04x05 - Uruguay with Becky Goebel

[bunniefuu]

Garra charrua. It's a
phrase that is hard to explain.

Roughly translated,
it means "grit."

Courage in the face
of adversity,

a willingness to rise up
for what you believe.

And in Uruguay, a country
long overshadowed

and often overlooked,

it conveys the collective spirit
of a people

and a place
that values individuality

and equality for all.

And it's just what
I'm here to find.

Yeah!

All right, hit it!

Here we go!
Yeah, baby!

That was crazy!

Uruguay and the Argentine.

On either side
of the River Plate,

they both have Spanish ancestry.

But there's something
very British about Uruguay.

As Saturday sports-minded
as ourselves,

the latest craze is this.

Uruguay.

It's one of those answers
you miss

on a high school geography quiz.

And to be honest,
I still might not get it right.

But through my travels,
I've found

some of the best experiences
need no expectations.

Yeah, this is like
the South American New Orleans.

Oh, yeah.

It's so clean here.

Hi, puppy.

So, you ready, Freddy?

Oh. Get my hat. Ugh.

I'm ready.

♪ Ahh Ahh

Oh, puppy.

Hey, buddy.

I'm here for one of South
America's biggest biker events

Kustom Kulture
Motorcycle Weekend.

Joining me is my friend
Becky Goebel,

acclaimed journalist and
co-founder of the Dream Roll,

an annual women-only
motorcycle retreat

in the Pacific Northwest.

How do you say "dog"?

Uh, fuerto.

Farto.

I just made that up.

She's a pioneer of the female
motorcycle resurgence,

attracting , strong
at her event.

♪ Viva!

This little mini bike?

♪ We're coming down,
tell me where you're going ♪

Becky's been raving
about Custom Weekend

ever since hearing
about it on assignment.

So when I found out
she was making the trip,

I had to invite myself
along for the ride.

Along the way, we were hoping
to discover

just what defines
the spirit of this unique,

and yet often forgotten,
corner of South America.

Look how pretty this is.

Oh, my God.

Yeah, this is not what
I was expecting at all.

Yeah.
No, this is beautiful.

Following decades of violent
uprising and m*llitary control,

it wasn't until the mid-' s

that democracy finally emerged
from the rubble.

And today, Uruguay as returned
with the progressive ideals

and social equality
the country was built on

at the turn of the th century,

something its
neighboring countries

are still striving to achieve.

It's like a place you...
You would move to to, like,

you want to write a book.
You know what I mean?

It's, like, artsy?

You drink your mate
and write your novel.

Yeah.

Maté is an everyday
ritual here in Uruguay,

where we all share
Uruguayan tea.

People drink it everywhere.

You go to the shopping,
and they are drinking mate.

You go to the gym,
and they are drinking mate.

Is this where we get it?

Hi, could we get the...
Get the stuff for mate?

Just any of these?
Pick one of these.

- Wow.
- Yeah, this is the deal.

Oh, did we get the, like,
non-authentic one?

We got the tourist version.

This one.

- The big one.
- All right.

Well, it'd be, like,
less strong, right?

Gracias.
Thank you so much.

- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.

- Hello.
- Hello.

How's it going?
Oh, yeah. They got it.

Cheers.

- Drink mate.
- We never tried.

- We haven't tried.
- This is our first try.

Ah, okay.

What's up, buddy?

Yeah.
How's it going?

Oh, he's...

Yeah.
Nice to meet you. Hi.

Hi. Is that...
Is that mate, too?

Let me get a drink of mate.

Can you show us
how to do the mate?

Can you show us how?

- Tell me when to stop.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

More, more, more, more, hasta.

More?
More, more, more.

Really? More, more.

- The first water, it's...
- Just cold water.

- No, no. Warm. Warm.
- Warm water.

I think that she's the boss.

Yeah, she's definitely the boss.

Don't mess this up.

Drink now?

Sí.

You said "no,"
then she said "yes."

Now you say "yes" again.

You ladies are pressuring me
right now.

Do it now?
Okay.

Like, tiny?

Good.

Kind of tastes like grass,
like freshly-cut grass.

I just go for it?

It's... It's kind of delicious.
I like it.

