Ted. I
called my father this week and he said, “I thought you were in Paraguay!” It is
a common mistake for folks from the US. The names are similar and both
countries are exotic and far away. Also, virtually nobody in the States knows anything
about either country. For Judy and me though, the decision to visit Uruguay was
an easy one. We knew we would be coming to Argentina as part of our first tour
of South America and Uruguay is right across the river from Buenos Aires. More
importantly however, was an invitation that we had received two years ago from
a young couple we had met on an island in the South China Sea. “You must come
to Uruguay one day!” they urged. So, here we are!
Meeting up with Lucia and
Rafa was so cool that it will rate a separate post.
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| Sneak preview - Rafa's parilla (grill) |
Well into our 10-day visit in
Uruguay, I will share some initial impressions. Comparisons with Argentina are
inevitable as the two countries, on the surface, are very similar. Both peoples
share a similar form of Spanish, a passion for yerba mate, fútbol, and
beef. With just 3.5 million people and 12 million cattle though, Uruguay reigns supreme
in the world with the most cattle per capita.
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| Mates for sale at street market |
The relative size of the
countries explains a lot. Argentina has
about 13 times more people. It puts me in mind of the United Kingdom and the
Republic of Ireland. Those two neighbors have much in common but nobody would
ever think they were the same.
Uruguay seems to bit a bit
more prosperous at the moment and credit seems a bit looser. Credit cards are
readily acceptable without showing ID, there are no lines at ATM’s and we
haven’t heard any black market moneychangers. The capital city of Montevideo,
like any large city has very nice neighborhoods and less nice areas. Surprisingly, we have seen electric fences
atop walls around some houses and businesses. The last time we saw that was in
South Africa!
I would say that Uruguay is a
bit more stable politically and economically than Argentina but it is not where
the citizens want it to be. Bright, educated young people are tempted to
emigrate, which is never a good sign. Generally, the people of Montevideo seem
to be busy living their lives and possibly happy that their country is avoiding
some of the economic struggles their neighbors in Argentina are currently
facing.
The best thing we’ve seen so
far in Montevideo is the Rambla, a wide 17-mile long bike trail/walking path
that follows the banks of the Rio de la Plata and runs right past our hotel.
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| Early morning on the Rambla |
The people of Buenos Aires turn their backs on the Plata but in Montevideo they
embrace it. Frankly, at 140 miles wide here, the river feels like a sea, so the Rambla is reminiscent of similar walks that we have enjoyed in Spain. And boy – the locals love their Rambla! We’ve seen hundreds of people during the day and
thousands at night walking, biking and skating before resting on a bench with
more mate.
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| Punta Carretas light house with Rio de la Plata in background |
In Montevideo, we’ve seen the
old town and a bit of our hotel’s neighborhood, Punta Carretas. We also took a
day trip to Colonia del Sacramento, the first settlement in Uruguay and a
UNESCO World Heritage site. As I write this, we are enjoying three days up the coast at the
famous Atlantic seaside resort of Punta del Este. Being summertime here, we are
right in the middle of the busy tourist season but Judy does love her beach time...
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| "Hand in the Sand" |
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| Early morning |
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| Afternoon |
There are tons of Uruguayans, Argentinians
and Brazilians here but just a scattering of Europeans and North Americans. We happened to cross paths with a very nice Canadian couple who are also exploring Uruguay.
Last night we had dinner with Rod and Patricia to compare notes. They have been
to South America before and love it so had lots of good tips. In describing their
home province of Manitoba, it made us think once more about the many places we
still need to visit. It is truly a beautiful world filled with wonderful people.
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| Rod & Tricia |
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