September 19
Day 5
I'm currently writing from a bus, heading to a small village called punta del diablo. Up until now we've been in The overpopulated city of Montevideo, which houses half of Uruguay's three million people. Although the architecture was beautiful, and the people welcoming and hospitable, I can't say I'm too sad to move on. The primary reason for this was being scared for my life at every intersection. There were none too many traffic laws in the city, and it seemed pedestrians were considered as 'afterthoughts'. I believe I saw 4 or 5 traffic lights in the four days we spent there, and the many kilometres we walked. At first I wasn't quite sure how anyone could ever cross those roads safely, and by watching the locals that was confirmed, nobody does. They simply look in the way traffic is coming, and leisurely stroll across the street in between oncoming cars, avoiding being hit by no more then a few centimetres . My family stuck out like a sore thumb, running when cars approached us, traveling at speeds that would be much past the speed limits, had there been any.

The sidewalks were a different hazard entirely. The pathways were made up of many different tiles, some very beautiful, all very dangerous. Every few steps there would be either a broken tile or one that was missing, which made for many holes in the ground or small ledges that were amazingly easy to trip on. I thought it was very ironic that the city with the worst sidewalks, was also the one with the most high heels. From what I've seen so far, the ladies in Uruguay wear no makeup and their natural hair but very tight outfits, and remarkably high heels. I've begun to question my femininity, when I resemble a duck walking in two inch platforms, and the women here navigate the rough terrain in six inch heels.

Although my parents had warned me before leaving, I wasn't quite aware of how rare blue eyed, blonde haired, fair skinned girls were in this part of the world (other then on billboards).  Colby and I have begun to distinguish a flattering gaze from an unsettling one. I think I've seen two other people who could have been naturally blonde so far, and unless I decide to dye my hair, I doubt I'll stop sticking out so much.

Even though Montevideo proved to be slightly stressful and overwhelming at times, it was all in all a great start to our adventure. The people there embraced us, and we received many helpful hands from the locals. At one point when we were totally lost after being given two addresses to our youth hostel (both wrong), a man walked around with us to find it for almost an hour. My dad referred to him as our angel, and he was delighted to let us know that it was actually his second name.

So far it's been a great trip, not without complications... But those are what make some of the best stories.