It's strong, yeah.
- Ooh.

That's actually good.
- Yeah.

I was not expecting it
to be good.

I don't know why.

I'm not sure exactly what just
went down, but we've got to run.

If those women are any
indication of what lies ahead,

Uruguay's gonna be
a damn good time.

That was tight, though.
That's, like, biker mama style.

- Yeah.
- You know?

It's like this is her block.

- Not giving a
-For sure.

- That was cool as
-Yeah. That was really cool.

And... And everyone's got
such good energy here.

So, how did you get a job
writing for all these magazines?

When I got into the
motorcycle industry,

it was, like,
the best way for me

to be able
to get paid to travel.

Yeah.

So now, I'm, like, the first
woman writer to write for,

like, three of the magazines
I write for now.

I pretty much just pull
out of my

and then put it on paper
and get paid for it.

Welcome to "Ride."

Over the next few days,

we'll hit the streets
of Montevideo

before heading east to visit

a seal whisperer
in Punta Colorada.

From there,
it's a scenic shoreline ride

into the resort town
of Punta Del Este,

including a -kilometer
journey

to Kustom Kulture
Motorcycle Weekend.

One of the magazines
that I write

for covered this event last year

or the year before,
so I kind of know all about it.

What is it?
Like, a huge event?

- What's it like?
- Yeah, it's, like, pretty big.

It's all custom motorcycles
from a-all around the area.

So I think we're gonna see
some pretty cool bikes.

Right now, we're on our way

to Mercado del Puerto,
an historic market

designed by the architects
of the Eiffel Tower,

to share a traditional Uruguayan
meal with a local artist.

- 'Sup, buddy?
- How are you, friend?

Are you Gaston?

- Hi, I'm Becky.
- How are you, Becky?

What's up?
Hi, I'm Norman.

- Hi, Norman.
- Nice to meet you, man.

Gaston Berger does it all...

Bike builder, painter,
tattoo artist.

He's a fixture in the tight-knit
biker community in Uruguay.

- You know, kind of sweet.
- Oh, I need that.

I need that in there.
Whoa.

And he'll be riding with us
to tomorrow's main event.

- Cool bike.
- This bike has history.

Knucklehead.
They were all police bikes here.

We try to keep them alive, yeah?

I like it.
All right, where are we going?

To check the place here,
the Mercado.

- Nice.
- Sweet.

This used to an historic market
for food and meat and fish.

We are by the sea.

Wow, this is...
This is great here.

Yeah, it's a nice place, yeah.
It's very traditional, yeah.

Wow, this is crowded.

- This is crazy.
- Yeah.

- Nice to meet you.
- Can he take a picture with you?

- Of course.
- Can we take a selfie?

Sure.

This is how I tell
what my hair looks like.

- Thank you.
- What's up? Hi.

How are you?
Nice to meet you.

Just run.

Oh, yeah.
Nice to meet you.

Okay, we got to go.

So amazing how people
know you here.

Yeah.

I thought I was the only one
that watched "The Walking Dead."

There you go.

No, here,
people are very excited.

They like blood, you know?
This country. You can see that.

Right.
That makes sense, yeah.

So, you're an artist.
Tell me everything you do.

I tattoo for over years.

I'm a tattoo artist
and I'm a sculptor and a... too.

Oh, yeah.

I try to do a lot of things.
Uruguayan barbecue.

- I don't know.
- We'll find out.

The name is molleja.

Is molleja de partes.

Molleja is the glands.
Get from right here.

Around...

This part is very tender, this.
It's really soft.

It's like meat bubblegum.

Yeah, it's like bubblegum.
Yeah.

But in America,
eating meat feels so different.

Are the farms all free-range?

The cattle here grow very good.

Yeah, nothing factory.

What is that?
Oh, geez.

Uruguayan cheese.

- Do I dip this in here?
- Yeah.

- Is that what you do?
- That's the way.

Is it too hot right now,
or can I...

Na, na, na, na, na, na.

Yum.

Oh, yeah?

That's some good-ass cheese.

Yeah, really good, right?

You have to try the black bean.

Yeah. What is it?

I don't even know what the
that means, but what?

Oh, all right.
I'll try it.

- Try it.
- You got to try, too.

