Four large numbers on orange cubes marked the gates at Montevideo's airport. Four gates at this international airport. Wonderful! A small airport for a change. We descended into a modern, clean facility.
At immigration I was immediately impressed by the lack of paperwork. No forms to fill out and no questions to answer. The immigration and customs officials were efficient and courteous. We did not have to open our bags at customs. They were simply put through a scanner.
At the conference center, the staff was helpful and the meals were excellent.
On our way back from being in Argentina, we needed to cross back into Uruguay by boat since the bridge was under construction.
"Ma'am, may I help you?" a young woman asked as I struggled along the sidewalk with my two suitcases and carry-on in tow. She took the smaller case from me and we continued on until we got to the boat. At the boat, a man grabbed my large suitcase and the one she had and carried them both inside.
Wow, I thought. The people here sure are kind.
When we arrived on the other side, we passed through immigration and customs. Once again it was quick and efficient.
We walked out into the street. We were obviously on the outskirts of Salto, the second largest city in Uruguay. We wondered where we could find a taxi.
"May I help you?" another young woman asked as she saw us looking up and down the streets trying to figure out which way we should go.
"We need a taxi to take us to the bus station," I told her.
She whipped out her cell phone and called a taxi service. "Just wait here," she said, "and they will be here in about fifteen minutes." She smiled, tucked her cell phone into her purse and left. We sat down on a park bench to wait.
The respect for others extends to waiting in line. For the first time in many years, we saw orderly lines as people waited for buses and taxis. At the bus station as we were waiting to load our luggage, a teenage girl nearby was obviously perturbed. "Lots of people, right?" I said to her.
"Lots of people who are not waiting in line," she responded grimly.
The next day we were walking through a park. An elderly man missed a step, stumbled, and fell. Immediately, people were at his side to check on him and help him up. In many cities, people would stare but not help,
Unlike in many countries where we travel, we do not stand out as much here. Everywhere people spoke to us in Spanish instead of assuming that we were North Americans. In some countries, people talk to us in order to practice their English. Instead, they seemed genuinely concerned about two strangers. At the bus station, the hotels and even out on the street, people seemed to bend over backwards to be respectful and helpful, even those who were not paid to serve us.
Uruguay, you impressed me. Or maybe, to put it more correctly, your kind people really impressed me.
At immigration I was immediately impressed by the lack of paperwork. No forms to fill out and no questions to answer. The immigration and customs officials were efficient and courteous. We did not have to open our bags at customs. They were simply put through a scanner.
At the conference center, the staff was helpful and the meals were excellent.
On our way back from being in Argentina, we needed to cross back into Uruguay by boat since the bridge was under construction.
"Ma'am, may I help you?" a young woman asked as I struggled along the sidewalk with my two suitcases and carry-on in tow. She took the smaller case from me and we continued on until we got to the boat. At the boat, a man grabbed my large suitcase and the one she had and carried them both inside.
Wow, I thought. The people here sure are kind.
When we arrived on the other side, we passed through immigration and customs. Once again it was quick and efficient.
We walked out into the street. We were obviously on the outskirts of Salto, the second largest city in Uruguay. We wondered where we could find a taxi.
"May I help you?" another young woman asked as she saw us looking up and down the streets trying to figure out which way we should go.
"We need a taxi to take us to the bus station," I told her.
She whipped out her cell phone and called a taxi service. "Just wait here," she said, "and they will be here in about fifteen minutes." She smiled, tucked her cell phone into her purse and left. We sat down on a park bench to wait.
The respect for others extends to waiting in line. For the first time in many years, we saw orderly lines as people waited for buses and taxis. At the bus station as we were waiting to load our luggage, a teenage girl nearby was obviously perturbed. "Lots of people, right?" I said to her.
"Lots of people who are not waiting in line," she responded grimly.The next day we were walking through a park. An elderly man missed a step, stumbled, and fell. Immediately, people were at his side to check on him and help him up. In many cities, people would stare but not help,
Unlike in many countries where we travel, we do not stand out as much here. Everywhere people spoke to us in Spanish instead of assuming that we were North Americans. In some countries, people talk to us in order to practice their English. Instead, they seemed genuinely concerned about two strangers. At the bus station, the hotels and even out on the street, people seemed to bend over backwards to be respectful and helpful, even those who were not paid to serve us.
Uruguay, you impressed me. Or maybe, to put it more correctly, your kind people really impressed me.
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