Wednesday, 23 January 2019
Montevideo, Uruguay
Debate at breakfast whether to change my plans and stay another couple of days in Jose Ignacio. It’s that nice. This time last year I stayed at the Chedi Hotel in Muscat, Oman, (https://www.ghmhotels.com/en/muscat/) which is one of my favourite hotels. Posada del Faro is now another.
Too much faff to change plans so off to Montevideo we go. Drive the coast road. Enroute to Punta del Este, at La Barra, drive across the most bizarre bridge. The Leonel Viera Bridge. It’s a rollercoaster and I’m not sure if it was designed like that or if it has physically deformed over time. Subsequent research says that it was designed like that (see photo below).
Was originally going to stay in Punta del Este for a few days until I discovered Jose Ignacio in the New York Times. So glad I did! Punta del Este is how I imagine Benidorm to be. Somewhere to be avoided. If it was closer to the UK, it’d be selling Full English Breakfasts with two pints of lager.
Drop car off at airport. They’re not bothered about checking it over. Just want confirmation it’s full of fuel. It is. Taxi to hotel. He taps in UYU1,450 on his phone. Nope. We’ll have the meter. He huffs and puffs. By the time we reach hotel, meter says 155. 155 what I hear you say. It looks like 15.5 so could be in US Dollars. Certainly not UYU15.5, as that’s about 40pence. Nope. It’s a counter. He has a laminated printed card. 155 equals UYU1,360, about GBP32. GBP2 difference. He looks at me in that ‘I told you so’ sort of look. He’s really not winning me over.
Hotel recommends La Vaca restaurant the other side of the block and gives me a free drink token. Whisky, beer or champagne. Glass of Mumm it is then. Order the rib-eye. Not had a bad meal on this trip yet.
Until now.
It’s the second worst steak I’ve ever had in a restaurant. The worst steak was a sirloin in a restaurant in Derbyshire, UK, about 25 years ago. It’s ingrained in my memory. That’s how bad it was.
As it’s served, ask for black pepper and a glass of red. Neither appear. Have to leave half of the rib-eye it’s that tough.
Montevideo you have just lost Uruguay a point in the happy stakes (no pun intended).
Satisfy my thirst with a glass of red Garzon. Garzon is a Uruguayan wine. You probably won’t find it in the UK pre-Brexit but I hope it’s imported post-Brexit.
It’s not bad. Not bad at all.
Hic.
One response to “32. Wonky bridge”
Hard to believe you received such a bad meal and that your steak was not edible! We enjoyed our time in Uruguay nearly 8 years ago.