I feel like I'm on
"Fear Factor" right now.

You can... You can put
chimichurri if you like.

- You were right. It's sweet.
- Sweet, sweet.

Yeah. Yeah.
It's good.

Travel the world and you'll
partake in some unusual cuisine.

That's...
That... I didn't know...

But coagulated blood might just
be one of the weirdest things

I've ever put in my mouth.

It's, like, stuck in my teeth.

Yeah, it's chewy,
sweet, and stuff.

You ready for a murga night?

I'm ready, I think.

This will be on Instagram
in minutes.

Yay!

Norman, we got
to follow security here.

I can't believe I ate
a sausage full of blood.

Ohh.

Never gonna get over that.

You're gonna have
some bloody burps.

Yeah, right?

My butt is asleep.

What's right in front of us?

Damn! What is that?

Uh, the tower, it's a...

Used to be the South America's
tallest building.

It's called Palacio Salvo.

Are those apartments?

Apartments, yeah.

How old do you think
that building is?

?

South America is notorious
for its insane nightlife.

Spend some time in Rio
or Buenos Aires,

you might just
catch the sunrise.

But while Brazilians may know
how to turn up the heat,

Uruguay has mastered the simmer
with their record-setting

days and nights of Carnival.

Carnival celebration is the most
large carnival in the world.

Carnival is celebrated
with a lot of parties

and a lot of music, dancing.

It's a period of the year where
you can say whatever you want,

and everything's
going to be fine.

And here exists the
political underbelly

not seen in Argentina or Brazil.

So tonight, we're hitting
the town with a group

that performs a kind of
Uruguayan music theater...

It's called "murga"...

To check out
their festival performance

and what makes
Carnival here so unique.

- Nice ride.
- What's up?

Hi.
- Hi, I'm Christian.

Nice to meet you. I'm Norman.
Thanks for having us.

Well, are you ready
for a murga night?

I'm... I'm ready, I think.

Morga is a musical genre and...
And a way of performing.

It is dancing, singing,
makeup, and comedy.

So, how long has this
tradition been going on?

Well, the La Gran Muñeca
was founded in .

So it's one of our most
traditional groups in Carnival.

When you perform in
a murga, you live in...

In murga mode / .

I mean, you... you think murga,
you eat murga, you drink murga.

We... We must sing
to the things that...

That are happening to us.

There are songs with, uh,
a critical view of the system,

of our government...
Things that affect us.

Anyone can do it, but when
you do it in a murga style

or in a murga way, there is
a connection with the people.

This is the place where
the murga performers

hang out while waiting...

- Oh, wow.
- To do the shows.

So, every weekend, it's, like,
kind of the same thing,

or it's always different?
- Every day.

La Gran Muñeca, for example,
it's murga that...

Uh, each Carnival has, uh,
between and shows.

Wow.

I was wondering if you wanted
to put some makeup on your face.

- On my face?
- Yeah. yeah.

And you... And you...

You become a murga
performer for a night.

- Let's do it.
- Yeah?

You ready, Gaston?
- I'm always game.

He's a local artist.

- Yeah.
- Want to do it for you?

Yeah, will you?

I will do a good one for you.

Perfect.
And you have to do it as well.

- Yeah, Becky?
- Yeah.

Okay.
You, too, Becky?

Hell yeah.

So, take...
Take your glasses off.

- Okay.
- And the cap as well.

Okay.

It will be great because
nobody will notice Norman.

Yeah, that's kind of nice.

Oh, that is good, yeah.

He's very popular
in Uruguay as well.

I got it, I got it.
Yeah.

You're beginning to look
like a murga performer.

You... You...
You should see yourself.

This will be on Instagram
in minutes.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

- Yeah?
- Yeah. Looks good.

I feel beautiful.

I feel like I'm about to go
just sing my heart out.

Amazing.

- Let's do this.
- Let's do it.

During Carnival,
murga performers

take over neighborhood streets

in makeshift parades
all over Uruguay.

And the top groups,
like Christian's,

are invited to perform
on festival stages.

So we're joining them
as they march

to one of their final shows
of the Carnival season.

They may not sound like it
to the untrained ear,

but the murga is about
as punk as it gets.

