Notes on Uruguay:

February 11-14

Colonia:  Just a one hour boat ride from Buenos Aires is Colonia.  This little town is full of cobblestone streets in what is called barrio historia, which is a quaint old town reminiscent of places I’ve lived or visited in the U.S., like Chestertown, Maryland or Annapolis, but just a much smaller version of both.  Colonia is a 1600-1700 village built along the muddy looking Rio de Plata.  This river turns silvery grey in just a few hours before sunset, hence its name- Plata.  The earliest settlers were Portuguese.  

The two-story inn that we stayed in has thick, old stone walls and green shuttered doors with brass and ceramic door handles.  There is a charming, large garden courtyard area with a delft blue china fountain.  On the second story, the breakfast room was filled with tables covered in blue and white checkered tablecloths, where we were served a generous continental breakfast.  From our table, there was a view of a walled garden with more rooms, which were once used as a carriage house many years ago.  We were entertained by several emerald green parrots flying in and out of a tall old fruit tree. They all seemed to be enjoying their breakfast of ripening figs. 

The historic part of town consists of no more than a few square blocks and was once surrounded by a wall to protect from invaders.  Several old historic buildings are well maintained and display artifacts from the area.  It is mostly a one day tourist destination for visitors from Buenos Aires to get away from the hot and humid city for a day or two.  And it is also the gateway to other areas of Uruguay where wineries and beaches beckon visitors to explore.

Punta  del  Este:  We were encouraged by friends to rent a car and explore the Uruguayan countryside, so that is what we did.  Leaving Colonia, we traveled down well maintained two and four lane highways lined with mature palm trees that give way to old growth pines.  Intermittently we saw rolling farmland, where acres of corn appears to be nearly matured and ready to pick.  Everything seems healthy and green, a contrast to the concrete cities we have lived in recently.  We were thrilled with good weather and temperatures that were in the 70’s.  Our drive to Punta del Este took about three hours from Colonia.  There were about three toll stops accounting for the well maintained roads no doubt.  Punta is a spit of land that separates the Rio Plata from the Atlantic Ocean. In the distance, this spit of land had multiple high rise apartments, condos and hotels resembling a miniature Miami skyline on one side and sand dunes along the beach side.   In the twenty-four hours that we visited, there was a steady wind whipping the waves into a frenzy that kept us from venturing into the sea.  But that didn’t stop the brave surfers from attempting to catch a few intermittently good waves.  A couple dozen talented energetic souls grabbed short boards and fought the surf for a long time to only benefit from just a few short rides.  Plenty of people rested or played along the shoreline, soaking up the last part of summer’s UV rays, while lifeguards kept careful vigil over those who dared the waves.   Also in attendance were hawkers selling clothing and an ice cream man making some brisk sales. 

Montevideo:   We left the windy beach behind for Montevideo, the Capital city.  It is a tired, worn down coastal town where we stayed for two nights.   During the month of January and February the city has many carnivals and parades; different than Rio we are told.   One of the reasons for our visit was to witness a bit of this during our stay.  We were also able to see a dinner theater show where one old female crooner, a bit past her prime, sang loudly and often off key, and young dancers wowed us with their tango and candombe (drumming and dance) skills. 

The next night we went to Carnivale, held at what was called the Velodromo, an old arena that may have once housed biking competitions.  For two months they hold this “Carnivale”, which amounts to acts taking the stage and singing songs in colorful costumes.  Much of what they were singing about was a tongue in cheek poke at politics and everyday Uruguayan lifestyle we were told.  However, even though the music was wonderful and the costumes interesting and pretty, we didn’t get much of the humor.  But for $18.00 for two tickets, we had near front row seats.   While waiting in line, we were entertained by two female “clowns” with red rubber noses.  Michael said to one very cute clown, “You have a funny nose.” And without breaking stride the clown answered back, “So do you!”  Even though we didn’t understand much, we stayed about two full hours and ended up leaving somewhere between 10 or 11 P.M. to a packed house of thousands.   The party looked like it was just getting started!!  Apparently the night doesn’t end until one or two A.M.   Like most carnival- like events, there were booths set up around the parameter selling food, drinks and t-shirts, some making money for various charities.  Occasionally people would walk through the crowd asking for donations to this or that organization.  Everyone seemed to know each other, and it was a very cheerful bunch of nice “mate sipping” people.

That brings me to some final thoughts on Uruguay.  The land is not unlike our rural areas, with scattered pines, palms, rolling hills and farmland.  If you dropped me into a seaside restaurant or along a country road, I would have no idea that I had left the U.S.   All people look and act just like us.  However in Uruguay, they have traditions that are similar to our coffee drinking, something called “mate”, which is an herb- like substance with a taste much like bitter green tea leaves.  This tradition, I read, was started centuries ago by indigenous Portuguese Indians.  Also mate was enjoyed by gauchos, who would be gone for days doing things gauchos do and this mate was ingested as a way of keeping awake on long rides.  Now a very large portion of the population consume mate all day long.  They carry a hot thermos or two in special carrying cases and have a special gourd or metal cup that serves as their mate cup, where they place the herbs.  They typically use one small handful of herbs a day where there is a continuous addition of hot water poured over the herb mixture.  This tea-like infusion is sipped through a metal straw.  It is a very social custom, meant to be shared with friends and even occasionally strangers, one cup, one straw-shared.  I am told it is a bitter tasting brew with a kick much like caffeine.  In Uruguay, it is carried everywhere but taboo to bring to the office.  In Argentina mate is mostly consumed at homes or private social settings.  Another common thing is eating ham and cheese.  It is served everywhere, even on airplanes in the form of sandwiches.  The bread is often hard and there is no mayo or mustard – it is just dry, dry, dry!! They even serve it for breakfast and everyone, except for us, seems to enjoy eating this for a meal or a snack.  If we never see ham and cheese again, when we return to the states, it will be just fine with us!

Michael has enjoyed practicing his Spanish with the locals and seems to be more comfortable with understanding them as the days pass.  He is impressed with the beautiful Uruguay countryside and the very pretty horses that seem to be in all the fields.  You can safely rent a car here, but the gas seems expensive and the deposit taken at the time of rental (against any possible damage) is expensive.   Yet, we found that having a car made us more independent and able to see the places we wanted to see. There are tour buses that will get you to the places we have gone, but on their time schedule and without the stops and extras that we were able to do with a car.  If you travel to Argentina or Uruguay, you will need adapters for the plugs.  Some require two pronged “V” shaped adaptors; others use two pin-like adaptors.   We stayed in some beautiful hotels, but others were much in need of paint and repair.  The hotel Europa in Montevideo was located in the older part of town and was in dire need of paint and new wallpaper, but don’t judge a book by its cover.  Even though there was a bit of mold on the walls by the air conditioner, and the tiles in the bathroom were chipped in places, I would go back again.  The people were very nice and helpful and the beds were very comfortable.   As an added bonus, every morning and afternoon an old guy would come in decked out in a suit and cute hat, and for two hours each day played beautiful music on the piano.  Next stop-Iguazu Falls, Argentina!!