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South American Adventure
  • Happy Days Travel
  • Mark Wade
  • Happy Days Travel
  • Mark Wade

South American Adventure

This epic eight-month overlanding trip through South America has been a long time in the planning! We will be visiting Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil. Exciting times! 😊 Read more
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  • South American Adventure

    Colonia's lighthouse

    February 7, 2025 in Uruguay ☁️ 25 °C

    We walked on towards the lighthouse which appeared to emerge from the ancient city walls.  When I researched later, I discovered that the lighthouse was built adjacent to the convent ruins of the 17th-century Convent of San Francisco.  Little remains of the original city walls which were built to enclose the 16-hectare 'Barrio Histórico', or Portuguese Old City.  Most of them were removed in 1777 and some remaining parts in 1859.  

    Some of our group had climbed to the top of the lighthouse.  We decided not to bother.  Mark was suffering, so he found a bench in the shade to wait for me while I continued to explore.

    Colonia has many authentic vintage vehicles.  They attracted a lot of attention from the tourists.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    My walk continues

    February 7, 2025 in Uruguay ☁️ 25 °C

    There were craft stalls set up in the old plaza, but I wasn't tempted to buy anything.  Nor did I make any purchases from any of the very expensive touristy souvenir shops!

  • South American Adventure

    Colonia's marina

    February 7, 2025 in Uruguay ☁️ 26 °C

    After meeting up with Mark again, we walked to the marina and then headed up into the newer part of town.  I was hoping to buy some flip-flops to replace the ones that were stolen, but I couldn't find any.  Hopefully, it will be easier when we get to the beach in a few days' time.

    In town, we found a restaurant to have lunch.  Uruguay is as expensive as Argentina, so we had to choose carefully.  Neither of us was particularly hungry, so we chose somewhere with lighter meals.  I had roast chicken with a simple salad and Mark had a ham and cheese toastie.

    On the way back to the hostel, we called at a supermarket to buy some bits for later and for on the truck tomorrow.

    We spent the evening catching up with Penguins posts and watching movies.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Drive to Montevideo

    February 8, 2025 in Uruguay ☁️ 22 °C

    We had to be up for an 8am breakfast and 9am departure this morning.  Unfortunately, the hostel staff didn't seem ready to do 28 breakfasts at the same time, so it took a while!

    There were more of us on the truck today seeing as we were joined by all those who took the ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia, as well as Britt and Greg who we haven't seen since Ushuaia.  Fortunately, we still managed to get a double seat each.  It's better for Mark if he can spread out.

    Ritchie drove us out of town.  Then Tim took over.  It clearly took him a while to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road in a huge truck with a dodgy gearbox!  I guess it's a bit different from driving a double decker bus around Exeter!

    Once again, we were driving through verdant rural landscapes.  We are struck by the small amount of rubbish on the verges as compared to everywhere else in South America - and the UK, for that matter!

    We had a toilet stop at a service station that had one of the best shops we have seen on the entire trip!  We didn't need anything, so we resisted all the familiar products, like the full range of Cadbury's chocolate, Walnut Whips, and tins of sour lemon travel sweets!  Some of the group enjoyed a bar of fruit 'n' nut with their coffee 😀.

    As we approached Montevideo, we started to see more industry and some slum housing nearby.  There was also more rubbish left by the roadside.

    We entered the city via the docks.  It was very reminiscent of the approach to Marseille.  The port is one of the busiest in South America due to its low fees compared to other places.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Arriving in Montevideo

    February 8, 2025 in Uruguay ☁️ 29 °C

    We got to Montevideo at about 12.30pm and drove into the centre to get to our hostel in the historic district.  We were amazed how quiet everywhere was on a Saturday lunchtime!  Many of the shops and restaurants were closed, and the streets were deserted!  It didn't feel like we were driving through a capital city!

    Uruguay has a population of just over 3 million people.  Half of them live in Montevideo.

    A Portuguese garrison was established in what is now Montevideo in November 1723.  The Portuguese were expelled in February 1724 by a Spanish soldier, Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst the Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region.  The complete independence from Buenos Aires as a real city was not reached until 1 January 1730.  It was also under brief British rule in 1807, but eventually the city was retaken by Spanish criollos who defeated the British invasions of the River Plate.

