By Chris Bourdain
The Beginning:
Join Tony to film a show in Uruguay? How quickly could I say \”yes\”? The plan was for a February trip — summer in Uruguay. A no-brainer! February rolls around, and here I am, winging my way to Montevideo with my itinerant brother and his entourage of four from \”No Reservations\”. Oh yeah — it seems I am viewed as part of \”the talent,\” so I get to fly in business class with Tony. It\’s good to be the king! Arrival in Montevideo is slightly delayed by the local customs chap inviting us to his office in back to share with us the benefit of his knowledge and experience dealing with thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment. After an extra hour of pointless discussion and waiting, we are met by our local \”fixers\” Sofia and Cecilia, and our van driver, Anibal. Our hotel, the Victoria Plaza, is apparently the place to stay in Montevideo, and indeed we see limos pulling up with various foreign diplomat and zillionaire types. Interestingly, I learned pre-trip that this hotel is actually owned by Rev. Sun Myung Moon\’s Unification Church, which has made a number of substantial and secretive investments in Uruguay. Continue reading: No Reservations Uruguay: A Brother\'s Diary »
