Sleepy little Colonia

Trip Start Oct 16, 2008
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Trip End Apr 16, 2009


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Flag of Uruguay  ,
Wednesday, November 12, 2008

What a little gem this town is.  Very popular with Argentines as it's only and hour by boat from BA.  UNESCO site and all that.  We decided to treat ourselves to a nicer hotel here because it was stinking hot when we arrived and they had a pool.  When we walked in it felt like an oasis in the desert.  So we spent the whole afternoon swimming.  Patrick is coming along in strides in the water, four seems to be the age as we remember Lindsay improving loads in the pool in Costa Rica at the same age.  For dinner we chose a place with pretty average food but with a superb location overlooking the bay, ordered light and lingered over a jug of sangria.  And what a beautiful sunset.  Walking back to the hotel through the quiet cobbled streets we found the old Plaza Mayor with a well-lit stage in the centre and did a bit of shadow dancing to cap off a lovely evening.

Next morning we opted for a later check-out so we could swim some more!  The presence of a pool could sway some hotel decisions in the future.  When we finally managed to tear ourselves away we spent the whole day wandering the cobbled streets and admiring the old buildings and beautiful gardens.  Oh, the flowers!  The bouganvilleas are in full bloom, as are the jacarandas, jasmine and azaleas, and some unidentified "dripping trees" with brilliant red blossoms which seem to shed quite a bit of goo at this time of year.  The place is so relaxed and devoid of cars and people that it was really nice not to have to hold Patrick's hand constantly.  Unfortunately, the one touristy thing that we thought might interest him, the lighthouse, wouldn't allow children under eight inside .... "para seguridad".  So we poked our heads into the church to cool off and admired the simplicity of the whitewashed walls and blue stained glass, the single nave and old wooden pews.

When we found a spot for lunch it was in such demand we actually had to wait for a table.  Good sign.  It was on another town square which contained the ruins of the town's founder's house.  The square was full of trees, the trees were full of nests, and the nests were full of all kinds of birds, including bright green parakeets.  There was live music courtesy of an old guy on the tenor sax, which in every way topped the hippie on the kazoo from the night before.  We ordered parrillada for two, which came on a little hot platform and included beef, chicken, ribs, chorizo sausage, and blood sausage.  Oh, and a salad as an afterthought (I think in this part of the world they agree with Tony Cooke when he says: salad isn't food, it's what food eats).

We were a bit sad to leave really.  Back to BA on the fast ferry, intentionally this time.  There was a duty free shop on the boat and I made the mistake of going in there.  Ridiculous prices, duty free my arse.  But the mistake was because I despise perfume and the place reeked like the ground floor at Myer.  I retreated to the washroom and busted a 70-year-old portena (actually she was probably only fifty but was clearly a fan of the sun) who simply couldn't hold out for the WHOLE hour journey for a cigarette.  The smoke and the perfume stench combined to make me feel rotten, and I burped all the way home.  The chaos of Buenos Aires was even more striking after our four days in Uruguay, and we are looking forward to getting out of this mental city on Monday.
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