Uruguay. Not very many people are dying to go there. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if most travelers only go there because it is only an hour away from Buenos Aires and a very easy country to enter. Regardless of one's reasoning behind going there, I think Uruguay has a certain character that captivated me. I would love to go back. Honestly, I think I was the only one on my four person trip that felt this way. Apparently they like how much bigger Buenos Aires is over Uruguay, but for me that is exactly what I preferred about Uruguay. Big cities are just not something I can handle.
Alright. I have to admit Sacramento de Colonia was a bit too small. It is not a joke when people say that you can see everything in a day. I am even willing to put money on the idea that it could take less than that. All that aside the most important thing is that Colonia is a place you CANNOT miss. Enchanting. Romantic. Stunning. This are just a few words that encompass Colonia. Cobblestone, rocky coast lines and beautiful gardens surround the center of town. It is captivating. They can also boast having the nicest people (well, person) I have ever met. When a local asked me in English where I was from, it wasn't so he could practice. It was so he could tell me "Welcome to Colonia." I almost cried from gratitude. This place was incredible. I recommend it as a MUST for anyone traveling South America, but to be fair, I don't know if I could live there. After a whopping six hours, you run out of things to do. However, this is not the case in Montevideo.
I could not help but love Montevideo. The old architecture that people travel all the way to Europe for is just as prevalent there (and in BA too for that manner). Huge statues, cute parks and plazas. Adorable beyond belief. The best part is, it's smaller than BA. It has the big city feel (which it is, over half of the three million people living in Uruguay live in Montevideo) with fewer people. It felt more relaxing. More calm. No need to wake up early in the morning. A lot of (tourist) things did not open until after noon.
Because it was smaller too, it felt like it would be a lot easier to meet people. I could probably go to a different bar every night in Buenos Aires, Montevideo has a smaller selection. I'm a fan of this. It absorbs you into the culture. You cannot avoid it like you can here.
I think Montevideo would be a great place to do study abroad. You still get the obnoxious castellano instead of español, a lot of similar culture too, but the calmness that I am used to with living in Mobile can be found here. Horns are not honking 24/7 here. Silence can be found in the middle of the night. If I had to pick between the two for a place to stay for a long time, it would definitely be Montevideo. Living and working I'm not so sure about. I talked to one of the guys working at my hostel (same one who shared the Sweet Home Buenos Aires video with me) and minimum wage there is based on monthly salary, not hours, at $300 USD per month. Nothing. And Montevideo is more expensive than Buenos Aires. No joke. Ok, from my American POV it still wasn't too bad, but I just find that sad. I did the math and that is the same an American would make working full time on minimum wage.
All in all I took a lot of time to chill there too. Sometimes being lazy is just as nice as seeing everything. Plus, it was kind of cold and rainy. Very rainy. Almost depressingly so, but sometimes you just have to take what you are given. It was a holiday weekend. Flag Day. Had to take advantage of the long weekend.
¡Besos!
La porteña Emilia
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