Researching my Travels

Tuesday night I went off to Borders bookshop in Oxford Street for a bit of research.. The have a whole floor area with 3 sections dedicated to Travel and its full of lonely planet and other guides, plus there is a cafe in the store as well, so its perfect place to do a bit of reading before heading off...

I was trying to find out answers to the following two questions:

1) What do I do for a whole week in China?... I really want to go to Yangshuo again but will I have time to visit my friend Steve in Shanghai? Is it possible to do all that AND be back in HK to catch my flight on the 19th? Hm.... Looking at bus/train routes and timetables... Looks like I might have to choose one or the other, crap.. Oh well Yangshuo is too good to miss out on, and I need to get away from big cities I think. I'll have to visit Steve some other time it seems.. Damn.

2) Uruguay is between Argentina and Brazil and I'm flying into one and out of the other: Is it worth visiting the place? Is it a nice country? Do I need a visa? Is there anything interesting to see? Basically Uruguay is one of those countries that its almost impossible to get any travel information on. The guide for it was out of print in 2002 and there is none left.. I could find a chapter on the South America budget book for LP and it basically says: Yes - its worth it. "the switzerland of South America" apparently (does that mean its a little boring maybe?).. So its got all the nice bits of Argentina but its more chilled.. good Horse-riding, plus there is a bit of a Ibiza-like night spot in Punta del Este I might want to go and visit. Seems like I might be crossing Uruguay on my way to Brazil..