day 11- 3 countries

I got on the bus yesterday at 3pm in Iguazu and it was as though the minute I sat down, my body said.. ok. we can get sick now. My throat just immediately got sore. Thank god they really know how to do long distance travel. The seats recline, there´s english movies and a nice man in a uniform comes by with lunch, dinner and breakfast and refills your tea and pop. So, I rested.. for 14hrs and took lozenges.

At one point the bus stopped somewhere and the military wer eon the bus checking passports and looking around. I thought it was a check stop about something, but I was able to get onto the bus wifi and I realized the bus had crossed the border into Paraguay. Too bad I didn´t get a passport stamp!!

The bus arrive din Buenos Aires at 8am. Retiro is a sketchy sketchy place. Its right next to a Villas Miseria or shantytown and the clientele in the bust station dont all look like they´re going somewhere. Very obviously its a pick pocket haven. Its dark, shadowy, busy and confusing for the non Spanish Traveller. I decided to get out and make haste for the ferry terminal even though my ferry wouldnt be leaving until 12:30.

The ferry building in BA is much nicer. Bright, modern and open... and a bit silly with giant Ikea paper lanterns hanging for decoration.

Finally I got on the ferry to Colonia and was picked up on the other end by a tour where they dropped us off at a restaurant for lunch. Then we had maybe 30 minutes to walk around.. I went back to the bus expecting everyone else from the ferry to be there but the tour was only me.. this was in a Greyhound sized bus! So, me the driver and the tour guide drove around Colonia. It was totally ridiculous. I felt like asking them to stop for my wanton photo desires but kept it to my self.

Afterwards, the tour guide and I walked around in old Colonia where she told me how Spain and Portugal fought over Uruguay for years and pointed out where you see stones.. it´s the Portugese and wen you see bricks its Spain and she pointed it out over and over again. At this point my throat and head and achey and I´m into flu- like symptoms.. I just kept smiling. Then she said.. you now have free time until 7:30. It was like 3:30 in the afternoon.

I walked very slowly, took photos, spent my money and found an interesting photographer selling his images. I flipped thorugh the stacks and thought.. these are my photos. snippets of grafitti, old doors, peeling paint and old trucks in fields..

"I take the same photos as you".
"oh..yes.. lots of people take these photos in Colonia"
"no.. I mean I take these photos in Canada. I have pictures of doors and peices of peeling paint and old trucks but from the prairies"
"I love the rusted wrought iron and seeing a beauty in decay"
I smiled.. "We share the same esthetic, I think."

He was great. I liked his stuff alot and bought one of his trucks for 40US. I think I will send him a print when I get home.


I finally got back to Buenos Aires.. have 4 stamps in my passport (Uruguay was generous) and am just knackered.. tomorrow is a big day for photos.. off to the other cemetary and then a tour for street grafitti. Will treat myself to a nice dinner and an early night.. the end is creeping up slowly..

Here´s some photos of Colonia..