Colonia and Montevideo

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I crossed the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento using the Buquebus high speed catamaran ferry. The cat crosses the water in just 55 minutes from breakwater to breakwater. For that reason many tourists visit Colonia on a day trip from Buenos Aires.

I though caught the evening cat and spent 2 nights in Colonia. It was dark when I arrived, so I asked a taxi driver to recommend a hotel after checking that he would accept Argentinian money as payment for his fare. He took me to a hotel which cost me $US20 for a modern room with en-suite bathroom, cable TV and air-conditioning. It is worth spending a night or two in Colonia, rather than doing a day trip because prices are very low in Uruguay. You get very good value for money. When I went out after booking into the hotel I found that the streets were empty despite it being a Friday night.

I didn´t rush to start my walk around Colonia the next morning, starting at 10am. The streets were empty and I found all the museums were closed until 11.30am

The historic old city is a picture postcard place. It is also a UNESCO world heritage site. It was founded in 1860 to smuggle goods across the river to Buenos Aires.

Later that day the streets began to fill with day tours. The museums knew what they were doing - there was no point opening before 11.30am. I had a pleasant day around the streets of the old town. The cafes and restaurants on the river front were also good value for money.

After sunset, a Saturday night, the streets emptied again. As the sun went down a cold wind blew in off the Rio de la Plata. It is mid winter in Uruguay.

On Sunday 23rd I moved on to Montevideo the capital of Uruguay.

I think that the people of Uruguay drink even more mate than the Argentines. Everyone seemed to be clutching their mate gear walking around the streets of Montevideo. They carry the metal gourd and metal straw and a thermos flask of hot water in a special leather case with them all the time. Just so they can have some mate on the go all the time.

The blog Last Tango in South America on Travelblog by Shaun and Shannon says that "Yerba mate tastes like crap".

I disagree.

I like mate...now. I thought it was bitter the first time I tasted it in Argentina. It is an aquired taste. A taste that I found that I have aquired when locals in Uruguay shared their mate with me.

I spent a couple of pleasant days in Montevideo. At 9pm on Tuesday 25th I got the bus out of Uruguay to Porte Alegre in Brazil. It was a long overnight journey, but the bus was very comfortable.

Please come back to my blog for the next entry which will be about Brazil.

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