Once settled, Dan and I took off for the nearest hospital where he was to get his third rabies shot. There, the inefficiencies of socialized healthcare presented themselves, as we were misdirected around several different buildings by people who didn't know--and didn't even take the time to figure out--where vaccines were administered. Once we had had enough of our wild goose chase, we finally insisted that one of the receptionists make a call to help us figure out where to go. The receptionist finally informed us of the correct location, and then--after asking him to make an additional call about the office hours--told us we would have to return the following day for the vaccination. We reluctantly retreated back to our hotel to relax before dinner.
At night, Dan and I decided to venture off on our own to check out a restaurant that had been recommended in our guide book. Considering we were in Uruguay's largest city, we were surprised by how quiet our walk was from the hotel to the tiny dining spot. The husband and wife owners were very friendly and served great food. I had a chicken and vegetable wok dish, Dan had a massive plate of a Uruguayan cut of steak (think ribs, but cut in the opposite direction so it is flat with numerous bone discs lining the top of the meat), and we split some homemade ravioli. Per usual, Dan had to do most of the heavy lifting, so he aided me in my portion after he had licked his own plate clean. We spoke a bit to the owners throughout our meal, and when done eating, we asked the wife if she knew the restaurant was featured in a travel guide. She was completely unaware, and excitedly asked us to send her a photo of the write-up when we had the chance. We happily agreed, and left the restaurant in a contented state.
The next morning we woke up to the sound of pouring rain. Dan had to get out of bed early to go (this time with our tour director) back to the hospital to get his vaccine. He was wet and tired when he got back, and we were both fine with lounging around until midday. At that point, we went to meet up with our tour group who was having lunch in a building called Puerto del Mercado. Inside the chilled warehouse, there were various restaurants all serving slightly different versions of the same barbecue-based menu. The environment was cool, but I was not in the mood for a massive lunch. So after chatting with our friends for a bit, we decided to wander around the nearby area for another option.
Puerto del Mercado
We walked for a little through the brick-paved streets of the city's old quarter, but the area seemed very quiet and empty. As we were about to turn back to the mercado, Dan and I noticed a small restaurant that was set a little back from the road and the adjacent buildings. While looking at the entrance, the owner opened the door and encouraged us to come in to check out their fare. We obliged, and stepped into a homey space with only a few tables and a short chalkboard menu. We sat down near the open kitchen, where a lone chef was happily whipping up his daily-changing creations. We instantly knew we had made the right choice, and were able to watch the chef's labor of love as he made everything to order, including the pasta. After the tasty meal, we met two of our friends at a cute coffee shop (also recommended by our ever-faithful guidebook), where we sipped down our first cups of strong, quality South American coffee.
At night, we all went out to dinner at a place our tour director boasted to have the best (and largest) angus steak in Montevideo. Dan agreed to split the steak and sides with me, but I felt bad when they brought the meat out because I knew he could have easily downed an even larger cut on his own. From that experience, and amassing pieces of evidence, we decided we will not take any more of our tour guide's advice. We determined he had been steering us to locations because of their pre-established relationships with the tour company, not because they were actually as good as our guide made them out to be. We were also noticing that many of our best experiences had come through spontaneity rather than extensive planning. So while it has been nice to be on a tour without the worries of transportation, accommodations and the like, it is also really nice to figure those things out on our own (even when they come with mistakes).
Even though (or maybe, because) we didn't do much of consequence during our short stay in Montevideo, we really enjoyed ourselves. And to Dan's delight, the highlights of our trip to the capital undoubtedly revolved around food.
I MISS YOU. If you want to come home early, I'll cook Dan a whole cow and have your kale salad waiting...just sayin'
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