Here on the same city streets

that once played stage
to political v*olence,

these performers sing songs
questioning societal norms

and the politicians
who enforce them.

Through decades of upheaval,
the murga has survived,

masking sharp political
criticism behind comedy

and providing the spark

that ignited Uruguay's
modern progressive way.

It's a powerful reminder
that to celebrate with song

and with laughter is
the ultimate act of rebellion

and rather than
just as an excuse to party.

In Uruguay, Carnival is
an opportunity to be heard.

Yay!

How's that for a nightcap?

Wow, wow, wow.

Check that off the bucket list.

Whoo!

I think we're being followed.

We got two carloads of people
following us.

See that dent in the car?

That's from the last celebrity
they chased.

We begin Day by saying
goodbye to Montevideo

and meeting back up
with Gaston Berger.

There he is.

Puppies!

He's accompanying us to
the Kustom Kulture Convention.

Oh, my God.
He's cute.

- Hi.
- What's up, buddy?

- Hello.
- Good to see you.

Hi. I missed you.

So, you... you work just
next door to your house?

That's perfect.

Yeah.
Something like that.

This is all your art,
everything in here?

Yes.

Cool.

That was when I was abducted
by aliens

at an early age, you know?
Happened to you, too?

Uh, yeah, I think
I'm still there.

- Yeah, it's amazing, yeah?
- Yeah.

This is the shop
where I build everything.

I-I love going to shops
like this

and then noticing
all the small details.

- Yeah.
- You know?

How's... How's the riding
changed in Uruguay?

How I've seen it...
I've seen it change a lot.

First, the only thing
we had were...

Were old Harleys and old bikes.

I'm not that old, but I started
in mid-' s with Harleys, so...

They were very cheap,
and they were in the...

Outside the city,
mostly in the areas

were not a lot of people,
you know?

Nobody wanted these bikes.

Because you have no spare parts,
you cannot make them ride.

We start buying them very cheap.

And then the people realize
about Harley and all this thing,

and they became famous.

Now we have a lot of brands
and things,

and you can easily go
and buy your own Harley.

You don't have build
at nighttime.

Yeah.

You have to build
and build and build.

And if you just get done going
and making kilometers,

you are one of us.

Oh, wow.
Look at this poster.

Wow.
Where did you get that?

You know the man?

I do, yeah.

Can I take a picture of this?

- Yeah, of course, man.
- I want to send it to Pete.

- Well, send it to Pete.
- Yeah.

The man that built it
for Peter Fonda is...

I can't believe it.
- Yeah.

I want to send this to him.

He would love it.

- Well, that's a ' Pan here.
- That's really nice.

Yeah.
I'm gonna ride that today.

I rode it through Peru, Brazil,
Argentina, Bolivia,

and she still looks neat.

I ride it, but I take care.
I live for it.

In Uruguay, motorcycle culture

isn't something taken
for granted.

For decades, political unrest
and strict import laws

made parts and machines
difficult to come by.

But a generation of caretakers
like Gaston

remain painstakingly dedicated
to their craft...

A true lesson
in passion and commitment.

This is Ramón.
He's a baby seal.

I want you.

Aah!

Zombie boot.

♪ I was riding
down the highway ♪

♪ Just trying

♪ I had a place I needed to be
and I had to be on time ♪

- Okay, open road.
- The road.

- Whoo.
- Hell yeah.

That's right.

Leaving the capital
city, we're heading east

on a -kilometer coastline
ride

to the resort town
of Punta Del Este,

the home of Kustom Kulture
Weekend.

Also, be careful
in Uruguayan highways, no?

Why's that?

South America, remember.
Anything can happen.

♪ Less honkin',
more tonkin' blues ♪

Oh, God. You're recognizable

even when your whole head
is covered.

Little do they know,
I'm Selena Gomez.

Gaston.
- Yeah?

Peter Fonda wrote back.

He said, "This is the th
anniversary of the movie.

I hope there's a chance
to make a memorial ride.

Best of life for you
and your family.

Love, Pete."
- Whoa, man.

Yeah.

♪ Less honkin',
more tonkin' blues ♪

This is such a nice place
to have a little beachhouse,

you know what I mean?

