Feb. 18 – Uruguay
Friday, March 3rd, 2006Day 201 – Border crossing number two in South America – and it was first time we actually had our van searched. The officials for both countries are in the same building, on the Argentinean side, and it was very simple. We got our stamps and then filled out our permit paper for the van and they stamped it. After that we drove the van up to the inspections area, where they briefly searched our cupboards for any fresh food. Next was fumigation, the full-on drive through kind – the car drives slowly through a gate and the spray comes out on all four sides, dousing the vehicle. As we drove out of the crossing area we had to stop for one more fumigation – we had to get out and wipe our shoes on a floor mat that had been soaked in fumigation stuff, and then roll Henry through a good sized puddle to get the wheels thoroughly clean, again. They are very concerned about Mad Cow disease and Foot & Mouth, because they have never had either of them in the country, and beef is 1/3 of their economy. So we politely wiped our shoes as we entered Uruguay. 😉
the bridge to Uruguay!!
Now, we has seen a lot of countryside and have been on many scenic drives, but this one takes the cake. We both fell in love with the Uruguayan farm land. The vast, rolling hills are covered with never ending green fields that are gently dotted with trees. The sky was a true ‘sky blue’ – so pure and brilliant, stretching beyond reach. Although we were both tired from our fast paced driving, the last four and a half hours was extremely tranquil and relaxing – we couldn’t complain. All we could do was talk about how stunning it was and how we could go about buying a piece of this land to set up a small farm house and maybe invite artists to come and use our studios……always thinking and dreaming.
The magnificent countryside of Uruguay
In the late afternoon we drove into Carmelo, a quaint town with small streets and little buildings. The historic architecture here is pristine, with iron lattice work and detailed craftsmanship. Only needing to turn once, we drove into town and found Orlando’s mother’s house with ease. We spent the afternoon relaxing under avocado trees and a jasmine vine trellis, chatting and slowly meeting Orlando’s family members. In the evening we went down to the beach on the Uruguay River to cool off. On our way back into town we heard some drums playing and headed off to watch the music performance.
a tired but relaxed afternoon with Lyndell, Dito, and Orlando.
Uruguay is filled with old old cars that are amazing to look at, and what is more amazing – they run
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