learn. This will not stop me from trying.
After the asado our hostel's large and multi-national crew met up again at a bar called "Colonial Rock". I imagined Queen Victoria singing Heart songs with Ben Franklin playing drums, but was greeted with locals singing Selena and The Cure through a Karaoke machine.
I tried to explain Mormonism to one of the Swiss travelers, but was again checked by my language-skills and lack of knowledge of the Mormon religion. The Swiss traveler bailed on the bill.
The German wanted to do shots of tequila,but I declined and struck up a conversation with the ghost of Allen Ginsberg.
The next day's activities were limited to hanging on the grassy beach of the rio plata, cooking some local produce, having my shoes shat on by the local bird population, and watching "Click" at the hostel. Yikes!
Back in BA everything is serene this Sunday.

P.S. Winter arrived.

P.P.S. Check out the photos here - http://www.travellerspoint.com/photos/gallery/users/Sabrosa684/