With over % of Uruguayans
living at the beach,

it's no wonder they speak
so highly

of their pristine coastlines.

We're gonna make a pit stop
at a spot I've heard about,

where the locals are practicing
what they preach...

preserving the landscape

by protecting the creatures
who live there.

Oh, my God!

- Hello.
- Oh, hello, baby.

-Nice to meet you.
This is Ramón.

He's a baby seal.

Oh, my God.
He's cute.

Hi, my name's Igo.
I'm a helper here.

Hi, I'm Becky.
Nice to meet you.

How old is Ramón?

One month and a half old.

Wow.

He arrived here after a storm.

So we're taking care of him
until he's old enough

to actually be able
to survive in the sea.

Ramón identified him
as his mother.

Oh.

That's why he's like that
with him.

Are you saying something
in particular,

or are you just
making mommy noises?

They have different noises
that he has to learn.

Some of them are of alarm,

some of them are just
for contact and to calm them.

Beautiful mother, eh?

- Oh, my gosh.
- Oh, there he goes. Okay.

How long has this place
been here?

years now.

- Wow.
- Is this a non-profit?

Did you...
You work on donations or...

Yes. Everything here is kept
like this

because of the goodwill
of the people that helps us.

Don't worry, Ramón.
It's coming.

Don't worry.
I got ya.

Okay. Only for you.
Okay.

They like their fish
with all the smell.

Hi.
- See, look at this.

There's a dragon eating
a fish head over there.

Oh.

Everyone comes here for lunch.

Watch Ramón.

- Oh.
- Yeah...

Ramón... Ramón wants some fish.

He's... He's kind of, uh...
Has no etiquette whatsoever.

It's a little French bulldog.

Here's a fat one.

Wow, that's a lot of food
for this little thing.

- Yeah.
- Oh, my... Hi.

Can I pet him?

He's not biting.

No.
Do they sometimes bite?

When they don't like
the people, yeah.

I want you.

Ah-ah-ah-ah.

How did you learn
to talk to the seals?

There, they want to talk to him.

Oh, my God, he's so cute.

Oh, look at him go!

So, how long do you keep them
before you send them back?

More like or months.

D-Does Richard have, like,
major anxiety

when they go
back home to the ocean?

It's a very sad
and happy moment.

Sad because you're leaving
an animal

that you raised up yourself,

but you're happy
because you know

that animal was in danger
when he arrived here.

He's gonna live a long life,

and you know you're doing
the right thing.

It's evident that the
connection between us and nature

is a central feature
of Uruguayan life.

There's a respect here
for the world outside the self,

a duty to preserve
that which came before

and that which will continue
long after we're gone.

Hi, buddy.

At least for me,
it's refreshing to know that,

although the world can sometimes
be a dark place...

Really good swimmer.

You're perfect.

Richard's still here
talking to the seals.

That's crazy.
That's a crazy noise.

That sound is so funny.

Lucky, Ramón, living here, huh?

Yeah. The life.

Is that a city over there?

That's a town.

You can see Punta Del Este
from here.

That's where we're headed?

That's where we're headed.

Okay, team, this is it.
Welcome to Punta Del Este.

Oh, this is great here.

Wow. Is that it?
It's huge.

Yeah.

Kustom Kulture Weekend.

It's Uruguay's premier event,
featuring custom bikes,

hot rods, and vintage cars.

It's a rare opportunity
for local gearheads

and enthusiasts
to come together.

It feels like a big event.

Wow, there's a lot of cars here.

Yeah, right?
Wow.

Yeah, this is gonna be a zoo,
brother.

Now we just have to find
our host, Guillermo Silva.

Hi.

How are you, brother?

You good, man?
- You good?

Get inside my tent.

Guillermo Silva is the founder
of Kustom Kulture Weekend,

originally
started seven years ago

out of his garage.

Today, his event draws
, people each year.

- Wow.
- Sorry. It's crazy.

Yeah.
It's... It's insane.

It's a lot of people here, eh,

we are working out today.

I feel like you're in charge
of everything to do with this.

It should be
"Guillermo's Custom Weekend."

- Here's our main man.
- Yeah. Hi.

- You're here.
- Yeah.

I'm excited to meet you.
Hello, Norman.

