Montevideo: first impressions

On October 29, after starting our Pan-American journey with a few days spent in the capital of Argentina, we flew on to Montevideo. We took an Uber from the airport to our hotel in Punta Carretas (a modern suburb, close to the beach). The very nice driver knew English relatively well, during the 30 minutes of driving he gave us a lot of information about the current developments of Uruguay.

First impressions are very good, people seem polite, relaxed and kind. The percentage of the population that knows English is obviously higher than in Argentina. Montevideo is clean, relaxed and much smaller compared to Buenos Aires (in a long day of walking around the city you can reach all the tourist attractions without having to use public transport). The old town contrasts sharply with the new neighborhoods. Although many once-fabulous buildings are in dire need of repair, the old town remains an absolutely fascinating place.

If all goes according to plan, Nemo the Blue Bus will arrive in Montevideo on November 9. But customs/port formalities are generally done 2-3 days later. That is why we are going to stay in Montevideo for four days, after which we will leave for Punta del Este, a well-known seaside resort.Read more