Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay 14-15 August
(Colonia Photos)

I chose to spend my last 24 hours in Uruguay in the stunningly picturesque town of Colonia del Sacramento. Originally founded by Portuguese settlers from Brazil in the late 17^th century, Colonia’s Barrio Histórico (old town) has been declared a world heritage site by UNESCO.

The weather was gloomy and chilly when I arrived at the bus terminal. A lady handed me a flyer for one of the two hostels, El Español (exactly as an Aussie at the Red Hostel had told me). This happened to be my intended accommodation. El Español was also friendly, but simple. The detached and semi-detached doubles and dorm rooms were scattered around a court yard. Some rooms had en suite bathrooms, but I opted for the more economical shared bathroom option. Since there were about four guests in the hostel, competition for the bathroom was not an issue. The hostel did have Internet and cable TV (who doesn’t?), towels, sheets and hot water (most importantly). However, I would not want to stay there if the weather got really cold as the place was drafty. But the number of blankets provided kept out the chill. Breakfast was optional, but one I took up. So the grand total for one night was about UY$170 (US$7 – these prices have spoiled me, I’ll never be able to return to the ‘First World’ now).

The gate to the Barrio Histórico was only two blocks down the tranquil, charming Calle Manuel Lobo from El Español. And as I made my way along the cobbled street, the sky cleared and the sun came out. The chilly breeze persisted, however.

The town has an interesting history, basically being the centre of a tug of war between Portuguese and Spanish keepers until Uruguayan independence in 1828. This had an obvious effect on the old town. I started at the ‘Faro’ (lighthouse), which you can climb – a good place to get your bearings from. Maybe I was seeing things, but I thought I could make out some of the Buenos Aires skyline.

The old town is very small, and in two hours I had meandered my way from one side to the other. The 17:30 ferry to Buenos Aires had taken the day trippers with it and so I almost had the place to myself. There are a couple of pricey (as in US$15) restaurants in the old town with interesting menus. But, I have become rather cheap and so I treated myself to a salad, pizza and beer (US$5) at the Mercosur, a few blocks away, in the newer part town.

I took an after dinner stroll, at about 22:00, first through the town centre and then into the old town. The now dimly lit, deserted streets of the Barrio Histórico, with their symbolic street lamps (an icon used to represent Colonia), have changed character. There was something eerie, a gentle but cold breeze and the faint sound of the river washing up against the shore. One of the more photographed streets in Colonia is the Calle de los Suspiros (Street of Sighs), whose name adds to the mystery of the place. As I walked along the river, the yellowish plume that could have only been a bustling Buenos Aires was clearly visible.

To get the full experience, you have to stay the night in Colonia. You miss half of the atmosphere by only taking a day option. There are several charming, cosy looking hotels in the Barrio Histórico. They were a little out of my budget, but, I think, very reasonable for travellers with US Dollars or UK Pounds.

The next day I got going at a respectable hour in hopes of avoiding the crowds that the late morning ferry arrival would bring. I rented a bike, from Thrifty of all places, and attempted to ride along the very rough, cobbled streets of the Barrio Histórico. The bike was not up to it (not impressed, Thrifty). Thrifty had quite a selection available for hire including golf carts, quad bikes and mopeds. The golf carts looked ridiculous buzzing around town and there was no chance they would have survived the streets of the old town. I was tempted by the quad bikes, but (1) I did not trust myself and (2) it was a beautiful day and I needed the exercise (awe, how boring! – yes, I know).

Later that morning I did the museum tour. One ticket allows you to visit all seven museums for UY$10 (less than US$0.50). Each one is pretty small and can be done in 15 minutes (30 minutes if you read all the captions etc). Note that not all museums are open every day. It seems that only four or five are open on any one day. The Museo Portugués and Museo Español cover the Portuguese and Spanish influences on the colony respectively. Though, the Museo Español could have been a little more accessible. If appeared as if they had copied a history book in full, enlarged its pages so the type size was somewhere near 28 point and mounted them throughout the museum with very few accompanying artefacts. I am sorry to say that this made for a very boring exhibit. I tried to read and understand what I could, but gave up after about 10 “pages” (there were something like 40+ pages in all).

That afternoon I had a late lunch at the very friendly El Asador, just outside of the old town. For UY$140 (US$6) I had a big, juicy entrecote steak, puré de papas (mashed potatoes) and a beer. Now you understand the need for exercise. I have to admit that I went over my food budget while in Uruguay.

I caught the 17:30 ferry back to Buenos Aires, safe in the knowledge that I had probably seen more of Colonia than any of my fellow passengers. I had also achieved one of my principal objectives, to renew my Argentinean tourist visa (Sorry Uruguay, I hope you do not feel too used!).

More photos of Colonia here.