The city itself was a lot more relaxed – like so many South American cities we've visited, it had a faded grandeur and a bohemian feel, the legacy of a fantastic 19^th century and a pretty dour 20^th. A lot like Santiago, in fact. Our hostel was described as a “hostel and art space” which had us a little worried after our experiences in the hippie commune in Tilcara, but it was actually fine, run by a friendly couple and with lots of young people hanging around. “Art hostel” seemed more to refer to the murals on the walls, and a relaxed attitude to smoking weed – some of the guys started at 10.30 in the morning. We were just happy there was no music therapy on offer.....

Our first day in Montevideo was a very sleepy Sunday, and so we took it fairly easy – there are a few sights, but it's generally just a nice place to wander around. We started at Plaza Independencia, home to a large statue of José Gervasio Artigas, credited as being the founding father of The Oriental Republic of Uruguay (as it's – slightly bizarrely – officially known). His ashes are stored in a room underneath the square, which we popped into. James described it as like going into Darth Vader's tomb. The room felt like a sparse communist tribute to a fallen hero, all minimalist concrete and guarded by two guys dressed like old fashioned Prussian soldiers: apparently they are here around the clock, just in case anyone decides to make off with the remains.

From here we headed to the Carneval Museum. It's a little-known fact that the Uruguayan Carneval is bigger than Rio's more famous parade – and here, it lasts for a month. It arose out of a combination of Venetian and African emigrants wanting to maintain their traditions in their new home – so from its Italian heritage come the masks and the sequins, and from Africa come the drums, known as candombe. The museum itself was interesting, if a little sparse on footage of the carnevals, which made it more difficult for us to imagine what it's like. Carneval is in fact such a big deal here that the drummers practise in the streets every weekend, so that they are note perfect come February – but despite staying near the area where this happens, we somehow managed to miss it!

Montevideo is also known for medio y medio, a drink made from a combination of white and sparkling wine. We couldn't let the opportunity to try it pass us by, and so we indulged in another 'Quality Lunch' in the Mercado de la Puerto, the city's 'must-see' spot. A former market, the giant conservatory style building now contains a series of parrillas (grill restaurants) whose patrons vie for your business as you wander through. It sounds like it should be horrible, but it's actually a fascinating place. We picked a spot in the open air so we could enjoy the novelty of sunshine, and settled down to a delicious lunch of fresh fish (or sea trilogy, as the menu described it) and a plate of that rare commodity in these parts, actual fresh vegetables. Plus of course, a bottle of the medio y medio. Bliss.

Sunday afternoon here is a time for strolling, and so we headed to La Rambla, a seaside walkway which stretches from the centre of town to the eastern beaches of Punta Carretas, Pocitos, Buceo and Carrasco. We passed a few amateur fishermen patiently awaiting the day's catch, and groups of people sitting and drinking mate. Uruguayans apparently drink more mate per person than anyone else in South America, including the Argentinians. Everyone, and I mean everyone, seems to wander around town clutching their gourd of mate, with their thermos tucked under their arm. Practical, it certainly ain't, but no one seems to mind too much – mate is such an integral part of life here that people just can't go anywhere without it.

On Sunday night, we took advantage of the cheap entertainment that's on offer in the capital. The recently-refurbished Teatro Solis was originally opened in 1856 and hosted world-renowned conductors, composers and performers until 1930. However, unlike at other famous venues, like the Royal Albert Hall, tickets are never more than about £3. On the advice of a semi-stoned American guy we'd met at our hostel, we went to see a play by the Comedia Nacional, based on Moliere's La Malade Imaginaire. Although entirely in Spanish, we were able to get the gist of the plot, mostly thanks to the very hammy acting which appears to be so popular in these parts – soaps here make the acting in Neighbours and Home and Away look positively professional! There was also a fair amount of signing, which James didn't seem to mind at all, despite his professed hatred of musicals.