Final South America 2023

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Final blog

We left Colonia in our little hire car, it had only done 30,000 km but had a dodgy clutch. We has expected to pay 220$ but by using card you avoid the tax so it was only 180$ . Our first stop was on the outskirts of Carmelo going further north and west from Colonia. If you look at a map of South America Uruguay and Argentina are separated by water, the rivers Plate, Uruguay and Negro. We were staying the night at a wine lodge as my birthday treat to Chris , a nights stay and a parrilla and it was very much the plushest place we stayed. Its called El Legado , here is the link if you want to check it out. www.bodegaellegado.com.uy I was using maps.me as a satnav and at the second attempt trying to drive on dirt tracks resorted to google. The setting was stunning and so peaceful, its a family run business and they only make 3,000 bottles per year. I thought we could settle in and chill and have our parrilla about 6pm but we had an hour to get sorted and went over to the bodega at 4pm. They make 4 wines a white Viognier, reds Syrah, Tannat and a blend of Syrah and tannat. The tasting was accompanied by small dishes to have with each type of wine. Then our parrilla arrived two types of steak , two types of fat Toulouse style sausages with sweet potato and roasted vegetables. We were then shown how to siphon wine out of the barrel in to the glass. We had a quick tour of where the wine is made, a small building, although not anything like as detailed as other tours I have done. It was all very chilled and laid back , much like the country and the people. Dessert was ice cream with a tannat reduction- it was lip smacking. We went back over to our room and our neighbours were drinking on the terrace so we had wine and chatted with two really nice American couples. Judith is a blogger so we will keep in touch. We sat on the rooftop for a while but sadly no stars just clouds.

A very wet and windy night made the next day feel much fresher. Breakfast is delivered to your room in a box, although not very special. We paid the bill and Chris offered to pay the bill for the two bottles of wine we had in our room. He nearly fell over 56$, it was then we should have realised the addition of the word boutique adds more money. Still it was a very different experience, in a beautiful place and the staff were very good.

Our next and final stay was going to be at Villa Soriana. In 1624, a Franciscan Mission established a village for the indigenous tribes of the area named Santo Domingo de Soriano. It constituted the first permanent European settlement on Uruguayan soil, predating the foundation of Colonia by more than fifty years. On our route up we stopped for food, we were going to be in an apartment self-catering. The supermarket in Carmelo was chaotic, narrow aisles, one checkout open and 6 busy self service tills , a simple ten minute shop took half an hour. This time our location was easy to find and we were met by our host Sophie. She was an interesting woman who bought a boat with an inheritance, sailed around in it for 10 years then sailed from Toulon across the Atlantic to Buenos Aires. She sailed up the river estuary and moored at Villa Soriana, fell in love with the place sold the boat and bought the house. She lets out the ground floor. We had a bedroom and en- suite and a big living, kitchen, dining space. There were two external terraces and a huge garden with loads of options for sitting and chilling. My favourite space was a small tunnel or arch completely covered in foliage, always cool and peaceful. The garden was full of birds , hummingbirds on the hibiscus, parakeets squawking in the tall trees. A little haven. Her dog Lola was very gentle and although she came to say hello, never came into the house.

I had read about a place to eat called Como en Casa, (translated Eat like at home) and we thought we would eat on Sunday evening. We drove down to the boat landing and had a beer at the cafe looking out onto the river. We went to book for Sunday only to find they were only open in the daytime so we decided to eat that evening . I had delicious home- made cannelloni (lots of Italian influences in Uruguay and Argentina)and Chris had a Milanesa , a beef escalope. It was exactly as it said, nicely cooked food and Maria the owner was so happy to see us. They has red vino del casa, served cold and very light and fruity a bit like Beaujolais nouveau.

Sunday we headed further north to Mercedes, a place with a huge river frontage. Everyone was driving along really slowly so after we parked up I asked someone why and he said, the speed limit is 30kph and it's Sunday so people just cruise along. We watched as they parked up got out their folding chairs and sat drinking mate and chatting, all very civilised. There is even a Spanish verb matear, which means to meet up and drink mate. We walked up into town to the cathedral, it was closed and we were unable to find a place for coffee so had an ice cream . Mine was huge, the maracuya was delicious. Sadly Chris was flagging so I drove back, luckily Mercedes had a pharmacy open as Villa Soriana didn't have one, we got more stuff for his chest.

In the evening we drove down to the jetty, the little cafe was closed! About 200 metres away was a small food van with chairs and tables and they had beer. Sat at the next table were four people and the owner, Maria, brought them round, flat golden things. They were tortas fritas, like a flat savoury doughnut, we got one each and they were yummy. One of the four people was not a native Spanish speaker and when he came over, he had spotted Chris's “Help for Heroes “ band. He was Dave ,ex military retired on sick grounds, who was travelling round South America with his Colombian wife Monica. They were travelling in a tuk tuk ! We think we are adventurous, they also have a boat in Inverness ready to take off sailing once this trip is over They have an Instagram page, interesting reading. As we were visitors Maria brought us some home made “pudin" to try, not sure it went with beer but it was yummy. As this isn't touristy our three beers were the same price as one in Colonia.

Yesterday was our last day before we start a pretty long trek back to our start point Santiago. We spent a relaxing day just chilling, enjoyed a walk around town, popped to the bakers and had a bit of lunch. The garden is so peaceful and restful. We sometimes enjoy these hanging out days more than legging it round museums etc.

Today we drive back to Colonia to drop off the car – we had to take a slightly longer route as a strategic bridge into Dolores was closed because it had dropped about a foot. We got the bus back to Montevideo and are staying overnight back opposite the bus station. Tomorrow, we fly to Santiago via Buenos Aires and overnight near the airport. Thursday we leave Santiago at 12.20pm and arrive in Madrid at 6am Friday morning. Then its ether train or bus to Murcia, bus to Mula and lift back home to Casas Nuevas.

Highlights and reflections

Let's start with the elephant in the room, we came to see blue whales and sadly it wasn't to be. Chris did see minke and humpbacks on his Antarctic cruise. He absolutely loved the whole wildlife experience, the stunning scenery and the experts on the ship. He didn't come back a cruise convert and has enjoyed these last few days in a fairly grubby town but a relaxed vibe, great river views and super friendly people.

My overriding memories of Uruguay will be very friendly people wandering around with a flask in one hand and a mate cup and bombilla in the other. If you want to read more about mate. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_(drink)We have only seen a tiny part of the south west and nothing of Montevideo where nearly half the population live. I'm not sure it's worth a longer visit, especially as it is one of the more expensive South American countries.

Argentina was hard work in the heat and with hindsight I should have spent less time in Buenos Aires. A Polish lady I met said “ why come to Buenos Aires to see European style buildings when there are so many better examples in Europe “ She did have a point!

Chile seems like a lifetime ago but Chiloe Island was fascinating and Raul Marin a hidden gem. Vanessa and her mum Nancy are two of the most genuine and nicest people we have met on our travels.

So that's it, second and possibly final visit to South America. Where next ? Who knows but maybe more nature and less cities.





Norma x

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