- Yeah.
- Uh, a friend.

- Hi.
- My name is Nando.

It's a pleasure to meet you.

I've heard a lot about you.

- Hello, Becky.
- Hi. Nice to meet you.

I've heard a lot about you.

The weekend's guest of honor is
none other than Nando Parrado,

whose life story is so crazy,

Ethan Hawke once played him
in a movie.

In , as a member
of the National Rugby Team

flying to a match,
his plane crashed in the Andes.

After months
of unspeakable horrors,

Nando mustered the courage and
strength to search for rescue.

days later, he found it,

and his surviving teammates
were saved.

So, I want to give you
this book.

It's part of my life.
- Yeah.

It, uh, explains why
I am a biker, in a way.

- Yeah.
- Secondly, why I am alive.

Thank you so much.

Yeah, this story is, uh...
It's a crazy story.

Have you heard about Uruguay
before, about bikers in Uruguay,

about this beautiful,

small country
that's a gem in the world?

We live, work, enjoy, ride,
love, everything here,

like, than any other place
in the world.

- Yeah.
- And we love bikes.

So you're like an ambassador
now for Uruguay.

Yeah, I love that.
Let's go.

Take us out of here!
Let's go see stuff!

I can't do one.
I'll do...

Yeah, there you go,
there you go.

Lean towards me.

I got to do a selfie
and turn it around.

I may have landed in
Uruguay two days ago,

but I guess Daryl has been
here a lot longer than that.

This is...

I didn't realize
this was gonna be like this.

Whoa, there's a bike.
There's some bikes.

These guys have a -year-old
motorcycle that works.

Man, it's mint.

We're gonna step
on your motorcycles, bro.

Hey, how are you, man?

I love you, too.

We've got to follow
security here.

Norman, I'm really sorry,
but we've got to go this way.

Bye, guys. Thank you!

I was hoping to see, well,
anything at all, really.

Unfortunately, no such luck.

- Gracias.
- My pleasure, my pleasure.

I love you, too.

Thanks for having us.
You're the best.

You're the best.
- Cool car. Cool car.

- Thanks for having us.
- Bye. Thank you.

Sorry, we can't do more.

That was crazy.

Those are The Fingers.

Let's do this.

- High five.
- I like that hat.

That's my next outfit.

I just want to climb on it.

If you touch the middle
finger, you'll be...

- It's good luck?
- It's good luck.

Just the middle one, eh?

, , , , .

Unh.
Get all that good luck.

Is it warm?

Look at those fingernails.

Yep. Fingernails.

I feel lucky.

Yeah, that's it.

We made it to The Fingers.

Feel like a band.
I feel like a band right now?

- Band?
- Yeah, rock'n'roll.

Yeah, right?
All right, cool.

When there were all
those people coming up to us,

some guy opened
the door of the car

and he said, "I love you.
Happy birthday,"

and he handed me four Coronas.

It's true about even
the best-laid plans...

And let's face it,

sometimes celebrity
is a double-edged sword.

All right, so,
let me just do it.

It's humbling to show up
thousands of miles from home

and find enthusiastic fans.

But since word's out that I'm in
town, we're calling an audible

and heading out
in search of a new adventure.

Rolling Stones... Hey!
- Hey, guys.

- What's up? How's it going?
- How are you doing?

I'm glad you came.
- Nice to see you.

- How are you doing?
- I'm good.

Guillermo has hooked us up

with one of his good friends,
Tavo Rodríguez.

Tavo was born and raised
in the countryside,

and he's gonna take us
out of the city

to see a new way
of life here in Uruguay.

It was good.
We rode up the coast,

and then we went to Guillermo's
show and it was, uh... Oh.

It was cool.
There's a lot of people.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

- And meet you here, guys.
- Good, good.

Cheers.
- Cheers, guys.

T-Tell us about tomorrow.
What are we doing exactly?

So, tomorrow, you're gonna have
a really different experience

to have...
Have you been doing till now.

You've been in Montevideo
and now in Punta Del Este

that they are
really good cities,

but they are, like,
really big for Uruguay.

It's the wild side of Uruguay,
you know?

Um, we're gonna ride
to Cabo Polonio.

Cabo Polonio's gonna be amazing.

