Go Team Uruguay!

Before I post pictures and write about last week's vacation to Punta del Este, Uruguay, I have to share a crazy experience I had at Montevideo's International Airport tonight. We had just taken a cab from the city to the airport to fly back to Buenos Aires (a rather brief 40 minute flight), when a bunch of soccer (here it is futbol or football) players were going through immigration and security the same time as us.

I knew that the qualification rounds for the 2010 World Cup were going on because Peru lost to Chile a few days ago and that was big news here. Well it turned out the futbol players in line with us were the Uruguayan national team on their way to Chile, after having beaten Paraguay. As soon as we passed through security, everyone around us was pulling out their cameras (including immigration officials and airport workers) and lining up to take photos (as well as to have photos taken with the players) so I joined in on the fun and got my photo taken with the coach and two of the team's star players. Everyone around us was chanting "Vamos Arriba," which literally means "We go up" but is slang for "Go Team!"

The coach, Óscar Tabárez, is VERY well known throughout South America and is one of the leading coaches in the world. In fact, he was the coach of Argentina's own Boca Juniors in 2002. All of the team were very happy to have their pictures taken with other passengers waiting to fly out and some of the players were even late boarding their flight because of the attention they were receiving.