#Uruguay A trip to Colonia

Got there. A journey from Santiago Chile on the Pacific side of South America to Buenos Aires on the South Atlantic. More about Buenos Aires in the next blog.

From Buenos Aires you can cross the River Plate estuary or Rio del la Plata to Uruguay in just a few hours on a ferry -(Busquebus).

For practical reasons I ruled out an extended visit to Uruguay and also the longer round trip to its capital Montivedo. Instead I arranged a day trip to the picturesque coastal town of Colonia.

It was Saturday. This was going to be a gentle leisure day for me.
The ferry was a big one. Bigger than the IOW ferry. The crossing 3 hours. The sun was out - little breeze. Sat on the top deck the whole way. The River Plate at this point is extremely wide. Quite a bit of commercial traffic. The river is brown - alluvial mud I guess.

Most of the others on the boat are day trippers too I think. I people watch.

The world has gone "selfie" mad. It has been a constant feature of my time away. What can be hilarious is the preparation for the pose. I don't mean a funny one - but adjusting the smile - opening the eyes wider - turning the head a little. Deadly serious. Perfect. Instantly on Facebook.

Another ritual is Matte. Just about every couple or small group seemed to be at it. You need the equipment. A special cup or bowl, a silver sucking straw and a flask of hot water. The cup is infused with Matte a bitter herbal green tea. Hot water is poured on by the dispenser for the day. The pot and straw is sucked on by the first beneficiary and then handed back for topping up and passing to the next one in the group. The process goes round and round in circles. They share the same straw and bowl. It is everywhere in BA and across Argentina and Uruguay apparently. Shops are crammed full of the bowls, straws and flasks? They can be very lovely and of course expensive. Curious.

One pain is currency. I am not a mega fan of some aspects of the EU but the euro does make going from one country to another very easy. They do not have the equivalent in South America. I have to get some Uruguayan Pesos. What do I need. Lunch. A beer maybe. Difficult not having enough. Shockingly bad exchange rate in reverse. However not dealing with big enough sums to make any real difference but it is an intellectual challenge!

I am on a day trip. How many times do they need to look at my passport!?

Colonia is lovely. A bit like I imagine Cuba. Quiet, picturesque, colonial style. Shabby chic. Old cars by design I think. It is a relaxing place to wander around especially with a camera. How typical is it of the rest of Uruguay. Well it is only 22000 people so probably not very although Montivedio with its beaches sounds lovely too. (now I am curious to find out more about Uruguay). I do remember England beat them in the quarter finals of the 1966 world cup. Their tackling and foul play caused a scandal - ha!

Just a quick word about lunch. I had time to kill. I have some currency. One restaurant - parilla - steak house - is heaving with locals. I have to wait for a table. Watch the action. Flames cooking the steaks etc visible in the busy kitchen. Great platefuls go by. My turn. I order classic steak I think. The waiter seems helpful and relaxed. He doesn't prompt me or say anything. My lunch arrives. To my surprise just two massive bits of meat cooked medium rare as recommended. A small pot of relish too. No chips or salad. Just meat. For those that know how I eat - yes it took me ages! Anyway the meat was so tasty. In the end like many South Americans it is only about the meat. I was full and smiling.

A beer watching the sunset. It comes in very cold litre bottles.

A lovely day. Better get back to Argentina - ha!