Exploring Uruguay
Uruguay is now country #6 on our travels and we spent our first night in the historical district of Colonia Del Sacramento. We had our accommodation already booked at Hostel Viajero ($40 for a private room, with bath and satellite tv) and had no problem following the signs as we carried our backpacks from the ferry terminal. We were pleasantly surprised with the 31 degree C heat and sunny skies after visiting the patagonia area with its cooler temperatures and high winds.
Uruguay is the size of North Dakota and has a population of @ 3.5 million, and 80% are descendents of European immigrants. Approximately 90% of its citizens reside in urban areas, which are located mostly along the Rio Uruguay or the Atlantic Coast. For those of you who remember the 1993 film, Alive, about a team of young rugby players who in 1972, survived an air crash and over two months of subzero temperatures in the Andes mountains, they were from Uruguay.
Since Fred and I had read an article in the Globe and Mail Travel section a couple of years ago about the beaches in Uruguay, specifically Punta Del Diablo, we set off the next morning in seek of sun, sand, and surf.
Our first 2.5 hour bus ride took us to the capital city, Montevideo (population @ 1.3 million), where we purchased another ticket for a 4.5 hour bus ride to Punta Del Diablo (in English, “Devil’s Point). Most tourists head to the much closer, Punta Del Este, but after seeing postcards of the city on the beach with skyscrapers, luxury hotels and restaurants, etc., we opted for the fishing village with a population of 700.
On arrival, we followed several hand-crafted, wooden signs to Hostel del Diablo Tranquilo. Since it was now 6 p.m., and quite a hike along the sandy roads, we were relieved when manager “Heidi from Minnesota” had a private “suite” room with bath and fireplace (for $60). It had a spectacular view and balcony overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. This is THE hostel to stay at in Punta del Diablo and it seems like they control the market. Even though it was not high season (Dec – March), all 53 beds were occupied. Their services included wi-fi, 4 computers with internet for the guests to use free of charge, free breakfast, book exchange, games, surf boards, communal fireplace and hammocks. The young owner, Brian, from the U.S., invested half a million into the hostel, as well as a 3-story restaurant with an extensive deck right on the beach. Even the restaurant was full after 9 p.m at night. The selection of wines were limited to those bearing a label from Uruguay but we did enjoy a bottle of 60% Merlot and 40% Tannat.
Our finest meals, however, were enjoyed at Ernesto’s (El Viejo y la Mer), or, The Old Man and the Sea. A very quaint, authentic restaurant serving excellent seafood, chicken, and steak, with a very limited, but good, selection of wines. We settled on a bottle of Merlot from Argentina ($15 because it is “imported”). Even this restaurant was filled to capacity after 9 p.m. (all 6 or 7 tables).
We spent 5 days/4 nights in Diablo. Unfortunately, the hostel was booked the last night so we had to repack and find another accommodation. Luckily, we found another guest house, right on the beach, for $60 including breakfast (La Posada). Our second story view was spectacular, however, the fierce Atlantic winds would not allow us to fully enjoy the balcony. We did meet an American guy, from Alaska, who rented a cabin for just over $10/night, complete with bathroom and kitchen. There are Se Aquila signs (For Rent) on most places in Diablo, but unless you go around knocking on doors and are able to speak Spanish, they are not so easy to rent.
Our stay in Diablo was cut short by the weather. Although it was sunny each day, the wind got progressively worse, to the point that after 5 p.m., I was wearing my winter coat. Apparently, this is what the Atlantic coast is like in the springtime for the most part (similar to the weather we had in Puerto Madryn/Peninsula Valdes). We had a couple of two hour walks along the beach in each direction, as well as a terrific 4 hour horseback ride to Santa Teresa National Park (controlled by the army). Although our guide spoke very limited English, he took us through some spectacular sceneryi ncluding sand dunes, eucalyptus forests, botanical gardens and a colonial-built greenhouse with flora growing from around the world, as well as a lagoon area teeming with bird life.
On the way back from the park, we trotted along the beach and stopped to see one of the several washed up penguins. Apparently, they get caught in a bad current, we were told, and that’s what kills them. In September and October you are able to see whales along this beach, but they have moved south towards Patagonia.
Our 4 hour ride ($35 each) was definitely our highlight at Punta del Diablo. The horses are the local “Criollo” breed which he explained first came from Spain (a mixture of Andalusian and Arab). Mine was a 12 year old grey/white pinto with a fresh vampire bite on his hip from the night before, and Fred’s was an 8 year old buckskin. When I asked the guide what the horses’ names were, he said they didn’t have any (reminding me of Neil Young’s song, “A Horse With No Name”).
