My kids will tell you that I am a "transportation expert" and so it has humbling to struggle with our means of getting from one place to another. Sunday required getting the six of us and our 14 pieces of luggage from our apartment in Buenos Aires to an apartment in Montevideo (Uruguay). We chose ferry over airplane and eventually succeeded in buying tickets online, not knowing (or having any hints) as to whether walk-up tickets could be available. As it turns out, the vessel was nearly empty.
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| Another hall, another 14 pieces of luggage. |
We had to leave our apartment no later than 2pm but our ferry was not until 5. Because I haven't been able to decipher the transit system (rail, subway, a billion buses), we called the same shuttle company that brought us from the airport to the apartment upon arrival (at 1am, no less). But that time, our Spanish-speaking friend made the phone call when we failed to navigate their website for a reservation.
This time, taking a deep breath, I used WhatsApp to call: failure. I used Google Voice to call: failure. I used the apartment phone to make a local call: initial success followed by failure when the call dropped abruptly. I called back, started over ("hablas Ingles?" gets you to an English-speaking operator), thought the call had been dropped but had enough patience to discover I had just been left on a very long hold. There wasn't a big-enough shuttle available but they would send us two cars for the job. I accepted, forgetting to even ask for the price (it turned out to be more than reasonable).
The ferry terminal is actually quite nice and you check in for the international ferry ride much as you would at the airport: ticketing, security, customs (both out of Argentina and into Uruguay) and waiting hall. We paid for business class and I don't think it's worth it in the absence of a crowd. The seats are not assigned but they were plentiful. The complimentary champagne was a nice touch. The biggest surprise: every passenger is given a pair of cotton shoe covers to preserve the carpeted interior.
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| 12 on 6 at the Buenos Aires Ferry Terminal |
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| The stern of the Buequebus "Francisco" Fast Ferry |
The highlight of the two-hour ride was meeting a fellow American by way of her English speaking pre-schooler. Ali and Cate love nothing more adorable kids who are younger than them except for adorable kids who speak English! The kids had fun playing together and we had fun talking to a compatriot.
Back to the transportation theme: we were picked up by Lorenzo, whom I had managed to find through an online clearinghouse. He was waiting for us at the arrivals door, had a perfect vehicle at the curb, spoke excellent English, provided useful local knowledge. Plus, everything was paid online so I didn't have to worry about haggling or immediately having local currency. Some things about modern travel are really nice.
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| Dashboard view of streetside campaigning on election night. The flags represent political parties. |
I'm ashamed to admit it but we had Burger King for dinner. It was after 9pm, the kids were exhausted, the markets were closed (Sunday night), and hungry (or hangry) sleep wasn't a welcome prospect. So while Elise got the kids settled in their beds, Lily and I walked a few blocks to get fast food. The most interesting part of the walk was that the results of Uruguay's presidential runoff election had just been announced so there was honking and fireworks and shouting and general excitement in the air.
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