    Today, Montevideo has preserved European architecture and is considered to be one of the cities with the most art deco influence in the world.  It is the hub of commerce and higher education in Uruguay as well as its chief port. The city is also the financial and cultural centre of Uruguay.

    We drove on, wondering about the empty streets, until we reached our hostel.  We were too early to check in, so I left Mark with our luggage waiting for the key while I dashed out with Solenne to visit the Museo Andes 1972.  We had to hurry as it was closing at 3pm and will be closed all day tomorrow.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Andes Crash Memorial Museum

    February 8, 2025 in Uruguay ☁️ 31 °C

    The story of the 1972 plane crash in the Andes has been in my consciousness for many years, especially after watching the film of the story, Alive, on its release in 2007.

    On Friday October 13th 1972, a Uruguayan Fairchild 237 plane with a rugby team on board crashed into the Andes.  This was the beginning of one of the most remarkable stories of survival in human history.

    Initially, 33 people survived the crash.  Many of them were seriously injured.  At 4000 metres above sea level, with no appropriate clothing and little food, surrounded by and trapped in the mountains, they almost died from the extremely low temperatures.  Their very limited provisions consisting of a few sweets, some canned food, and two bottles of alcohol, soon ran out.  For ten long days, they waited to be rescued.  Then they heard in a pocket radio receiver they had that the search for them had been called off.

    On day 16, an avalanche hit them while they were sleeping in the remains of the fuselage, burying them completely and killing eight of their number.  In subsequent days, more of the group died until only 16 of the original 45 crew and passengers remained.

    In order to withstand the extreme weather conditions and temperatures below -30°C, the group repurposed lots of things.  They learned how to produce water from snow and made quilts out of the plane's seat covers.  The most critical issue, though, was what to do about the lack of food.  In the end, they made the tough and controversial decision to survive by eating the flesh of the dead.

    In the midst of this desperate situation, the survivors made many attempts to escape the valley they were trapped in.  The final and successful attempt was made by two of them.  After walking for ten long and gruelling days, they came across a cattle drover.  He rode for eight hours to get help which finally led to the rescue of the remaining crash survivors 72 days after their plane went down.

    The museum was one of the best I have visited in terms of how it told the story of the incident.  No photos were allowed inside.

    After visiting the museum, I walked back through the quiet historic centre to the hostel.  On the way, I popped into Montevideo's Metropolitan Cathedral.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Catedral Metropolitana

    February 8, 2025 in Uruguay ☁️ 32 °C

    The origin of Montevideo's monumental cathedral dates from Spanish colonial times (around 1740), when a church constructed of brick was built on the site.  In 1790, the foundation was laid for the construction of the current neoclassical structure.  The church was consecrated in 1804.  It is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception and to the patron saints of Montevideo, Philip and James.  There is one major altar, several side altars, memorials, and tombs of several of the former archbishops and bishops who served in the cathedral.  On a side altar is venerated an image of the Virgin of the Thirty-Three, patron saint of Uruguay. 

    Back at the hostel, I went up on the roof to take some photos of the views.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    A walk and sunset

    February 8, 2025 in Uruguay ☁️ 31 °C

    We went down to the waterfront to have a look at the beach.  For a hot, sunny Saturday afternoon, it was unbelievably quiet!  We then walked up to the supermarket in the square to buy some drinks and snacks which we had back at the hostel.

    Later, we went up on the roof to watch the sunset and chatted to Nikki and Gill for a while.

    Uruguay is famous for having the longest carnival in the world.  Festivities have already begun here.  There was a parade tonight which some of the group went to.  We decided not to join them, but their photos and videos looked amazing!    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Exploring Montevideo

    February 9, 2025 in Uruguay 🌬 23 °C

    After breakfast, we walked to Plaza Independencia, the starting point for the hop-on, hop-off bus we had booked. The plaza is a popular manicured square with, at its centre, a stately statue of General José Gervasio Artigas, father of Uruguay.

