Passing through Uruguay

For me, this was my second time in Uruguay, and the first time for H. It's a country I really do like. 

Touristically, it's not considered to have any super attractions, but I like it for the people. The countryside is also very pretty. 

On day one we visited the old meat processing plant in Fray Bentos. If you know Fray Bentos pies (in a can) and Oxo cubes... Well, once upon a time they were made here. 

The old factory has been nicely preserved and they believe that this year it will qualify for world heritage status with UNESCO. In its heyday (which was at about the time of the major world wars) it employed 4000 people in a shift.  

From there we went to Colonia de Sacramento, which is a fairly major tourist attraction. It's a sweet old town with plenty of ruins and cobblestoned streets to look at. 

Next we went to find a guy on a farm who will let you leave your vehicle there for $1 (USD) per day. As Uruguay allows vehicles to stay one year, it's popular to park there while you go home. The guy has the largest pencil collection in the world and a considerable collection of keyrings, open to public display in his private museum. 

After that we did a few nights on the side of the Uruguay river, which was too big to see the other side of, and then a couple of nights on the beach in coastal towns. Uruguay has a very nice coast, better as you go further North. 

And then to Chuy. As an Australian I need a visa to enter Brazil. The Brazilian Consulate in Chuy is friendly, helpful, and they issued my visa within a day (although, they said, at 10am, 'it will take a minimum of 48 hours, come back at 2.30pm'). 

And now, we are in Brazil!!!