Uruguay

Uruguay: Colonia, Montevideo

05.05 

T: Buenos Aires Colonia  Ferry Colonia 498 ARS 12:30 13:45

S: Colonia

T: Bus Turil Colonia Montevideo  364 UYU

H: Destino 26 Hostel  780 UYU

06.05 

S: Montevideo

H:  Destino 26 Hostel

07.05 

T: MVD Aeropuerto 187 UYU

T: 11:05 MVD RIO 13:45

T: RIO CDG 15:40 07:50 (+1)

08.05 

T: CDG MAD 09:05 11:10

T: MAD SOF 20:05 00:30 (+1)

100 UYU = 3.12 EUR

Colonia

Maybe you have felt it but I was already feeling like "I wanna go home", and also I've been hacking at these entries for two weeks now, using all the spare time I got. Near the end of my trip also the schedule relaxed a bit as I had planned a couple of spare days in Puerto Iguazu and Buenos Aires, just in case. But there I was on the Colonia ferry, seabound for the last country of my trip - Uruguay.  I cannot recommend enough that  you do not go straight to Montevideo, but do a stopover in Colonia. It was the most romantic place on my trip, having both the century old Spanish "colonial" buildings and the sea, well, the Rio de la Plata estuary looks like a sea.

House in Colonia

Colonia lighthouse and church

Once more I told myself: if I could only stay here for a couple of... weeks. But I had to board the bus to Montevideo.

Montevideo

Initially I had booked the Parque hostel but for some unknown reason they canceled and instead Booking.com offered me the Destino 26 hostel and offered to pay the difference. They did, once I was back home.
Quite a number of people had been staying at the Destino 26 for a long time, and knew each other, but I was integrated in the nick of time, first time I spoke French on this journey. In my "stream of consciousness" Destino 26 sounds like a 26 year old femme fatale about to change your destiny.

Next day I first strolled along the Rambla Costanera, the avenue flanking the Montevideo beach, attended some local fair and finally went to the Ciudad Vieja. In the afternoon I took a free city tour.
Uruguay was for a long time a disputed territory between Argentina and Brazil until General Artigas got the idea to set it up as an independent state. Our saying goes "Two men quarrel, third one wins." There is a kind of mausoleum under the monument with guards. At the square there is also the Palacio Salvo by Mario Palanti, twin building to the Palacio Barolo in Buenos Aires.

General Artigas and Palacio Salvo

Something I dearly missed was the Rolling Stones memorial plate in the Montevideo walk of fame, but I was told some fans "collected" it without leaving a trace, at least there it was. They had a concert in Montevideo instead of Buenos Aires once.

Former place of Rolling Stones Memorial Plate

Now, before I board my plane, a couple of photos from the Destino 26 hostel. Lounge, kitchen, garden and finally Shaneila from the reception and me in a hostel carnival sombrero. You don't lack anything. Above all, you always have company at a hostel as it is full of likely minded "locos".

Remember what the name of Ometepe hostel was? Yes, "Life is good". Just dare it.

The End