Uruguay

Brief summary of the previous episodes. After hitch-hiking the north-western Argentina with Fred, I joined Henning, my German traveling friend, in Asunción. We spent a week in Paraguay, then a few days in the South of Brazil to visit the Iguazu Falls, before heading to Uruguay.

Uruguay is a geographical dwarf, sandwiched between Brazil and Argentina (nearly two-thirds of South America). Its level of wealth per capita places it between Chile and Brazil, which is not nothing (especially when trying to travel cheap!) And a nice human development index: second of the continent between Argentina and Chile.

I saw the Atlantic coast for the first time since last September in Cartagena, Colombia. It was full of vacationers coming from southern Brazil and Argentina and pseudo-hippies who don't seem bothered by the high standard of life. After a night in a tent, just behind the Uruguayan border, Henning and I landed in Valizas from southern Brazil. It was carnival week, so holiday for everyone, people from everywhere. We only stayed a short day just to say we did dip in the Atlantic.

And then we went to Montevideo, the capital of the country, on the banks of the Río de la Plata, the same vast estuary that goes along Buenos Aires, 200 km to the west. Relaxation, cooking, great time during two days, hosted by Alejandro, a CouchSurfer, and time to stroll around the city emptied of its inhabitants due to Carnival (public holidays). Montevideo, a strange name: the Spanish settlers had named the place "Monte VI De Este a Oeste" ("the sixth mount from east to west") navigating Río de la Plata from east to west. Regardless if it is true, in any case Montevideo has the distinction of being the southernmost capital city of the Americas. In the world, only Wellington, New Zealand and Canberra, Australia do better.

Henning and I ended our too short week in the charming small Uruguayan town of Colonia. We strolled in the oldest city in the country (1680): a piece of wall, a mini-lighthouse, narrow cobbled streets, charming houses and beautiful flowers. Buenos Aires is in front (well, 50 kms anyway!). We took the boat and arrived in the vast metropolis, four times more populous than the entire Uruguay. The contrast is striking. There I met with Aïssata and Jack, my friends just arrived from France who will spend two weeks discovering Argentina with me.