Trip to Uruguay

Yesterday I went to Uruguay for ,my visa but it was also a lovely day to get out of the city. It sometimes gets so loud and dusty here that its great to get fresh air and some peace. We still have the ash cloud over the city as well which contributes to the dust. So going to Uruguay is like going to Paris for lunch. You can get a cheap boat trip which takes 3 hours (or 1 if you get the fast boat) and it just meanders over the river plate to Uruguay. Everyone calls it a river but you cant see to the other side and it doesn't look like a river apart from being hugely muddy. I went to the city Colonia. Its a very old place with some ruins and castle-like parts but most of all its by the water an peaceful. Sometimes BA feels like you could be anywhere in the world so it was nice to feel like I was in South America again. I sat by the water having lunch, was perfect with hot sun, water a delicious parilla (BBQ), tango music and a glass of Uruguay's finest wine.
There is a pretty big rift between Portenos (from BA) and Uruguayans having said that the Argentines loving going to the beaches in Uruguay. There is also a funny trait to Uruguayans. Everyone in Argentina and Uruguay drink mate. Its a drink that tastes a bit like green tea. You fill a cup like vessel with this stuff that looks like oregano and then put a silver straw with a tea strainer on the end of it. And then there is the necessary Thermos which you top up after each person. The trick is to drink until you can hear the sucking sound, give it back to there person who makes it, the cup gets refilled and passed to someone else. People drink it together so everyone shares a cup between friends. Its a big social thing and you cant walk through a part or in a market without seeing people share Mate.  However Freud would have a field day in Uruguay. People don't just drink it when they have a rest time or social meet but all the time. They carry the Thermos under their arms the whole day and are never without their mate. Its amazing for people to be so stuck to it, like a baby and its dummy.
Anywho after that useless bit of information here are some photos.