Not done much today. Up at about 12:30 but I did go to that buffet, which was OK if nothing spectacular. Wandered round a bit just to see a bit more of the city. I made a halfhearted attempt to visit one museum shown on my map which I found myself near, but it didn't appear to exist.
I am toying with the idea of just spending the night at the hostel doing a bit of booking and then just surfing. It seems a bit of a waste somehow, but although I've seen the odd bar here and there in my meanderings, none looked desperately inviting and I know I'd just end up back in that street with several bars. I'm sure it would be an OK night but on the other hand it's getting a bit samey and I should probably be having more of these quiet nights where I don't drink.
It's a bit of a bugger that it's 'only' a bit before 5, I will have another coffee but it seems a shame to go back to the hostel during daylight, yet on the other hand I don't think I'm going to see much of interest with another hour's wandering (assuming half an hour for another coffee, sunset is about 6:30). On the other hand, I suppose it's 'only' an hour of unproductive wandering and it's all exercise.
Am thinking about overnighting somewhere between here and Colonia del Sacramento tomorrow night instead of faffing around with a separate hostel or dormitory at the inconvenient booking one for tomorrow night. The journey doesn't need a break, as I think it's about 2.5h, but if there's somewhere moderately interesting en route it may be a neat 'solution' to the fact I couldn't book a hostel room for four nights in Colonia. On the other hand, I may wish I had gone for the full four days in Colonia later on. I guess I will take a look at the guide book when I get back to the hostel and see what my options are.
I could stay here another night. That seems a bit of a waste - the city is pleasant but since I'm short on time and seem to have done most of the obvious stuff to do already - but on the other hand it would give me Friday night here. But unless I were to locate somehow another 'venue', I'd just end up on the usual street and I doubt it being a Friday would make it significantly better. I am also not sure if I could stay at the same hostel tomorrow night, and if I have to go to the hassle of moving from one to another, it's almost as easy to go to another city.
Oh, this cafe is called La Pasiva, I just spotted a menu.
18:00. Back at the hostel, I didn't have a walk. I may go to 'Fun Fun' which according to a poster for the hostel's nominal activity program is (if memory serves) 'the most famous bar in Montevideo' or something. They go there (assuming these activites actually happen) on Saturday I think. My guide book gives the address and I assume it will be open on a Thursday. To be honest I almost don't want to go, but I guess I ought to take a look. I will probably take the laptop down to the terrace and then bugger off out once the battery dies.
It doesn't look like any of the cities/towns vaguely between here and Colonia rate an entry in the guide book (the shoestring one) or wikitravel, so I guess I am either staying in Montevideo an extra night or staying in Concordia 'somewhere' tomorrow night. Probably the latter as I need to do the booking now before I go out.
22:30. Didn't really want to come out but I left 20 mins ago and just got to Fun Fun. I don't really like it. Someone is playing live tango though so it's an experience. But it's rammed and everyone is sat at tables and it feels a bit awful. I have no idea if there is table service but it's busy enough I don't like to try and force my way pver to the bar. I have been waiting maybe five minutes for attention already but let's just see.
Spot of rain earlier while I was on the hostal terrace and on the way over here there was a light shower with a pretty cold wind blowing it right into my face. I think autumn is starting to set in, or maybe I've just been lucky the last three nights.
I also think I am probably in the lowest age quartile of the clientele. That should be cool or I shouldn't care, but it doesn't help.
The performer, or some bloke, is now doing a bit of chat with the audience. It has a very slight 'stereotypical nightclub compere' quality. I think I will have one beer and leave, probably just back to the hostel though maybe not.
OK, I just don't like it much and I don't fancy going to the bar somehow. I think I'm going to leave, I've just heard one song for free and that's enough. This isn't even pique, it's just not feeling great. (22:37)
22:45. OK, I'm down at Dublin. The Shannon looked rammed and either a DJ or band was set up in the corner. I'm not in the mood for squezing it. It's cool here, just a couple of beers since I came out rather than staying at the hostel, then home.
Oh, when I got here, the guys at the bar said 'couch surfing?' while I was being served. I assumed it was private conversation as it made no sense. One then asked me in English if I was 'with couch surfing'. I know what couch surfing is but I can't see why a bar shoud be 'expecting' couch surfing people. Oh, maybe (one of the French women I met in Puno told me about this aspect) they are having some sort of meeting of local and visiting 'members' at this bar tonight. But then, surely ['Algo Mas' playing now, not heard that in a bar for a while], I wouldn't be here on my own in that case. Well, I guess I could be a local host with no one staying at present. But then, why would I not be fluent in Spanish? (They either twigged from my order of 'chopp Pilsen' or assumed, either way it's inconsistent with me being a local host.) I think I'm over analysing this. :-) But it was a bit odd.
(Oh, I only realised that the group 'La Quinta Estacion' probably uses the word 'estacion' in the sense of 'season of the year' while listening to a Showtime Spanish programme on a bus a couple of weeks ago. I didn't know or had forgotten that sense of the word before, I had assume it meant only 'station'.)
Weird Spanish language cover version of 'Total Eclipse Of The Heart' playing, it's sort of bouncy.
The walls are lined wuth wooden boards half of which have 'Irish Proverbs' on them - in Spanish. This is a little freaky but also is quite interesting to try and decipher.
(At this point, I might observe that La Taberna (in Asuncion?) had the dining room heavily plastered with Spanish language signs. I didn't understand them all. Some said stuff like "don't use the lift in case of fire", others were sort of proverbs. I won't say it was exactly cool, but it was sort of interesting, something to look at while waiting for service.)
Oh, I walked past a hairdresser's earlier which had a sign saying "compro cabello", ie. "I buy hair" (unless I am now making a fool of myself by bad translation), in the window. Maybe the guy makes wigs, though that seems a bit improbable, but who has hair to sell?! Does he expect someone to be walking past, see the sign and think "Wow! Those hair clippings I've been taking home from the hairdresser's out of habit for the last few years and leaving to gather dust in a jar in the kitchen are worth money! Let me step in here and negotiate." Surely you would simply approach hairdressers directly and arrange to buy their hair clippings rather than advertising in your shop window...
00:35. Just got another beer. Seeing a table umbrella waving slightly in the wind fills me with a wimpy dread of walking back to the hostel. I get this in the UK sometimes. Once I'm out I'm sure it will be fine and it's 10 minutes tops, but in all serious if I'm not careful then I may stay out partly in order to postpone the work home. But I do have to check out (admittedly not til 11) tomorrow, so I don't want to be out too late. I may have another after this, I don't know.
Oh, I had a look at hostels for Friday. There was nothing on expedia and very little on hostelworld. In the end I have booked for a bed in a 4-bed mixed dormitory at the same hostel I have the expensive private room for the following three days. I've done it before and I may meet people. To be honest what bugs me most about a dormitory is, well a couple of things actually:
- worrying about disturbing people if I come back late (if they disturb me it sucks but it doesn't worry me)
- worrying about having stuff nicked, I have one padlock and two bags and the backpack has several zipped compartments, and I don't want to have to try to squeeze everything into one place so I will just have to chance it.
Still, I'm sure it will be cool.
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