Beautiful Colonia

After a packed but uneventful flight, an easy, though costly breeze through immigration (I think other countries are retaliating against US policies) and customs, I navigated my way over to the ferry terminal. Pure joy! Alisa was there waiting for me after her long, overland journey from northern Patagonia.

We take the short ferry trip over to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. What a cute town, confident enough preserve its character in the shadows of the excessive, mega Buenos Aires. But, it's still slightly disconcertingly touristy and yet not. We haven't seen any opulent cathedrals. Were the Uruguayans able to stem that tide centuries ago as they seem to have in more modern times?

What are the things that make Uruguay unique? Their mate (herbal tea) tradition is seemingly much more entrenched than, say even Argentina. We see people walking around clutching their mate (gourds) and Thermos containers of hot water. Still, they don't impose that culture on visitors. There are no mate cafes screaming out to lure in others.

The weather is a perfect antidote for both of us. The warmth of early Spring embraces Alisa who left the snowy climes of Bariloche. The mild, crisp sunny days are are a wonderful transition after a long, hot, humid NY summer.

We stayed at La Perla del Plata (Silver River Pearl).

We're taking off up the coast but will circle back to lovely Colonia.


More to come...