It's like going from San Francisco to Alameda...

... only everyone is carrying mate mugs and thermoses of hot water instead of coffee mugs. That's what the transition from Montevideo to Colonia has been.

Mate. I don't get the big deal. I tried it on the Salinas Grandes trip outside of Salta. It tastes like slightly more bitter green tea. Not bad like I'd expected, but not great. It seems like a pain in the neck too - having to keep your thermos full and carry that plus a mug with no lid plus tea leaves - and heaven help you if you lose your straw. Nope, something else I won't be bringing back to the US with me.

These amazing biscuits they serve for breakfast, on the other hand... A kilo of those to go, please.

This morning I got up early (if 6:15am can be considered "early") to watch the sunrise from the hostel rooftop terrace, and ran across a full moon. A nice surprise.

I think there are still more of those nice surprises in what's left of my South American future...