It is, like, one of the magical
places in Uruguay.

It's, like, a tiny town
next to the beach.

It's just, like, kind of Bohemia
and a hippie place.

It's, like, in the past.

So, yeah, tomorrow, we're gonna
be on the road again, guys.

All right, dude.
Let's do this tomorrow.

I'm excited.
Thank you for taking us around.

See you tomorrow, guys.

On the road again.
On the road again.

Hey, man.

♪ You're making sense to me

♪ Feels like I can see

♪ The forest for the trees

♪ And they grow
in your vicinity ♪

Three and a half million people
make up this modest country.

The beach just goes on forever.

Yeah.

And Day is taking us out
to the countryside,

where less than % live...

I wanna get air.

Whoo-hoo!

And the cows
outnumber the people -to- .

Such lovely weather, huh?

- Oh, yeah.
- Lovely.

Due to...
a really good view.

A lot of green, a lot of trees.

This is real countryside.

Yeah, it's beautiful.

Like, this kind of looks
like Georgia right here, yeah?

Yeah.

Lots of roads like this,
cows on the side of the road,

and barely any cars.

At least where I am out there.

Before Tavo takes us
too far off the grid,

it's my turn to play tour guide.

I have an old friend
who lives out in these parts,

and now that we've thrown
the itinerary out the window,

I can't pass up a chance
to go say hello.

Heading inland,
it's kilometers north

to the rural outpost of Aigua,

then it's a final
-kilometer push southeast

to the secluded village
of Cabo Polonio.

So, we're gonna see your friend
Rhona, then?

Yeah, we're gonna meet
my friend Rhona.

You'll love her.
She's great.

I first met Rhona Mitra back
when I lived in Los Angeles.

As an actor, she and I had
some of the same friends.

One of those friends told me
that Rhona

had moved here to Uruguay.

Raising horses off the grid,

she's living a different
kind of adventure.

I can't wait to see her again.

I'm shocked Rhona
lives way out here.

What a totally different life.

Yeah.

Ah, there she is.

Yeah.

- Hello.
- Hi.

Fancy seeing you all here.

Totally. You look great.

You look like
you're in your element.

You like stormtroopers.

Would you care to join us
for a mate?

Let's do it.
I'll follow you.

Perfect. Perfecto.

Dale. Vamo.

Yeah.

Not only does Rhona look cooler
than I ever would

riding a horse,
she's also carrying the torch

of Uruguayan tradition
that spans centuries.

A citizen of this state
is called a gaucho,

and here, over this cornucopia
of riches... fertile soil,

ranges, mineral wealth...
The colorful gaucho is king.

South America's cowboy,
the gaucho,

built his legacy on horseback,

driving cattle
from town to town.

And on the open plains today,

harvesting Uruguay's
major exports of beef,

leather, and wool,
that legacy continues on.

I got to ask you, how did you
pick this spot? Like...

- Uruguay?
- Yeah.

I was feeling just the way
in which America just...

And the world is going,
really wanted to carve out

a little, you know, slice
of something that... that...

Where I had my own water
and my own food

and a place where I could
take care of animals

in a really lovely way,
you know, have my own horses,

and I've got rescue pit bills.

So I was like, "Okay,
I'm gonna go and do the thing

that I wanted
to always do in my heart."

The thing that you say
you're gonna do,

usually most people don't
get to until their retire.

- Was this your first choice?
- No.

- What was your first choice?
- Argentina.

- Why?
- Patagonia.

But it's really tricky.
It's quite aggressive.

And here, uh, Uruguay's
just much more gentle.

The people, also, uh, are,
you know, very welcoming

and, um, sweet.
- Yeah, yeah.

I mean, uh... I mean,
everyone's super friendly here.

We went to a custom...

The Culture show that
we went to yesterday,

and there was probably
I don't know how many people,

but it was... we had to leave.

Like, shoves back in the car.

- Needed to leave.
- And they got quite excited?

They don't get excited
that much out here?

It takes quite a lot
to get a rise.

Usually it's sort of...

That's what I mean.

You probably could
have maybe caused

one of the biggest tremors
that Uruguay may have seen

for a while, I would imagine.

Aw, come on.

