Somewhere in Uraguay there is a VERY large pile of Eucalyptus bark...

Traveled Concordia to la frontera at Colon - there was literally kilometers of trucks lined up at the border waiting for some magical paper allowing them to cross. I was greeted by an Aduana officer who couldn't figure out his job to save his life - even after he followed me through to the Uraguayan office asking inane questions (where was the paper I gave him 5 minutes ago...) - three times - before their jefe finally asked what his problem was...

While traveling south, cutting across most of the country, I kept seeing these monster trailers loaded with eucalyptus logs that had been stripped of bark - lots of them. During a short lunch six trucks rolled past. I'm guessing there is at least 20 tons of logs on each - all heading to the controversial new pulp mill on the river, so I followed one - Cowabunga Batman, that place is HUGE. Argentine picketers have determined international foreign policy and the border crossing nearest the plant remains closed as a result.

My little paper mill excursion cost me time - I missed the cut off for the five o'clock ferry by ten minutes.

I crossed through several districts of Uraguay and didn't encounter one military, police, or tax check point - how do they survive?

Uraguay has become a country motivated by cheap chinese mopeds - they are everywhere, in droves or flocks or herds.

I'm on the Buquebus now and 5 minutes out of Buenos Aires. The crossing was expensive - U$ 2,166 bongos, about U$S100.

Just over 2,000 miles this trip.

Gotta go... Buenas noches

Nick

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