RECOMMENDED DAY TRIP: COLONIA, URUGUAY
In order to renew my tourist visa, a little before Christmas I took a day trip to Colonia, Uruguay. It was hot as hell, and the beaches were pretty much deserted, being before the high season. Still, I had a good time wandering around and exploring the city that I can, in good conscience and with no irony, describe and recommend as quaint and inviting. The photos below depict my meanderings through the city and what caught my eye.
Restaurants next to the Rio de la plata were more expensive than you might pay for a similar restaurant in Buenos Aires, but quite a bit more picturesque as well. Eat near the water. The locale and ambiance are why you’re there after all. At a lovely restaurant with big open-air asado, lots of flowering plants and a strange little scraggly Christmas tree, I had the cheapest thing on the menu, a typical Uruguayan sandwich called un chivito. Chivitos usually contain thinly sliced grilled beef, bacon, mayonnaise, green olives, mozzarella and tomatoes, served in a thick bun with a side of French fries. I had the deluxe version with a fried egg. Yup, a huge bomb of cholesterol, but tasty and filling.
About midday, after getting baked by the sun while I explored, I took a nap on the beach underneath a tree. Yeah, it was that hot. Later I waded through the surf, ate a snack and took a coffee in the center of town before getting back on the huge Buquebus that took me back to Buenos Aires. The 3-hour boat ride, for me, was almost as much fun as Colonia itself. But then, I love boats.
Spontaneous dancing erupted on the upper decks on the trip home and most of the folks up there got drunk. Including me. The whole trip felt like a present I’d given to myself. Like kids, we all gathered at the rails and watched the skyline slowly approach.
During high season, ferries leave hourly from Puerto Madero starting at 8 am. Tourist class, which is really all you need, costs around $95 pesos one-way. Fast boats only take 1 hour but cost about $50 pesos more. In winter, there are far fewer boats and much less reason to visit Colonia, to be honest.
Ask reception at Art Factory Hostel to book your ticket online for you.
For another lovely and completely different photoset (no shirtless young men), click here for Sallycatway’s.
