Colonia del Sacramento Uruguay Another day, another country.

Jen was keen to get the day ferry across the river delta to Colonia, which is a southern coastal province of Uruguay. The first ferry leaves at 9am so we were up and out the door by 7.45am. We were lucky and got a (normal) taxi straight away that took us round the back of the port thus avoiding most of the traffic. I realise now that the driver knew we didn’t have a huge amount of time to spare and he got us there via the quickest and most direct route. That was also past some significant slums comprising a lot of partly finished buildings. If it wasn’t for the lights on you’d assume the area was derelict. 

The main concourse of the terminal was nearly empty so we got our tickets, checked in and passes through customs pretty quickly. Jen had a slight hiccup when she tried to present my passport but fortunately the officer just laughed. Again we had trouble getting the machine to read my fingerprint but eventually got through. We spied lots of nice seats and tables upstairs close to the windows but it turns out that’s business class. Story of our trip so far! We found some very acceptable seats right in the middle downstairs and Jen ordered cafe con leche for 2 and a chicken sandwich, which we shared.

I used the hour long trip to write the blog and Jen slept. She’d still be asleep if I hadn’t shaken her at the other side. It was a very quiet and smooth journey.

We got some Uruguayan money then organised to rent a golf cart for the day. That was when I first noticed the dogs. These large dogs are everywhere. At the terminal there were 4 on the mats at the front door. You literally had to walk around them. One was determined to go inside into the warm. The security guards tried to entice him out with some dog biscuits it he wasn’t interested and in the end the just left him asleep on the floor in the waiting area.

It was US $60 for the day and seats 4. Jen took control and after the man sorted out an issue with the choke, we bunny hopped off out of the car park. She soon got the hang of it. We figured out the word for stop and just gave way to everyone at any intersection so got along fine. Unfortunately cloud soon gave way to rain then thunder and lightning so it was a bit miserable until after midday and then very cold.

We made our way to the old town and checked out all the sights identified on the maps. Colonia del Sacramento is Uruguay’s oldest city and has parts of the original city wall and streets still visible and inhabited. It is the provincial capital of Colonia. The old cobbled streets are pretty rough so we had to hang on tight. It is very very quaint and with the sea/river delta and islands off shore would be pretty on a good day. The walls are covered in bougainvillea of different colours and there are loads of flowering trees. Not so great in the rain though. 
We found a wine shop tucked into the side of the city wall and it had a fire burning. We did a small wine tasting and bought 2 bottles of their reserve tanat which is the local grape grown here. So far we have managed not to break either bottle.

We stopped and had lunch at a restaurant, as much to get out of the rain as anything. The lady put on the heat pump. I had salmon in a tomato and caper sauce that came with fries and Jen had salmon and potatoes in a cream sauce. Hers was a bit rich and mine was nice but not fabulous.

The rain had stopped after lunch so we sought out the markets. They were mostly closed and all sold the same crap of dubious quality and purpose. We then drove along the waterfront to the newer area and checked out the Sheraton, which looks nice, though a bit isolated, and has a nice golf course.

The next recommended sight is the bull ring which was on the way back. It looks a bit like the colosseum but with keyhole shapes all around instead of arches. It is the centre of a large roundabout so we decided to circumnavigate after taking the photo. That is when one of the neighbourhood’s large black dogs decided to chase us barking its head off. It appeared to have an owner – well a kid seemed to be calling it – but it did a pretty good impression of trying to get in the golf cart, which is open on both sides. Jen started going in circles and then headed the wrong way back around the roundabout, but finally just put her foot down and ignored whether we would run over the dog – or whether it would jump in with us! We were decidedly more cautious after that.

We checked out the shops and dock area then headed for a coffee. On our way we passed the bank, which had an armoured vehicle backed up to the front door and 2 armed police out the front. Jen managed to get a photo before the guard growled at her. They seemed to be moving the entire safe into the truck. 

At the cafe we decided to try mate which is this green tea stuff that everyone drinks. It’s a powder that is heaped into a gourd or tankard over this metal straw thing that has a sieve at the bottom. They give you a thermos of hot water which you add to one side over the straw and then you gradually drink the steeped liquid. It’s quite nice but a bit of an acquired taste. You see people all over the place in Colonia and in Buenos Aires with their little cup things and thermos. 

Then it was time to get back to the terminal and return the cart. The check in and immigration process is easy. You go to one desk and get stamped for leaving Uruguay and then another desk for a stamp for entering Argentina. Same happened at the other end when we departed. That means you can just get off with no hassle. I had one nervous moment when I had to put the backpack through the scanner together with the wine but they just laughed when I checked if it would be ok. Another smooth and uneventful trip back arriving on time at 8.45pm.

We again were able to get a taxi without any trouble, although we were accosted by an unofficial driver who wanted to offer us a ride at over twice the normal cost!

We got ourselves back to the hotel an opted to have something to eat at the place opposite the hotel. Jen hadn’t eaten much all day as her lunch was too rich so in we went. The doorman wanted to know if we were there for the show. Show?  What show?  Oh the show upstairs. No we didn’t want that. By this stage I wondered where we had come to but it turns out the show was a live sort of folk group, which was really very good and which was playing upstairs in a mezzanine area.

I ordered the Caesar salad with lanustinos (or whatever), announcing they were sardines. They weren’t, they are prawns, and very nice too. Jen ordered the quesadilla which she said was also very good. The language barrier came to the fore when I tried to order a glass of wine. That’s fine I can have it in a cup, he said. Well I should have realised that wine comes in bottles here. Normal bottles or half bottles, so my wine came in a very, very big glass, which Jen shared!