Brazil! And I can't speak Portuguese..

So far, travelling as an independent overlander with H, we visited Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. These countries are all Spanish speaking, so, as I am rather fluent in Spanish and H is multilingual, we haven't had much bother. 

But now we are in Brazil and neither of us speaks Portuguese, although speaking Spanish helps. We been here a week and we are getting by, but I'd like to get by a bit better. 

So, I've signed up for some private Portuguese lessons, starting today. For this I am fairly excited. H isn't going to join me, he believes it is unnecessary and he'll get by without it. 

Of course, he will get by better than me without lessons. His native tongue is Dutch, and he also speaks the other 2 official languages of his country: French and German, and he speaks English and quite a bit of Spanish. This all helps. In Spanish, I am better schooled than him, so I speak more and have better grammar, but I take much longer than him to adjust to a dialect or an individuals way of talking. In a nutshell, he will understand more Spanish than me with new acquaintances, but not if I've had time to 'get' their accent. The same is likely to be the case in Brazilian portuguese. He'll just pick it up, (and mostly just keep talking to them in Spanish). 

Actually, travelling in South America as an overlander I've been surprised to find just how many overlanders don't speak Spanish, many couldn't even claim they had beginner level Spanish. And, many of them didn't speak English either; they'd get by using their native tongue, typically German or French. 

So, for me it's back to school. I don't have much time for it, just this week, because the Brazil visa is rather time restrictive, but at least I'll have something to work on. And H? He's doing mechanics on the car. 

Photo upload: Uruguay beaches

Uruguay has plenty of great beaches, and pretty rural countryside too.  Here's some pictures from the 2 places we passed nights at: La Pedrera and Punta del Diablo.

Photo Upload: Old cars on the streets of Uruguay

Uruguay has old cars, trucks and motorbikes everywhere. Many going still, but others sitting decaying in a street or paddock. Occasionally,  one is put to a more creative use,  like a cafe dining spot, as seen here.

Photo upload: Fray bentos meat processing

I mentioned our visit here in a post, but I think it's worth uploading some pictures.  The museum is definately worth a visit if you are ever in Fray Bentos (Uruguay).
Also,  note the massive pink hibiscus flower in my hair,  it's real!

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!!!