Uruguay on a Saturday

At the end of October my friends Brian, Kayla, Andrew and I went on a day trip to URUGUAY! Colonia is a small town just across Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires and is easily accessible via ferry. So, one Saturday morning my friends and I made our way to the docks of Buquebus (buque = ferry) – a tourist company that runs frequent ferries across the huge river to Argentina’s neighbor to the north.

The small town of Colonia, Uruguay. Both sides of this cove are in city limits.

We made the crossing in less than two hours and were on Uruguayan soil by noon! Oddly enough, the time zone in Uruguay is an hour different from Buenos Aires though hardly more than a few dozen kilometers apart. After disembarking we did a bit of strolling and discovered to our joy a quiet beach where we started throwing Brian’s Frisbee. After a few misadventures Brian was soaked up to the waist. Kayla tossed one into the river deeper than any of the others and without anything but a shout, Brian dashed and dove into the cold water to retrieve his disc! Soaked head to toe.

Brian started to dry as we wandered Colonia – we mused about the comparison we’d all heard about Uruguay: it’s Argentina’s “Canada.” You might laugh, but it’s an apt description. There are more trees in Colonia, traffic is infinitely more tranquil than in BA, the people are more welcoming and very chatty. As you may have read in earlier posts – folks like their maté in this part of the world. This warm drink is enjoyed with company – outside or in – and on this warm, sunny day the Uruguayans were drinking it ALL day. Before lunch we climbed a lighthouse (faro) from which point we could see Buenos Aires across the river, Brian started to complain from being cold (since he was still drying off) and so we climbed all the way back down and found a place to eat lunch together.

Atop the lighthouse with Rio de la Plata in the background.

The highlight of this extremely RELAXING day away from the city was renting a golf cart for a few hours to drive to a park on the beach. It was a four-seater that fit all of us nicely. As we found a place on the sandy beach Brian broke out the maté as we lazed in the sun. There was no where to be, no bus or subway train to catch, no work or honking horns – just friends on the beach. A bit later, we were engulfed by a crowd of young Uruguayan kids picnicking in the park celebrating a family birthday. When they heard us speaking English they approached us and very politely asked us where we were from. We spoke to them in Spanish answering their questions about what we thought of Uruguay and Buenos Aires. The asked us to say a few things in English so they could guess what we were saying and practice. Finally, we played a bit of fútbol with them in the sand before they had to leave and we needed to return our green golf cart.

Kayla insisted on driving us back in our rented golfcart after chilling on the beach.

This is the first time I’ve ever made a jaunt to another country for just a day – funny to think! I’d go back to Uruguay in a heartbeat.