URUGUAY: Montevideo – Legal Weed

Veni, Vidi, Weedy. I came, I saw, I got ripped. Well, that pretty much says it for Montevideo. Uruguay is the one country in all of South America where marijuana is legal. Even though tourists are not permitted to purchase it through pharmacies or other sanctioned outlets, quality herb is extremely easy to acquire.

Staying in a 420 friendly hotel/hostel makes it downright unavoidable. You would need to literally be in a coma not to score some satisfying bud in one of these establishments. You know you’re in good shape when the front desk has a display of “The Bulldog” merchandise featuring grinders and rolling papers. The best bit is that I was completely unaware it was a 420 friendly hostel. For those of you who don’t partake, “The Bulldog” is one of Amsterdam’s most famous smoking pubs, and 420 is code for weed. Might as well educate people as well as appeal to their fascination with intoxicants.

Actually, Uruguay came along at a perfect time. Still not fully recovered from the nerve-rattling experience of Santiago’s neverending urban combat, I really just needed to chill out and catch up on the blog.

After a couple of weeks, a stress-induced bipolar event can finally be untangled. Sometimes, after you emerge from a hypomanic state, a lot of things come into focus that weren’t clear at the time. Feeling invincible was one complication that escaped my notice. I was regularly putting myself in dangerous situations, but I didn’t care. It seemed like the natural thing to do.

The bizarre part of this is that instead of avoiding the chaos, I dove right in. It was as if I had become a latter-day photojournalist, and the thrill was seductive. Every day, I found myself on the streets and down the alleys with the protestors.

A week would have been enough, but two was a bridge too far. Capped off with a serious tear-gassing and my transformation was complete. I was angrier than a dog shittin’ tacks and found people to be unbearably tedious. Fortunately, I found some stronger meds in my bag in Buenos Aires and my last two days there were relatively normal.

Thank goodness for better living through chemistry! I could have been in real trouble there. I haven’t used my “In Case of Emergency Break Glass” medication in years, and kind of forgot about their utility.

That brings me back to Montevideo. This is the place where I put Humpty Dumpty back together again with the help of the nicest hostel staff you could hope to find. Sitting back in my tiny air-conditioned room just having a good “write” or watching “Rick and Morty,” was exactly what the doctor ordered. Much needed downtime at the MedioMundo Hostel. Nothing more, nothing less.

I did manage to finish photos on three major posts, some commentary, and the intro to this post. Now I just have to clean up some of the interpersonal mess that transpired during the initial maelstrom in Santiago. I certainly hope things calm down for the rest of my Latin American journey. I am a little more vulnerable to the occasional meltdown in parts of the third world that are hot. The two usually go together. I really look forward to more temperate times in Europe, Scandinavia, and the United Kingdom.

A FEW ANCILLARY PHOTOS TO FOLLOW SHORTLY……

BRUNO

REVOLVER – ONE OF THE GREATEST BEATLE ALBUMS AND A FANTASTIC CHAIR TO REST YOUR BUM UPON

TRANSLATION – STREET ART HAS NEVER BEEN SO HOT, RIGHT? MMM..PPPHH…SHUT UP…YAAA

MERCADO FERRANDO – FOOD COURT – OWNED BY A BELGIAN

A THUNDERING SOUND EMINATED FROM THE TOP OF THE HILL FROM THE MEDIOMUNDO HOSTEL

UPON CLOSER INSPECTION, ABOUT 40 PEOPLE WERE DRUMMING AWAY WITH GREAT FERVOR. I LEFT BEFORE LOSING WHAT LITTLE HEARING I STILL HAVE LEFT.

I HIT THE FANCY MALL TO PICK UP SOME SOCKS AND REPLACE MY FAVORITE SWISS INTERNATIONAL ADAPTER. I FOUND THE ADAPTER AND THE SOCKS BY COLUMBIA ARE AMAZING.

MEGA STACKER MAFIOSO – I GUESS CRIMINALITY SELLS AT BURGER KING IN URUGUAY JUST LIKE BACK IN THE USA – I SUPPOSE WE BEST KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THE MEGAMEAT-TEFLON DON-TRUMP STUFFER EVER NOTICE HOW MUCH BETTER THE FOOD LOOKS IN THE PHOTOS?

A NEARBY PARK

A 19TH CENTURY PARISIAN STYLE WATER FOUNTAIN

A NEARBY CASINO WITH A RELIABLE CASH MACHINE – I WAS GOING TO PLAY A SLOT MACHINE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY TRAVELS – I HAD SEEN A WAY TO INCREASE YOUR ODDS OF WINNING ON YOUTUBE, BUT BEFORE I EMBARKED ON MY FOOLS ERRAND SOME SECURITY GUY TOLD ME TO TAKE MY HAT OFF LIKE I WAS IN A CATHEDRAL OR SOMETHING – I SHOWED HIM THE MONEY WHICH I PUT BACK IN MY POCKET, PUT MY HAT BACK ON, AND LEFT THE PREMISES. I KEPT THE FREE PEN THEY GAVE ME FOR SIGNING UP FOR THEIR SLOTS CARD.

THE PUTAMADRE BAR