Some Sapphire

MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY -- In thinking over the logistics of the trip, I kept skipping over Uruguay, paying it no mind. Squeezed between two regional superpowers, it´s no bigger than North Dakota. As the story goes, their economy crashed five years ago, everything became affordable, travelers became interested, visited, came home and told their friends what a great time was had. Well, no one told me -- so I´m telling you: Uruguay has much going it´s way. Powdery beaches. Rolling golf course greenery. A whole country is secretly steeling themselves against the hotheaded Latin stereotype. And those border problems in Argentina, remember? This was a cakewalk! Cruising through any customs may never be easier. In the coming days, the agenda is to curl up Uruguay´s east coast, hugging the water as tightly as can be, right on into Brazil. Somewhere along the way, Andy got his fishing pole and I my harmonica. Both will be essential.