Denouement Diaries - Week 7

Denouement Diaries - Week 7

Essentially the ramblings of two adults that probably require adult supervision.

As usual, follow along at:

And...here. Anyway let's get into it:

23/3/23 - Day 43: Asuncion

  • Lazy start
  • Wandered over to a cafe for breakfast
  • Back to the apartment
  • Pool and reading on the roof in the sun
  • Got an Uber down the road to a museum of South American Art
  • Was weird but interesting
  • From their to a big shopping centre for an ice cream and coffee in the airconditioning
  • So hot in Asuncion
  • Off to Casey's last pole class in Asuncion
  • Then back to the big shopping centre for dinner
  • Found a TGI Fridays and had some ribs
  • Was good
  • Got tickets to see John Wick 4 at the cinemas here - I think it premiered here today
  • Was so good
  • Uber home and sleeps

24/3/23 - Day 44: Asuncion --> Montevideo

  • Travel day
  • Sleep in
  • Packed up all our gear
  • Was thinking about leaving our bags in the lobby area of our AirBnB building while we went and pottered because we had an afternoon flight
  • But ended up deciding to just take our bags with us and have a long breakfast/lunch
  • Had a coffee after breakfast while Casey went and upgraded her little handbag that was breaking
  • And I started reading through a complaint from the AirBnB we had just left - I had accidentally kicked my toe on a cupboard so there was some blood on a sheet
  • Of course we were now sent the bill to replace the sheets and towels
  • Before they had been cleaned
  • Ugh bring back hotels - what is even the point of AirBnB
  • Anyway I declined that request
  • Uber to the airport
  • More cofee at the airport
  • Then a random walk across the tarmac to our little plane (much more organised than Argentinian walks across tarmacs...)
  • And a short flight
  • Into Montevideo
  • Which is lovely so far
  • Clean and organised
  • About 40 mins to our AirBnB
  • A drive all along the coastline - lots of restaurants, gyms, people out walking and exercising, everything looks very clean
  • To the old town where we found our cool old place
  • Went back dowstairs to the restaurant next door for dinner - good steak
  • Then back and watched the 'Pornhub' movie on Netflix

25/3/23 - Day 45: Montevideo

  • Chill day
  • Raining unfortunately
  • Had to find some breakfast
  • Started with a coffee where we had dinner
  • But they didn’t do breakfast
  • A couple of street down found some medialunas and more coffee
  • Then wandered down into the old town
  • Is very quiet
  • Found some groceries
  • And brought them back to our place
  • Chilled for a little bit with the rain
  • Read on the roof for a little while
  • We definitely do not have a pool
  • It’s like a foot bathing pond
  • Anyway then an Uber to Casey’s next pole session
  • I went and grabbed some lunch and a coffee from a cafe down the road
  • Then afterwards we found a Starbucks for Casey to get something to eat
  • Uber home
  • Then did some washing with our brand new washing powder and the machines at the airbnb
  • Very clean
  • Opportunistically booked a tour out to Punta Del Este for tomorrow
  • Getting towards dinner time we walked down to the waterfront and along into near where the port is - we had spotted maybe a nice steak place for dinner
  • Everything was shut
  • It was weird
  • Just full ghost town with homeless people walking around
  • We thought about getting an Uber into the newer part of town
  • Anyway we ended up just having dinner at the same place as last night
  • Watched Beverly Hills Cop after dinner

26/3/23 - Day 46: Montevideo

  • So the tour to Punta Del Este never came
  • We waited outside in the old town on a Sunday - which is even more dead, completely empty streets, nothing opened
  • Some random dude came and told Casey not to put her phone away in the particular way she did because it was provocative and that he was a good person - I told him to go away, just a weirdo
  • Went back inside after the pickup time had passed
  • Eventually got onto the tour operator by message
  • They apologised that they had missed the booking because it was made late last night
  • We had booked at 1735
  • And it certainly wasn’t too late for them to charge us…
  • Tried to find an Uber to get somewhere for a coffee
  • Literally no Ubers in Montevideo on a Sunday
  • So we walked a few km
  • Found a maccas
  • Had some coffees
  • Able to order an Uber from there into the busier shopping area
  • Wandered around the shops following Casey as she browsed
  • Looked at seeing a movie but nothing in english playing on today's date
  • Pathetically, ended up just having lunch at the Maccas there...
  • Then an uber home
  • Holy heck our suburb is dead on the weekend
  • Casey got another response back from the tour company that didn't pick us up - we could go tomorrow
  • Went across our street to where the cafe happened to be open
  • We got some coffee and cake just for something to do
  • Then wathced a trashy movie called 'The Roomate' - was excellent