- I-I got to give you a hug.
- Yeah.

We got to get out of here
and get to the next spot.

- All right, darling.
- It's so lovely to see you.

Oh, great to see you.
You be safe, okay?

I'm excited to see
this hippie town.

Yeah. Me, too.

This is the spot.
I want to move in. Yeah.

I'm excited to see
this hippie town.

Yeah. Me, too.

Cabo Polonio is the
locals' close-guarded secret,

where the heart of Uruguay
is preserved

against technology and time.

Ooh.
Can we sit on the top?

What is this joint?

This takes us to the hippie
town,

'cause it's...
It's all sand roads.

But to get there, we have to
drop the bikes,

then hitch a ride to a place

where two wheels
just won't cut it.

This is so "Mad Max-y."

I feel like we're in
the middle of nowhere.

- We are, actually.
- I guess, like, we are.

Cabo Polonio has
a very special energy

because you have to leave
technology out of the life.

Really calm, quiet, no cars,

a place where you can really
disconnect from the whole world.

This is cool.

So cool.

I like this.

So, none of these houses have
electricity or running water?

No, not these ones.

Wow.

Some of them have, like,
generators, uh, for electricity.

But they stop, like,
for a few hours.

Cabo Polonio.

A local legend says it's named
for one of the many ships

that perished here
along its rocky coast.

But after the lighthouse
was built in the th century,

it became the safe port
in a rough sea.

Today, the lighthouse serves
as a spiritual beacon,

calling us back
to a simpler time.

So, how many people live here?

- .
- ?

The whole year, just people.

A lot of restaurants,
a lot of handcrafted stuff.

And the food here
is really good, also.

It's very fresh.

But there's solar panels.

Yeah, the house...
They use solar panels.

They have, like, some generators
or, like, some engines

to fit them with electricity.

What a cool spot.

Like, I could come here
and live for a month.

- It's a good way to live.
- Yeah.

This is the place
that we are going, La Perla.

Oh, is this the restaurant?

Like hotel.
Welcome.

It's like I've been
transported to a mythical place

where our cameras
don't cause a commotion

and the people
don't care who I am.

Oh, wow.

So, you can see the beauty
it has here.

- Yeah.
- Hi.

- Is this your restaurant?
- Hi.

Yeah, hi, my name's Norman.

- Hello.
- Yeah.

Nice to meet you.
- Hi, I'm Becky.

- Hello.
- Nice to meet you.

This, I could get used to.

How long has this been here?

Next year, we have, uh,
years.

The first restaurant here
in Cabo Polonio,

the family of my wife.

- Wow.
- I love it here, yes.

The restaurant...

Everything is handmade.
Wow.

How... How do...
- Made by... by them.

Yeah. This took forever to
build, I guess.

I guess you just always
keep building, right?

- Yes.
- Yeah.

You like it?

I love it here.

This is my favorite spot
that you guys have taken us to.

- Yeah, no doubt.
- Yeah, for sure.

This is the coolest thing ever.

It seems like people
don't even know who you are.

It's great. Yeah.

Like, this is...
Like, this is the spot.

I-I want to move in.

From the beginning to the end,

every single thing we've done
on this trip

has been not what I expected.

Just much better.

It also seems like
it's not spoiled.

Like, it's...
It's still kind of a secret.

Oh, that looks delicious.

It's some...
Eh, it's the drink of the house.

Thank you.

- Thank you very much.
- Gracias.

Yeah, thank you.

It's a pleasure for me
to be riding together

and to show you my country.

So you're more than welcome,
whenever you want to come.

So, the pleasure is mine.

- Ah, thank you, brother.
- Cheers.

Cheers.

See you again
in the near future.

Thank you for doing this.

- Thank you for bringing me.
- You're a badass.

I appreciate this so much, dude.

- Cheers, everybody.
- Cheers.

I arrived in Uruguay without
any preconceived notions.

To me, this place
was a blank slate.

And although our trip didn't go
exactly as we set out,

in a way, it reflected
what I found

in the spirit of this country.

Here is a place and a people
who adapt

while never losing sight
of that which defines them.

For them, convention
isn't followed.

It's often ignored.

And sometimes,
surrendering to the flow

makes for the better adventure.