South American Adventures - Uruguay

Crossing the Rio de La Plata on a ferry.... 16:01 Argentinian/Uruguayan Time 15/8/2017

Here I am on the Buquebus ferry back from Colonia to Buenos Aires after half a day of exploring a small part of Uruguay. This town of about 23000 people is definitely worth a visit to get out of the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires and also to discover a different country. In fact, many Porteños do exactly that - buying up apartment across the river for weekends and holidays. This town definitely has a very relaxed feel but in addition to that, it also boasts a very interesting history.

Colonia was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 due to the legacy left behind from Spanish-Portuguese rivalries during the colonial period. It has always been used as a bargaining chip for any treaties and agreements and therefore changed hands countless times. Due to restoration work and archaeological finds, it is also not difficult to paint a picture of what happened in the past. This picture was further filled in with the guidance of a bus tour and city tour which we purchased as part of the ferry ticket with Buquebus. Our guide (personal guide in fact due to no one else opting for the English tour) was a local who knew very well the ins and outs and the history of her town.

It was amusing to hear the story of how an attempted Spanish strategy to lay siege on the Portuguese who walled themselves in Colonia failed due to the inability of the Spanish to cut off the water supply or even poison the water supply of the inner city. First problem: water was all around the old city so there was no one single water source. Secondly: Poisoning the water meant poisoning Spanish holdings on the side of the river as well.

In addition, outside the historical centre also lies a few significant buildings which tells a more modern story of Colonia. Currently, there is an abandoned bullring which was initially built to provide some familiar entertainment to the Spanish people around the region. A hotel and casino was also built to complement this. However, 8 bullfights after, this bullring is no longer hosting any events anymore and is lying there crumbling. Some are trying to revive the area as this bullring has pretty good acoustics but nothing is coming to fruition yet.

The bullring in Colonia

With the weather on our side, we walked around the town, climbed up walls, and also the lighthouse. Colonia today does indeed exude the sense of calmness and chill. As my dad commented, this would be a perfect place for retirement. Lunch was included in our ticket as well and we managed to try some decent Uruguayan food such as their Ham, Egg, and Beefsteak and their Chaja Cake. Not forgetting as well a very unique variant of red wine, the Tannet, which we managed to bring back half a small bottle left over from lunch!

The Lighthouse in Colonia

The ferry is departing now... I might check out the view....