“On the first part of the journey
I was looking at all the life
There were plants and birds and rocks and things
There was sand and hills and rings
The first thing I met was a fly with a buzz
And the sky with no clouds
The heat was hot and the ground was dry
But the air was full of sound
I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name
It felt good to be out of the rain
In the desert you can remember your name
‘Cause there ain’t no one for to give you no pain
La, la … “
Even though it is springtime, they had not had any rain in 10 days.
Had we been fortunate to have hot weather and calm seas (like it is supposedly December – March), we would have then visited the very remote village of “Cabo Polonia” – a half hour or so west of Punta Del Diablo. In season, there are sea lions on shore and the village has no electricity – just candles and generators between specific hours. Similar to Diablo, there is a hostel (although not of the same calibre), cabins to rent, and a sprinkling of local restaurants. However, Fred and I wanted to return to the warmth and decided to return for a night in Colonia, then rent a car and venture off in search of tourist ranches called Estancias.
We spent another day travelling by bus the 7 hours back to Colonia and finally arrived at 7 p.m. Since we had only decided the day before to head back to Colonia, we did not have any accommodation pre-booked. Arriving on a Saturday in this tourist town met with challenges. I stayed with the luggage at an outdoor cafe (enjoying a 1L bottle of Pilsen), while Fred walked all around the historical district with map in hand. About ¾ of an hour later, and asking 30 – 40 hostels, hotels, and inns, Fred was only able to come up with Hotel Royal, just down the street, at a whopping $90 (we had to pay the triple rate, even though there was just two of us, because the room had 3 beds). Given it was the last available room in the town, we took it for the night. This “3 Star” Hotel was the worst accommodation we had to date. The room smell of cigarette smoke and looked like it hadn’t been remodelled in 30 years.
Deciding to spend another night in Colonia, we immediately went out and booked a nicer accommodation at El Viajero Suites ($65 with bath and tv). A big step up from the Royal, with wi-fi. We booked an economy car from Thrifty first thing in the morning, and since we had booked it for 5 days, they gave us a 6th free (worked out to be $37/day). It was a brand new compact car with only 200 km on it. We drove to the beach area (on the River de la Plata) and we were surprised how far out you could walk and still only be knee deep in the brown coloured (but apparently clean) water. We enjoyed a Heinekein at a riverside bar and headed back at sunset to go for dinner.
In Fred’s and my opinion, Colonia Del Sacramento is the nicest city/small city (@ 21, 714) we have been in so far (in South America) – and rightfully so, a protected by UNESCO . Moreso than Buenos Aires, Cusco, Mendoza, and Copacabana (Bolivia). We love its wide, mature tree-lined, cobblestone streets, parks and gardens, and slow pace of life. There are very few vehicles driving around the historical district but do include tourists driving around in rented golf carts, dune buggies, and motor scooters. They obviously do not have helmet laws, nor age limit requirements on motor scooters (we saw a boy about 12 driving down the road on a motor scooter). Plus, it is common to rent bicycles since the area is relatively flat and the roads are very good, with a long, wide boardwalk along the river. It feels a lot more European (well, it was founded originally by the Spanish and Portuguese) and you feel safe walking along the streets at night. There are lots and lots of quality restaurants, reasonably priced (@ $30-40 with a bottle of wine), with outdoor seating by candlelight, at night.
*** news report from BBC *** a young person in Latin American is 30 more times likely to be murdered than in Europe. (Fred is watching BBC while I am writing this blog). According to our Rough Guide, along with our own experiences, Uruguayans are among Latin America’s friendliest peoples.
Monday morning we headed off early (well, 8:45) to go riding ($20 each for 2 hours). We had a very good ride on, once again, horses with no names (just named by their colour). Our guide didn’t speak any English, so we just took in all the sights. Half of our ride was spent riding through the wealthy residential area (always an advantage being on horseback to look over their flowering shrub fences and into their gardens) and the other half was spent riding on the beach alongside the river. It was really neat riding beside the racetrack and watching the jockeys training their horses (quality looking quarter horses! a.k.a. “quarta de milla”).
After our ride, it was back to the room to shower, pack up, and move on. Destination(s) unknown. Stay tuned!
Lisa n Fred
Tags: Colonia Del Sacramento, horseback riding in Uruguay, Punta Del Diablo, Travel, Uruguay
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