Uruguay and Buenos Aires

From Floods to Shorts

After the cold and sometimes strong winds in Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, we were looking forward to warmth. The stay in Ushuaia with a married couple was very nice and cozy.

The last days before arriving in Buenos Aires were mainly about the sun and the beach. We were shocked by how expensive the accommodations on the coast of Uruguay were during the high season. So we decided to stay in a tent.

The long journey from the end of the world to Punta del Diablo, Uruguay took a total of 13 hours. When we arrived by bus in the morning, the owner of the "AirBnB" picked us up. It was a self-built house with an outdoor kitchen and a garden, which was intended for guests to camp. It was stated in the description that we would get a tent from the owners - Only it was a very small and partly broken tent. We didn't have sleeping mats. We fell asleep on the first night with light rain. At the beginning, it was a pleasant drizzle that quickly put us to sleep. Suddenly, we were awakened by a loud splashing. That alone wasn't enough. The heavy rain was followed by puddles in the tent. It was only half past twelve. Dési excelled at the alternating work of soaking up and wringing out the shower towels. Two people would have been too many for this work, as we could barely move in the tent when it was still. We persevered. After a while, the inside of the sleeping bag was also damp. At first, it was only wet at the feet, but over time it reached up to the chest. We complained and moaned about how irresponsible it is to provide such a tent. Headaches, colds, a tense back, and a general lack of motivation for camping didn't go unnoticed. We woke up every hour and tried to avoid the water and build dams with sweaters and shower towels. The rain didn't stop. It wasn't until dawn that the weather gradually improved. Luckily, the new day brought plenty of sunshine and warmth. This allowed us to dry all our wet things. Our annoyed mood improved slightly after the morning coffee and continued throughout the day. If only we had had the same North Face expedition tent as during the Chile and Argentina trip. Then we wouldn't have felt a single raindrop. Well, sometimes things don't go as expected. Those are the defining adventures. However, if we had written about our horror night in the moment, this thought might not have made it onto paper. After the flood during the night, we were able to put on shorts and warm ourselves in the sun.

Hip-hip-hooray

Life in Uruguay is very relaxed. Stress is a foreign word and the people we met were very open and friendly. We even extended our stay in the garden of the Uruguayan family. We liked how simple and modest their lifestyle was. They built the small house themselves over two years. The toilet doesn't use any water or chemicals. It's a kind of simple toilet with a regular toilet seat. The business goes directly into a bucket. Afterwards, it's important to sprinkle the small wood shavings next to the toilet with a cup. No smell, nothing at all. They then use the tourists' poop as fertilizer for their self-grown vegetables. Mmmmh, bon appétit!

Every evening, we had dinner together with the family and other guests at the campsite. They cooked for everyone and we paid for these delicious dishes with a few Uruguayan pesos. The food didn't arrive on the table until ten o'clock in the evening.

Tourists from Europe were a rarity. We loved the originality of this country. It was great to speak Spanish with the locals and mostly domestic vacationers. We appreciated the conversations and encounters in general with the owners and another warm-hearted family with twins and a daughter. During our stay, the owners celebrated their birthday, to which we were also warmly invited. It was a party with music, dancing, and pizza cooked over an open fire. A woman from the family offered to take us by car to a beautiful park on the coast. She would drive west back home. We happily accepted this offer and were amazed by the beauties of Uruguay. The beaches were beautiful, the sea rough, and the water refreshing.

Before taking the ferry to Buenos Aires, we spent the night in the romantic colonial town of Colonia del Sacramento. It is also the oldest small town in Uruguay. We were impressed by this glorious and charming city. It was alternately occupied by the Portuguese and the Spanish.

The City of Tango

Buenos Aires is already the last stop of our long journey. Tango is danced spontaneously or by appointment. The city offers everything you could wish for. There is no boredom. We are enjoying the last few days to the fullest. See you soon, dear people.