27/3/23 - Day 47: Punta Del Este

  • Up a bit earlier to meet our tour bus at a hotel up the road
  • Found the hotel easy
  • It's basically at the opposite end of the old town to where we are staying in a nice square - annoyed we hadn't found this part earlier
  • Anyway some guy found us and we hopped in to a minivan
  • Just us for the tour
  • Bit of a drive out to Punt Del Este
  • We stopped at Casa Puebla which is the awesome old art studio (now hotel) of a Uruguayan artist Carlos Páez Vilaró
  • Then in to Punt del Este
  • Saw some seals in the harbour
  • Got some lunch
  • Then driven around the suburb a little bit
  • To the southernmost point of Uruguay
  • Then over to the Atlantic side and had a walk on the beach and looked at the massive hand sculpture
  • Then to a legitimately awesome art gallery in a trendy suburb called 'Beverly Hills' - The Museos Ralli - an overtly private art gallery (1 of 4 - the others are in Spain and Israel) that will not accept donations and does not supply a gallery cafe - really cool; and entry was free - they wont accept public or private donations
  • Back along the beach with a stop at some caves and cliffs
  • Then the drive home
  • Was still a very long day
  • Got dropped off at Casey's pole studio
  • I read for a while in Starbucks
  • Then Uber home with a very sensitive Uber driver - he literally flinched when we shut the door to get in
  • Cooked up some dinner and started taking some Malarone before we start heading further north, with Brazil being first

28/3/23 - Day 48: Montevideo --> Porto Alegre

  • Rolled out of bed
  • Travel day
  • Packed up
  • Wandered up the old town
  • And found a nice place for breakfast
  • Then, as per form, to Starbucks - toilets, wifi, coffee, snacks - and the best real estate in the world (behind the Catholic church and Maccas...)
  • Got an Uber from there
  • To the airport
  • Easy check in
  • Montevideo is great and organised and slick and doing just fine
  • Changed some USD into Brazilian Reals
  • Short flight in to Porto Alegre
  • Easy cab
  • Straight to our hotel
  • The hotel overcharged us accidentally so had to fix that
  • But otherwise went and had a quick dip in the rooftop poo and a read
  • Then ordered some food delivered - a pile of burgers
  • Watched 'Scary Movie 2' for a while
  • Then did some booking for the next little section in to Bolivia - gonna see some more salt flats...

29/3/23 - Day 49: Porto Alegre --> Gramado

  • Casey had a bit of an upset stomach overnight - probably from some fatty food + Malarone - Ondansetron to the rescue
  • Woke up and packed up - we were only here for one night so we hadn't spread too far
  • Had breakfast in our hotel then packed up back upstairs and checked out
  • Basically just had to chill in the lobby for a bit before ordering an Uber to the Bus depot because the bus depot is dank
  • Ubered there
  • The Porto Alegre bus depot is, indeed, quite dank
  • But nothing too shifty
  • We were there on time to wait about 5-10 minutes before boarding our bus
  • Then an easy 2 and a bit hour drive to Gramado
  • Only waited 10-15 minutes at the station until Lisi picked us up!!!!
  • Off to our hotel where we were all staying
  • Checked in - it is noice - The Wyndham
  • Then Ubered back in to town to find some lunch
  • Gramado is lovely
  • Big pile of meats and black beans and rice as a share meal - excellent
  • Then wandered along all the chocolate shops that the town is quite famous for
  • Had lots of chocolate
  • Went in to the chocolate museum and looked at the insane chocolate sculptures - including the 6 tonne sculpture of the Great Wall of China...
  • Coffees and chocolate coma
  • Then wandered as the sun was setting - saw the church, and all the Easter lights started coming on
  • The town goes all out for Easter (and Christmas) with decorations and street lights - it's beautiful
  • Casey stopped at every bright store
  • Uber back to hotel
  • Then we all went for a swim in the massive heated pool, spa bath, and sauna
  • This hotel is sick

Stay tuned...