World Uruguay Colonia Colonia Suiza

Yat's Big Trip

Colonia, Uruguay Oct 25, 2005

It was good that I saw a little of Montevideo. Because I couldn't wake up the next morning! Pretty much had to go straight to the bus terminal for a bus back to Colonia.

The weather had cleared up a lot, and was able to catch some glimpses of the landscapes of Uruguay. It mainly consists of gentle green hills, and the villages we passed through were quite small, and apparently Swiss. I wonder if there's any nice Swiss chocolate there??

After being relieved by my backpack, it was time to look for some lunch. Don't know why I still try to locate the vegetarian listing in my Lonely Planet, because as usual, it doesn't exist. Oh well. Now, also had to be more careful with my money. Wasn't being very realistic with how much I needed to spend in Uruguay, and ended up exchanging a little more of my limited Argentine pesos. Fingers crossed that I would have enough to last me until my plane the next day!

Anyway, about Colonia. It's basically a pleasant little town, pretty quiet, leafy and cobbly of cobblestones. It's quite small, and about half a day's sufficient to get a feel of the city. Many Argentines go to Colonia for a day trip. It's also more interesting than Montevideo as well. Followed the walking tour listed in the Lonely Planet to explore the central touristy part of Colonia; passing fortified walls, museums, shops on cobble streets, light houses and wide promenades with benches and shades of trees for people to relax and enjoy the view.

Got there too late for the museums to be still opened, and so the walk took only about two hours - at a very leisurely pace. So still had enough time to sip a beer on the riverside...

The ferry back to Buenos Aires departed at about seven. Hence we were chasing the sunset as we crossed the wide Rio Plata...