uruguay

I left Bueno Aires this morning. Took a humbling bus ride to the port. Humbling in that I rode half way around the city it seemed before realizing I had passed the port miles ago. I got to see new neighborhoods, see all the people getting on and off. Lucky I had left two hours, I got on just as the boat was about to depart. Stepping onto the ferry, I thought I had stepped into the lobby of the Marriot or some equivalent, mirrored surfaces, fake trees all around, little bars and concessions counters here and there, a waxed floor. I spent most of the trip on deck, watching Buenos Aires disappear on the horizon. And strangely, for all the endless wonderful things I can say about the city and all my awe and admiration, I felt somehow glad to see it go. The wind whipping around felt deserved.
Then there was the enternainer on board. Hair sleak with grease, he sang some tango-opera type show tunes on the shiny waxed dance floor below a large pyramid skylight. The speakers were turned up way high causing the whole boat to shake with his baratone. The passengers, veiwing from the balcony above and the ground floor below all seemed to enjoy the show. It was a very full transportation experience.
I met Belen on the boat as well. She is from Paraguay, on vacation. She is a doctor in training and has a love of life that is both admirable and exhausting. She and I joined together to explore the historic town of Colonia for the day. The "old town", though lovely, is like all others in the sense that it is filled with tourists taking pictures, taking pictures of one another, and taking pictures of themselves. Belen seemed to take endless pleasure in offering to take pictures of tourist families. She loved it, every picture as much as the next. And it was my job, in turn, to take her picture on every street corner, vista or the like. She was really something special. She spoke english but we spoke in spanish, so that I might learn. It was more than kind of her to humor me. I know that she will make a very wonderful doctor.