Uruguay: Colonia, Montevideo, Punta del Este, Punta del Diablo (Week 31-32)

Uruguay is a tiny country compared to all the other South American countries I have visited. So, because of this and because of how expensive it was, I only stayed for 12 days.

Colonia

I crossed the border from Argentina to Uruguay by boat and arrived in the small city of Colonia del Sacramento. People and the internet recommended I go there because of its cute colonial architecture that has been preserved, particularly in the old town section. I stayed for two nights. It was cute and the few glimpses of sunset I was able to see and catch on camera were really beautiful. The sky was filled with bright colors. In fact, I found later on that Uruguay has really beautiful sunsets in general. I didn’t stay long in Colonia, especially after being slapped in the face with how expensive things are. As soon as I entered Uruguay, I remember feeling that I needed to get out ASAP or I will go broke.

Montevideo

I took a short bus ride from Colonia to Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital city, and stayed here for five days. One thing I noticed right away after entering Uruguay is how calm and relaxed everyday life seems. I felt this in both small towns and the big city of Montevideo. I felt very safe while being out in the streets during the day and evening. I used a lot of my time in Montevideo to begin job searching and reaching out to people that can help me with transitioning back home smoother. Here is where I applied for my Brazilian visa and after three attempts finally got it. I went on two free walking tours of the city, each focusing on different neighborhoods, and learned tons of history on the early development of the city, European immigration, the small indigenous community of the region, politics, and the immense importance of the yerba mate drink in everyday life. The relationship Uruguayan’s have to their mate is a relationship to a drink I have never seen anywhere else in the world. Mate is life to them. Even more than how I have seen people obsessed with coffee. No matter where I was in Uruguay, I constantly saw men and women carrying their thermos bottle under one arm and their mate drink in their hand. Mate is not just a drink but is used as a way to socialize with others. Whether the weather was cold or hot, people had their warm mate drink with them in parks, beaches, city squares, and outdoor markets. From what I was told, usually one person would bring it to share with a friend or significant other while enjoying each other’s company.

I spent a big chunk of one of my day’s in Montevideo on the public bus exploring a few neighborhoods. During my exploration, I walked into a vegan ice cream shop without even realizing it and had one of the most delicious frappuccino’s ever and topped with ice cream. I couldn’t believe it was vegan! I walked along the city’s Rambla which is a long stretch of ocean boardwalk connecting all neighborhoods in the city. I enjoyed seeing how public spaces are used for biking, rollerblading, running, sitting in benches and socializing with friends and family. I saw quite a few people taking advantage of the rocks found on the water to sit, drink mate and watch the sunset (shown in picture below).

Punta del Este

Punta del Este is a vacation destination for many Argentinians and Uruguayans. This small city is also along the coast and was particularly more expensive than other places in Uruguay. So not just the expensive I had mentioned earlier, but now touristy expensive. I had the best acai bowl here (and in all honesty the first one as well). So good, I was willing to pay the high price to get it three times during my time in Punta del Este. I met up with Paola from Sao Paolo, but who I had met in Montevideo a few days before. We went to the beach and I got to enjoy the very hot sun that day. After extending my stay for one more day, I decided to join Paola in visiting Casapueblo, a former summer house of late artist Carlos Paez Villaro now turned into an art museum and hotel. Casapueblo also attracts people because of the beautiful sunset that can be seen from the whitewashed cement building. We took a bus there and after missing our stop, had to walk back 3km to Casapueblo. Luckily, we still made it in time to see the sunset. The sunset was accompanied by an audio recording of Villaro’s poem where he very beautifully says goodbye to the sun. This was one of my favorite sunset experiences ever because of the accompanied poem and literally being able to see the sun pass the horizon so clearly (vid below if you watch it ’til the end).

Punta del Diablo

Punta del Diablo was my final stop in Uruguay. I wanted to come here to visit the Santa Teresa National Park and potentially go to an area where sea turtles are visible. I only had plans to stay here one full day and on that day there was really bad weather. I wasn’t able to do much besides stay in my hostel and meet up with bestie for a few hours when the weather wasn’t so bad. We started chatting about how our travels have challenged the way we take care of ourselves and things. We have holes in our shoes, stains in our clothes that at times don’t come off even after we wash them. Sarah has lost weight while I have gained weight. I know this because my clothes are fitting tighter. That day in specific, Sarah was wearing clothes that were just too big on her which made her look so disheveled, so we couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. Besides the laughter we shared during this moment, my stay in Punta del Diablo wasn’t anything too significant. The next day we both took off and entered Brazil together, our last stop.

In less than three weeks I will be back in California. As much as the past eight months have provided experiences that have changed me in so many ways and opened up my mind and heart to things I didn’t know before, I am ready to go back home. Really, I have been ready for some time now. I’ve reached a point in my travels where my mind and body are shutting down due to exhaustion, something I didn’t know can occur. Even in traveling, I have been learning that every traveler’s needs are so unique. I have been finding it more incredible how there could be people who can backpack for more than what I will be completing, even multiple years. I’ve learned that’s definitely not me and that’s okay. I am excited to see my family. I am excited to see friends. I am excited to have a more restful sleep. I am excited to cook my own meals. I am excited to more confidently live my life as authentic and true to myself as I can. Especially after learning so much about my strengths, weaknesses, interests, and reevaluating my priorities and values. In so many ways, traveling has allowed me to learn more about myself, and I intend to put into practice all the new knowledge I’ve gained in my everyday routine back home.

The past few weeks I’ve been finding a lot of inspiration with creative writing, specifically with writing poetry. I’ve noticed that during long bus rides when I am in my head certain thoughts and feelings pop in that I feel the need to write down. My writings have included topics on family, healthy representations of love, and visibility. Writing has provided a space for me to feel both empowered and relieved, particularly from the mental release it brings. I have no doubt that this is also showing through my care to write for this very blog right now.

Lately, my mind has been spinning a mile a minute. Moreso than it has in all my time traveling, and I am not quite sure why that is. But I presume it can be because I know I’ll be heading home very soon which brings up the stress of transitioning out of traveling and back to a more consistent daily routine. I personally don’t feel it being a stress, however my mind and body could potentially be feeling otherwise. Pikachu told me it won’t be easy coming back home. Vincent also told me something similar after he went back to France. He mentioned that it felt like he changed but everything else stayed the same. Whatever the case may be, I am trying to prepare myself as best as possible to ease into the transition of finding my place back home and a space where I feel I belong. But as much as I try to prepare, I know I’ll still have challenges to work through.

Less than 3 weeks to go until I end my travels and go back home. The countdown has begun.