Arrival

Well, before even going into the details of the arrival I need to talk about how one gets to Uruguay. First of all, it depends on where you're going. You have 3 main options: the city of Colonia, Punta del Este and the capital, Montevideo. Colonia is a small, historical and touristy little city which is also the nearest major Uruguayan port to/from Buenos Aires. Punta del Este is a beach town; if that's what you want, that's where you go. Montevideo is the middle ground between the two. Also a major port, Montevideo is the largest city in the country where just about half of it's overall population of 4 million lives.

Montevideo being the destination, there are 2 ways of getting there: 1) Direct ferry ride, a two-way ticket consisting of a 3 hour ferry ride directly from Buenos Aires to Montevideo of a cost of about $130 USD. 2) 1/2 ferry, 1/2 bus. This, on the other hand, is a two-way "open return" (when you like) ticket which consists of a 3 hour ferry ride to Colonia followed by a 3 hour bus ride to Montevideo. Though the latter is a bit more unpleasant, it's also practically half the price of the first at $70 USD. Be advised that the prices here featured are not the cheapest travel rates; all transactions were made through a private tourist company called Buquebus. I'm sure that you can find something cheaper if you are really looking to get over there without any regard for comfort.

Quick Note: A trip to Uruguay is the most common solution for people who need to renew their Argentine tourist visa (which expires after 3 months). Go there for a weekend, chill out and come back. New stamps, new expiration date. Also, there is no entrance fee to either country which makes the affair a whole lot cheaper.

So, Andre and I chose option #2, ferry/bus. It was a bit long, but painless overall. You may ask yourself, what exactly is there between Colonia and Montevideo other than asphalt? The answer is: about 5 houses, some cattle and a shit load of grassy fields.





Upon our arrival in Montevideo we made our way to a local hostel called Pocitos, named after the neighboring beach. Regrettably, I have no pictures of the place to post, but here is the website in case you are curious or ever find yourself in need of a place to stay while in Montevideo; www.pocitos-hostel.com. The staff is pretty cool and friendly, the rooms are cozy enough, and the hostel itself is a mere 5 minutes away from the beach, walking distance.