While Monica watched in astonishment when Chris collected every free bottle of Marriot Hotel Shampoo he could find in order to fill our old Olive Oil bladder from Australia for future showers, she began to realise just what she might be in for: the world of the backpacker is not for the faint-hearted. We were all of the opinion that it would be a great experience for Monica to stay on an extra few days with Chris and I and 'backpack' to Uruguay for a long weekend.
As Monica wheeled her Vera Bradley suitcase - packed to the brim - to the ferry terminal, Chris and I trundled along after her with our tiny backpacks with a few pairs of underwear and a change of t-shirt for the four days we planned to spend in Uruguay. There had been early warning signs that Monica might not know exactly what it meant to stay in a hostel or 'backpack' during our mini backpacking adventure together. On arrival at the Marriott the week before, she had declared to the rest of the family how bizarre it was that Lisbeth had advised her to bring a towel for the trip but, don't worry everyone, she had followed the advice anyway. She proceeded to pull out the tiniest hand towel from her huge, family-size suitcase, complaining how much space it was taking up that could be used for an extra pair of shoes.
"Extra pair of shoes? Monica, how on earth are you going to shower with that?!?", Chris and I demanded at the same time.
"What? This is for showering? You mean towels aren't provided? I thought Mom's suggestion that I bring a towel was for drying my hair or washing my face or something..."
Oh dear... we had a lot to teach Monica by the end of the weekend but Chris and I were determined to make a backpacker out of her by the end of our trip to Uruguay. At the same time we were very worried that the hostel we ended up in would be of a decent standard... The thing with hostels is, you just never know. We've stayed in some absolutely amazing places over the past eight months - places that you just cant believe are still the price that they are. On the other hand, we've also had the pleasure (NOT) of staying in some let's just say 'less desirable' hostels. We wanted Monica to enjoy her first ever backpacking experience and certainly didn't want it ruined by a dirty hostel with a disgusting bathroom and mould on the walls...
We set off on the ferry for Montevideo and didn't choose a place to stay until waiting for a taxi on the other end...
Did Monica survive her weekend away with two backpacker/flashpackers?
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