Uruguay Pt I

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We arrived early into Montevideo but not quite early enough to catch our onward connection so we took the chance to have a wander around the city centre. Montevideo is another ‘boring’ destination as far as the herds of ‘sheep’ travellers are concerned. Boring it certainly isn’t. The weather for the day was rough so we didn’t see Montevideo in the light it should be seen. We wandered around its compact centre admiring its classic colonial architecture and embracing its many plaza side cafes. This city has a very European feel with similar style shopping, fashions and culinary delights. A highlight was undoubtedly the mausoleum in the middle of Plaza Independencia. But Montevideo and Uruguay has something up its sleeve, a passion of mine and something that completely steals the show. Under an old 19th century British cast iron structure lies Mercado del Puerto and home to the worlds best steaks. Those from Argentina, the US and other countless countries will have you believe that they produce the best. They should come to Mercado del Puerto and see for themselves. Under this portside structure are sumptuous sights, smells and textures. Permanent fixtures BBQ the displayed meat and seat the masses. This place is a Montevideo institution, bustling with life and atmosphere, it’s a place where the whole family packs out the quaint surroundings during a lunch time feast. A feast is exactly what it is. Plate sized tenderness that melts in your mouth, fine local wine and even the deserts are excellent. It certainly was a case of colour, texture, flavour! Ok so we over indulged but for a country which isn’t exactly cheap, this could have been the best value meal I’ve ever had.
Due to our over active taste buds we missed our next connecting bus but this gave us a chance to wander around Montevideo’s artesian quarter and see more of its charming streets.

We later caught our connection over to Uruguay’s Atlantic coast and the secluded and well recommended Punta del Diablo. On arrival we found a village where nothing seemed to be open, no street lighting (it was dark) and not a soul in sight. As we started to think that we would be stranded we came across a family who directed us in the direction of the only open restaurant in the village. The owner was extremely helpful and managed to find us lodgings with a local resident. After finding our beds we returned to the small wooden restaurant for dinner - fresh seafood paella. This small restaurant and its owner definitely had a lot of character. It’s the sort of place where candle light is the only source of light, the chef is the owner and lives above (you can even see the wodden ladder up to his living quarters) and the sort of place where the restaurants friendly dog wanders around freely while the chef smokes away on his roll up. As atmospheric as the fixtures and fittings….
The next day we would have a wander around Punta and see what all the fuss is about. We soon found out that there are two side to Punta - the traditional fishing village with its quant wooden houses, boat lined miniature port and beautiful beach. The other side shows how un-relentless over-development can nearly ruin a place. The concrete jungle which straddles the back of the village and along the beach nearly turns this place into a tacky seaside resort. Fortunately as its still spring there aren’t the hoards of tourists around that will fill the hotels and holiday homes in summer. The blowy weather has also kept the masses away. A visit to Punta involves blocking out the ugliness of development and concentrating on the beach front grass streets lined with peaceful wooden cabana’s. We also took the time to walk along the beach to the devils point and then round the corner to the neighbouring beach. We sat on the rocks of the peninsular enjoying the afternoon breeze whilst admiring the now untouched coast line.

We returned to Montevideo the next day, visited the handmade leather shops where a custom made jacket is as cheap as chips and caught our next connection north to the middle of the country. We arrived in Tacorumbe, gaucho country and the birth place of the legendary father of Tango, Carlos Gardelo.
We had a short look around the town, spying out the flamboyant gaucho’s whist sitting in the plaza watching the mixture of horse and cart, along with the modern car. Our main purpose for our trip up here would be to spend five days on an Uruguayan farm and have a real taste of the gaucho life!
Full Punta del Diablo Photos on Flickr
Full Montevideo Photos on Flickr

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