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Uruguay - Montevideo, Punta Del Este & La Paloma |
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Casapagina |
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Our trip from Buenos Aires then took us to Uruguay, we started in Colonia, a small surprisingly colonial village near the capital of Montevideo that has a beautifully preserved barrio viejo (old town), it was really cool to see one of the oldest cities on either american continent but as it was 7 or 8am (depending on whether we were on Argentinian or Uruguayan time) when we walked around it we didn�t take any pictures. Instead we carried on to Montevideo which we found to be almost completely deserted as it was a Sunday. We did, however wander around the old town there and found some pretty cool sites listed in the guidebook, our only resource at this point. After crashing out early that night we headed to Punta Del Este the next day.
�Punta� as it is called, is touted as the Miami Beach of South America. It had beautiful stretches of Beaches but it tends to cater to affluent Portenos from B.A. so we were a little out of our element but had some fun none the less. In La Paloma we camped, body surfed and drank some Mate...here are the pics. |
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This is General Artigas of Uruguay, he helped free Uruguay from the strangehold of Spain...and apparently ensured air conditioners for all! |
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Our guidebook tour took us past beautiful buildings where past heros of Uruguay lived (left) and some other places whose significance we couldn�t quite figure out (right).
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Some of the only people not in their homes or at the beach on this sunday...The lady on the right is a latter day Uruguayan - Eva Peron. |
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This was once the tallest building in all of South America, built in 1856 it stands 26 stories high (not including the 10 story antenna on the roof). |
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Punta Del Este is famous for its beaches, it�s nightlife and this hand which protrudes from the main playa grande. |
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This is the view looking south from Bikini beach towards Punta Del Este (21kms away). |
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After Punta, it was on to La Paloma, as you can see it was a difficult adjustment for me. |
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In La Paloma we camped and met some �mui sympatico� Uruguayans...They even invited us to try their Mate.
South American Fact:
For those that don�t know Mate is like a thick tea that is taken through a straw. It is shared with friends while talking and is probably the most popular thing in Argentina and Uruguay. It�s so popular in Uruguay that people carry their thermoses and little Mate cups everywhere...Even on the back of motorcycles you�ll see the ubiquitous implements of Mate. |
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That looks like a good brew! |
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I like Mate,
Mate, Mate, Mate,
Down my throat,
In my belly!
I like Mate! |
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Darryl, showing his Mate styles. |
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Let�s See Argentina 3 Again! |
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Back to the Casapagina |
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