Other than Montevideo being the capital and main port city in Uruguay, it holds no great allure. It is however a very pleasant city with leafy streets, fashionable shopping districts, cheap accommodation, and a long coastline with a well built promenade.
We hired bikes to explore the promenade, which turned into a nightmare, as one of the bikes was literally falling apart! We managed to do 15 km of the coastline, and then decided it was wise to turn back. There are some great beaches, but as was the case in Buenos Aires, the Rio De La Plata Estuary gives the water a brown hue and although it was scorching hot, we did not have a great desire to shed our clothes and jump into the murky water.
We visited a large traditional antique market the following day, which took over an entire suburb - have a look at the orange highlighted area on the map below. Every hillbilly and his dog were there selling everything you can imagine. After nibbling on a hot dog, dried fruit, and a few fresh peaches, we decided we had seen enough. There is not a huge amount to do in Montevideo but it was an interesting stop nonetheless.
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| The Punta Del Diablo (humble) bus station |
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| Cycling the Montevideo promenade (check out Andyś pimping bike - the grumpy face says it all!) |
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| Montevideo beaches (we were convinced they bought this white sand in!) |
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| Antique Market |
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| City Monuments |
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| Breakfast time at El Viajero hostel. Throughout South America we have been served Dulce De Leche (caramel paste) and bread for breakfast! |
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| Mate: The traditional drink in Argentina and Urugauy (herbs and hot water, drunk through a metal straw) |
2 hours south, and our last stop in Uruguay, lies the quaint little town of Colonia Del Sacramento, founded by the Portuguese in 1680 and known for its historical quarter or 'old town', which is now a World Heritage Site. Colonia is a short ferry ride across the estuary from Buenos Aires - our ultimate destination before leaving for Brazil - but before embarking on the journey across the Rio De La Plata, we decided to spend a day exploring the historical sites. The first evening was an absolute stunner with glassy seas and a magnificent sunset. We enjoyed the view from the top of the light house, walked along the cobbled streets, admired many classic cars and played another riveting game of "decipher the menu" (Meg lost this round as the ribs she ordered arrived as pork chops!)
The following day we hired a golf cart to see a bit more of the area. After 2 hours the novelty wore off, so we returned it and siesta'd the afternoon away. Talking of siesta, we have noticed that certain restaurants and stores close in the afternoon (the time varied depending on place), and we concluded it must have been because the employees have a siesta. We asked a local if this was the case, and he simply told us that "in Uruguay, this is the time that people go to the beach". That pretty much sums up life in Uruguay: laid back, no rush, no need for much more than family, a cerveza (beer) in hand, a scooter, and owning a restaurant that takes full advantage of the tourist!
From here its a night stopover in Buenos Aires before catching a flight to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, the last leg of our journey.
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| Colonias historic quarter |
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| This beautiful fish was caught, as the sun was setting |
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| Sangrias and dinner on the cobbled streets in Old Town |
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| The Lighthouse |
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