Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

From Buenos Aires, a two hour long Ferry ride across the Rio de la Plata which is the main water thoroughfare for visitors from Argentina to access any part of Uruguay, you will reach Colonia.  Knowing nothing about this town, we arrived with no expectations.  Then we were blown away.  A quiet little town with cobblestoned streets and Portuguese styled built houses with bougainvilleas resting on the doorways.  Visiting in December, it felt like we were the only travelers around and as if we just found a town that was forgotten by mankind.  A gem.  The locals thrive on their siestas every afternoon and we followed their lead.  Buildings seemed to lean towards the trees´s shadows in the simmering heat.  Cobbledstoned streets shimmering  and sweating under the travelling scooters (which can be rented everywhere) and the afternoon sun.  And a local beer helps to cool things down.  Old, lonely but proud cars parked (forgotten?) on every available shadowy street corner.  Exploring one afternoon I found forgotten or closed down buildings, quiet streets, cracked walls, rusted locks and a lonely lighthouse (which all forms part of the historic quarter, Barrío Historico and was named a UNESCO heritage site in 1995).  We rented a "beach buggy" and drove alongside the small peninsula jutting out into the lazy river.  We found broken boardwalks, sunken (maybe willingly) in the water.  A restuarant overlooking the shimmering sand welcomed us with cold beers and big meals:  potatoe fried balls and their famous steak.   An artist paradise with art and craft shops, museums and new findings around every corner.  All in all this unique town is a muse in itself.  An inspiring place which I could easily have made my home.



Tip:  Hostelling International is, again, centrally situated.  Cold beers are offered the moment you arrive.  Great location.  Clean rooms, with airconditioning or fans, overlook a bougainvillea-filled courtyard.