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Published: February 22nd 2010
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I opted for the overnight bus to get to Uruguay. The Argentineans are renowned for having mastered bus travel and provide a supreme amount of options in terms of companies and classes of seat available. What they neglected divulge was that the air conditioning would blast out arctic-cold air for the entire night reducing the inside of the bus to a giant refrigerator. For everyone else with warm blankets and steaming cups of tea this probably wasn't an issue. For me wearing nothing but shorts, t-shirt and flip flops this resulted in a frozen night sleep. The first rays of sunlight in the morning were very welcome indeed.
There is no direct bus to Uruguay and my first destination in the country which was Punta del Este. The bus literally stopped at the side of the motorway after 12 hours on the road and left me standing there with only my backpack and the speeding early morning traffic for company. Thankfully a taxi turned up and charged me and some other travellers an extortionate amount to get to the Uruguayan border town of Salto. We bargained him down and were soon on our way passing over the border and past
some of Uruguay’s hydroelectric power stations.
I had some time to kill at the bus station before boarding another bus to Montevideo - the capital - and then on to Punte del Este, finally arriving at about 10pm after travelling non-stop for around 28 hours. I just had about enough time to check in to my crazily expensive dorm, which was ridiculously small, hot and sticky. I was so tired from all the travel and lack of sleep that, despite the suffocating dorm I drifted off quite quickly.
The next day I set about exploring this small beach resort town. Punte Del Este is billed as the St Tropez of South America. A place where the very rich and famous go on holiday to enjoy the surrounding beaches, fine dining and vibrant nightlife. Not the best place for a budget traveller then.
Despite the woefully expensive costs it was a very agreeable place to spend a couple of days. The beaches were nice and the water actually quite nicely cold and blue. The Pension Army were all out in force on the beach tanning their already leathery skin to make them look more withered than one could
Punte Del Este
Ludicrously expensive night out. think possible. As well as being a rich club, it appeared Punte Del Este was a retirement town where South America's affluent come to enjoy their final years. Rounding off the beach I stood and contemplated the Hand in the Sand sculpture. The sculpture looks as if a hand is rising up from the sand and was a very interesting way to pass a few minutes.
Punte Del Este didn't really feel very South American at all. The costs were all on a par with a European city which is also incredibly inflated in comparison to the rest of the continent. For my night out in Punte I made sure I had plenty of cheap wine before hitting the bars. Again, the nightlife here starts very late - apparently turning up to some places before 2am is really quite uncool. The bars were busy though with a good mix of dance music and live bands creating a wonderful ambience beside the yacht-rammed harbour area.
I caught the bus from here the 2 hours back to Montevideo to soak up this colonial capital for a few days. Montevideo is nice place to spend a day or so but lacks
some of the big attractions that require further exploration. It sports a crumbling old town, a bustling new town as well as some nice plazas, interesting markets, statues and fountains.
The old town was actually very disappointing. The beautiful old colonial buildings, full of so much character and potential charm were often left derelict and poorly maintained. After the pristine white elegance of Paraty, Montevideo felt very lacking in all areas. Most of the buildings, bar one or two, have fallen into complete disrepair and look as if they have not been renovated since they were built by the Spanish a few hundred years ago. The pavements are cracked and concrete slabs jut up through the ground as each street contains boarded windows, rusted wrought iron balconies, peeling paint and plaster which has fallen away to reveal the brickwork beneath.
The best part of the old town though was the food market called Mercado Del Puerto. Contained within a charming colonial shell this indoor food hall was a complete contrast to the empty streets of the old town. It was a very rustic, bustling place with an assortment of local families and tourists settling down for a Sunday
Simon the Swede
And a car in Punte Del Este lunch. The market was split into various different bars - behind which was an enormous grill on which was cooking an amazing variety of meat. The smell hit me as soon as I walked in the door and I immediately began salivating!
The atmosphere of the place is great and the gritty low light gives proceedings an old world feel which is enhanced by a grand clock face watching over everything from the centre of the market. Table seating is available but the best way to enjoy the food is to sit at the bar and watch is being cooked in front of you. I took a stool and watched the cook constantly work the huge grilling area behind which roared an angry fire of bright orange flames. I opted for one of the mixed grill dishes which was enormous and felt as if I was eating my way through an entire livestock farm. The a meat is divine as I eat my way through steak, sausage, black pudding, pork, chicken, kidneys, liver and some other things which I'm pretty sure are intestines. None of it is marinated and so the sumptuous flavour of the slightly charred meat is
Uruguayan BBQ
Meat Loving Paradise deliciously evident.
I also wandered over to the new town, which is in better condition than the old. The streets here are a mix of large colonial buildings, pleasant green spaces and some interesting grand statues. I cut my time short here though as there really is not much more to do. I was expecting Carnaval to be quite a wild party season here - it is meant to be the next best place to experience it. Unfortunately though nothing was really happening and although the party lasts a month the organised parades and parties did not coincide with my visit. I therefore opted to jump on the bus and head to Colonia which is about 2.5 hours away by bus.
Colonia Del Sacramento is a very old port town that grew quite rapidly because it was used as a port to smuggle goods into Buenos Aires. It was setup by the Portuguese in the 18th century and was so successful it forced the Spanish to build Montevideo to stunt the illegal flow of goods into the Argentinean capital. A day is sufficient to explore the old part of town which is quite small and located next to
Montevideo fun
Apparently I sleep in this position... a river.
The town draws lots of tourists on day visits from Buenos Aires, which is only 50km away over water. The town is therefore full of various accommodations, plenty of eateries and cafes. I found a hostel after trudging round a couple that were full. I wandered into the old town the next day to discover its charms, which were probably unfortunately dulled by the overcast weather.
The cobbled streets of Colonia ooze old world charm but lack the pristine white of Paraty - for which now all colonial towns are a benchmark. It was an interesting place to wander though and admire the river views, the wonderful array of architecture and the old fort and lighthouse. A nice touch is the abandoning of various vintage cars from the early 20th century at random places throughout the old town. The cars are old Ford's which are quite dilapidated. The car bodies are rusted, the tyres flat and the headlights smashed but they add to the character of the place and match the state of disrepair some of the crumbling edifices sport.
I caught the ferry later that day to Buenos Aires, the Argentine capital. The only
problem was that on entering the country I was so rushed by the taxi driver taking us to Salto that I didn't pick up an exit form which should have been stamped at the border on entering the country. The immigration official looked quite perturbed when I told him I didn't have it but some stylish grovelling soon encouraged him to stamp me out without the document. I was soon bouncing violently around as the ferry launched itself up, over and into the large waves on the body of water separating Uruguay and Argentina.
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Mum, Dad and boys
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Not more meat Charlie!!
I have to say the Uruguayan barbecue sounds gross!! All that meat - a bit like the Atkins Diet without trying. Punte Del Este looks beautiful especially the beach. Very mediterranean. I think you have been spoilt with Paraty although Colonia looked pleasant enough. The cars are amazing, is that what they do with old cars rather than scrap them or sell them on? You look well but what a weird sleeping position - I won't say what it reminds me of!! Take care, xxx