So we are now in Montevideo.
Before we get into any details of our traumas here we think it important to say that we have really enjoyed our stay in Montevideo - even with the traumas. The architecture is fascinating with an enormous amount of Art Deco buildings. We are not sure where the wealth came from at that time but there must have been a lot of it. Whether these Art Deco edifices survive or get knocked down to be replaced by mirror glass prisms is an interesting question we don't have an answer to. There are also some interesting examples of big concrete brutalist buildings. They all have heat pump units hanging outside of them now so clearly they are struggling with a lack of storey height that would have permitted ducted air conditioning. All the people here have been super friendly - bar one; more later. There is quite a big homeless community here especially in the old city which is around the Port. There is also gentrification happening in the same area with the arrival of artisan beer bars, cafes and bakeries. It is an interesting and lively mix. Even the Montevideo Indoor Coffee Shop, which was modelled on the Dutch version, but where you could buy all the necessary parafinalia if not the weed itself. We just had a beer and listened to the jazz band outside the window.
It is the first days of Spring here at present and the weather has been brilliant apart from a short but heavy storm. Weather is good enough for outdoor eating and drinking, impromtu latino-jazz bands and the Saturday afternoon Tango in the Park Club.
Paul had always been very keen about starting in Montevideo as opposed to Buenos Aires. His argument being that it was far smaller and therefore likely to be better value than Buenos Aires. What he didn't take into account was that Montevideo is the most expensive capital city in South America according to its citizens - prices are similar to London. He also didn't take into account that Argentina currently has inflation running at @140% and that whereas there is a Harley dealer in Buenos Aires, there isn't one in Uruguay.
They say that Uruguay has a population of @3.5million and just over a third of them live in the greater Montevideo area. They also say that there are almost four times the number of head of cattle as people here and that nearly 90% of people drink 'mate' which requires a thermos, a special mug, a filter and the stem from a pipe and is like a bitter tea infusion according to Francoise who tasted it.
And we found out that a very full glass of wine was the same price as a cup of tea with milk and that a big plate of steak and chips - perhaps not the best cut - was cheaper than a salad. And we didn't eat fish after seeing the large number of dead fish washed up on one of the beaches.
Our issues? The Blog Paul had set up wasn't working - thanks Didier for sorting. And the Internet bank we were using for our money for this trip had sensed we were in the Americas and wouldn't let us access the account because of that.Thanks Herve for sorting.
Now onto our stay here and motorcycle traumas. This might be very boring...
The flight was via Madrid. Madrid Barajas Airport is a very stylish airport but without character. The only food outlet was Burger King and the coffee was Starbucks. So much for being in Spain.
We had flown in from the shopping centre that is Heathrow Terminal 5; interestingly both Terminal 5 and Barajas were designed by the same architect but whereas one was buzzing with life, the other was dead.
It was a long, uncomfortable, flight to Montevideo from Madrid but we won't be doing it often and the plane landed as previewed at 0800 on the dot which was brilliant. Even more brilliant was that both our bags arrived with us. Montevideo Airport is quite small and we were through customs and into a taxi just after 0900 and at the freight agent's office near the Port by 1000 so we could start the customs clearance procedure.
We were given instructions and walked down to the Migracion office where we had to get a certificate to bring the bike into the country.Go to that Counter over there, hand over passport, go wait for name to be called out. When called, go and sign a paper at another desk. Then go and queue at another counter to get it checked. This person then gives you an invoice if all is good and you take the invoice to the cashier. Pay the cashier - about £7.00 - take the receipt back and get the certificate. Sounds tough but it all went very smoothly and it looked as though we were then going to get the bike straightaway - that very same day! Rendez-vous at the Customs warehouse in the afternoon.
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So after a shower we go down to the Port and Paul wriggles around on the floor refitting the battery on the bike. But nothing works, except the alarm and then that stops. Oh dear.
Plan A - FAILED
Despite having installed a special Lithium battery which was supposed to be able to maintain its charge without being used, it seemed we had a battery problem. But...
Just in case, Paul had brought a Lithium battery charger with us... But we had left the Travel adapter at the hotel when we checked in for our post flight/ Post Migracion shower. Francoise returned to the hotel to get it. Plug everything together and leave over night and all should be well - but Paul was a little worried that there was only a green light lit up on the charger and not the normal green, orange and red ones to start with.
Return to hotel, get some sleep as none had been had for almost 40 hours. In the morning Paul thought it a good idea to buy a multimeter to test the battery voltage after charging. Having gained access to the warehouse and unplugged the charger ...3.5V. Nothing had worked.
Plan B - FAILED.
So we borrow a standard battery charger from the warehouse, put the battery on charge and go for lunch. The charger was reading 15%. Telephone call after lunch and it was 100% which Paul thought a bit quick. Return to Customs warehouse and despite the 100% the multimeter still says 3.5V and not 12-14V.
Plan C - FAILED.
Some stress now as it was Friday afternoon and people don't work the weekend and the Warehouse had told the Customs Officials that the bike would be leaving the Port that afternoon. So new plan hatched of pushing the bike through Customs and out of the Port onto a lorry that would then take it somewhere safe and we would then fix it. So Paul pushed the bike out of the warehouse and quite a way to the Port Exit and then pushed it all the way back as the Warehouse Customs papers were not in order.
Plan D - FAILED.
Another battery was needed. It couldn't be a Harley one and no longer needed to be Lithium. Shaun in London kindly prepared a spec and people rang around. MontevideoChoppers said that there was one in stock and they were open Saturday morning. It was 1800 and we went for a beer or two.
All the people we have met in both the Montevideo freight agent ad the bonded warehouse have been exceptionally helpful and friendly almost to an embarrassing level. When this happens to us we often wonder what we as British people would be like to people arriving in the UK with similar issues?
Saturday morning we were brave enough to take a bus to MontevideoChoppers as it would have been a 90minute walk. Bus drivers take cash here and juggle with driving, giving change, stacking coins and filing notes simultaneously.
It wasn't exactly a shop when we got there. Nor a workshop. More like a fenced-in bungalow with a few rusted Asian copies of Japanese copies of shrunk Harleys. And four dogs barking their heads off at us as soon as we touched the gate. A lady appeared but we couldn't hear/understand her above the noise of the dogs. We said we wanted to buy the battery people had rung up about the day before. She went and got a man who talked at us in Spanish at 300miles an hour and refused to slow down. There was something about 5 months and something about Monday. Luckily Francoise had the mobile number of the General Manager of the warehouse and she was able to quieten the guy down and translate. He didn't have a battery but could get one for Monday but if we were going to fit it why didn't we buy it directly from the guy he was going to buy it from? So he gave us Gonzalo's telephone number and address and we caught the bus back.
Plan E - FAILED.
It turned out that Gonzalo's shop was called Easy Rider and it was 9 minutes walk from our hotel. He also spoke English and despite us having been told he wasn't there at present we walked into his shop and spent a very jolly 50minutes talking about things. And him telling us that the Argentinians near the border were not honest and would try to rip us off and that our Spanish wasn't good enough. We are acutely aware of the latter. Oh and he didn't have the battery either but could get it for us from the importer mid-morning on Monday.
Plan F - FAILED.
Everything was shut on Sunday!
But we walked a lot, had coffee and were told again that our Spanish wasn't good enough. Let's see what happens tomorrow, Monday?
