The sisters arrive in Uruguay, new birds aplenty, and the dinner was almost wasn't

Okay, do you remember that we left off in Miami with four hours to go before the nine hour flight to Montevideo? I can barely recall any of it. I know that Jenny once again sported the helmet and that I had a different contraption on my head (so much head maintenance when flying coach) and we both floated between the movies we had playing on our screens and the suffocating half sleep of 3 AM flying. Jenny decided to watch Lord of the Rings for the first time on the plane. That’s a choice. Her half dreams were filled with Sméagol making greedy noises and Frodo scampering across the Shire. I genuinely have no idea what movie I had playing. I did choose something, I’m sure, but then immediately fell into twilight. And I think it had to do with barn animals. Don’t ask me how I know. 

Arriving in Uruguay was like a huge United-States-sized exhale. Winter is now summer. Elm and oak trees are now, well, some other kinds of trees. Birds chirp in Spanish, which has Jenny very excited for our upcoming birding adventure. Speaking of my sister, I am very proud of how she is able to navigate our new surroundings. She understands most of what folks are saying and can respond like a Spanish pro (coincidentally, she actually was a real Spanish pro for Halloween last year). As part of the assimilation process, J and I walked through an hour’s worth of stanchions, showing off documentation and luggage to the applause of no one. But speaking of applause, I now know that Uruguayans clap when the pilot lands an airplane successfully. Charming for sure. Don’t want to know what they do for unsuccessful landings…  Also, they kiss pretty much everyone hello and goodbye. Our Hertz assistant kissed one woman as she left the rental booth and then kissed the man who entered right after. I was prepared for this since Jen is a good researcher and warned me of the excessive kissing in Uruguay. I will likely be kissed by several strangers in the next ten days.

Our hotel was five minutes away from the airport, which was a great relief since both sisters were in need of a shower and the ability to recline, an action which we have been deprived of for an unacceptable amount of hours. Showering. Reclining. Teeth brushing. Clothes changing. And voila! We were brand new. Or so we thought. After an acceptable two hours in our room, we ventured down to the deck to stare at a Uruguayan body of water and at many old male Uruguayan bodies in the adjacent hotel pool. To our delighted surprise, there were birds of the South American persuasion everywhere. We smarties brought binoculars to the deck with us and had ourselves a sit down, and then lie down, bird watching session. 

It was there that the repercussions of our sleep deprivation and lack of food, which we neglected to eat for an unhealthy amount of time, became very apparent. A squabble about a first aid kit was our first hint of trouble. The purchasing of a first aid kit to be precise. The purchasing of a first aid kit in order to avoid a traffic ticket to be even more precise. If you want to know more, Google Uruguayan traffic laws yourself. I don’t feel the need to elaborate (although I apparently did then). First aid kit irritation turned into one of those looping, circling conversations that inevitably happen when attempting to plan dinner and trying to guess what the other person wants. I made a reservation at a nice place close by. We agreed that was the plan. Then we became VERY tired and VERY hungry and waffled between keeping the reservation or finding food at the hotel restaurant. It was so complicated and we were practically slurring our words attempting to work it out. In fact we discussed the pros and cons of each plan, made and unmade decisions so many times, that it was actually time to head to the restaurant to meet our reservation when we emerged from the looping conversation of doom. So we just did that. And we are so glad we did. Vela Resto was a gem. Outdoor seating, combined with birds doing their Spanish chirping and good drinks and food fixed all that was ailing. By the way, Uruguay is a very meaty place. Jen’s dish was meat with a side of meat and potatoes. I had a dry cracker. So now you’ve heard all of the goings on from day two and aren't glad you did. Riveting content, my friends. Bet you can’t wait to find out what happens next. 

Also, here’s to Minneapolis, which got through a frigid, unwanted party with uninvited guests today. Good on you for freezing them out.