    On the way, we walked past Teatro Solis, Uruguay's most important and renowned theatre. It opened in 1856. The building was designed by the Italian architect Carlo Zucchi and named after the explorer Juan Díaz de Solís, the first European explorer to land in modern-day Uruguay. In 1998, the government of Montevideo started a major reconstruction of the theatre, which included two columns designed by Philippe Starck. The reconstruction was completed in 2004 with the re-opening taking place in August of that year.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Montevideo's agricultural market

    February 9, 2025 in Uruguay 🌬 23 °C

    The bus arrived promptly. It was very busy, so we had to sit downstairs. We were unable, therefore, to take any photos. We got off after a few stops to visit Montevideo's agricultural market. There was some lovely produce. It would be great to have such a market as your local shopping place - if you could afford it, of course!Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Palacio Legislativo

    February 9, 2025 in Uruguay ☀️ 24 °C

    From the market, we walked to the Palacio Legislativo, home of the Uruguayan parliament.  Constructed between 1904 and 1925, the building was inaugurated on August 25, 1925, in commemoration of the centenary of the Declaration of Independence.  It was declared a National Historic Monument in 1975 by the government of President Juan María Bordaberry.Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Back on the bus

    February 9, 2025 in Uruguay ☀️ 24 °C

    We rejoined the hop-on, hop-off bus and completed central circuit.  There were an awful lot of British people on the bus who were clearly off one of the two cruise ships which were in port today - either the Sapphire Princess with a capacity of 2750 passengers, or Cunard's Queen Victoria.  Many of them were worried about the time they had available as they had to be back on board by 4pm.  Others didn't even seem to know what country they were in!

    We passed Montevideo Wanderers FC's ground.  Mark commented that it could just as easily have stood for Mark Wade FC 😂.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Exploring Montevideo's beaches

    February 9, 2025 in Uruguay ☀️ 25 °C

    We switched to the blue line which takes passengers along the Rambla, past all of the city's beaches.  The Rambla of Montevideo is the coastal avenue along the Rio de la Plata.  It is over 22 kilometres long.  The Rambla is an integral part of Montevidean identity and has been proposed as a World Heritage site.  It is an environment for a wide variety of outdoor activities such as jogging, walking, cycling, fishing, kite-flying, sunbathing, and drinking mate.  Skateboarding and roller skating are also possible in special areas for these activities.  The beaches are state-owned, and building anything across the Rambla is strictly regulated.

    We expected the beaches to be busy on such a hot, sunny afternoon, but there was still plenty of room to be had.  There did seem to be lots of people walking and using the cycle lanes, but I don't know how many of these were tourists.  When we got off the bus to take photos of the Montevideo sign, we bumped into four of our group who had cycled there on bikes hired from the hostel.

    We hopped back on the bus and rode another couple of stops to Playa Marvin.  We got off here because we spotted a nice-looking place for lunch.  Bars and restaurants were surprisingly few and far between along the beach!  For lunch, Mark had prawn croquettes as a starter.  He said they were delicious!  For mains, we shared a chivito, the national dish of Uruguay.  It is a sandwich made with ciabatta bread filled with steak, tomato, onion, lettuce, ham, cheese, hard-boiled egg, and mayonnaise, served with fries!  It was good, but we definitely couldn't have managed one each!!  I also had an Aperol Spritz - my first alcoholic drink of the entire trip!

    After lunch, we got back on the bus and completed the Ramblas circuit.  The beaches were still largely deserted.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Mercado del Puerto

    February 9, 2025 in Uruguay 🌬 24 °C

    Once we arrived back in the city centre, we switched to the central circuit again to visit the port market.  The market itself and all the souvenir shops and cafés in the surrounding streets were solely aimed at cruise ship passengers.  The entire area was crawling with people of a certain age, mainly Brits, dressed in their cruising wardrobe, perfectly made up and coiffured, spending their dollars like it was their last day on earth!  Needless to say, we didn't stay long!

    As we waited to catch the bus back to our hostel, a continuous stream of passengers were making their way back to their ships before the 4pm deadline.  I overheard one of them say to his companion, "Drinks, dinner, and then a tango lunch in Buenos Aires tomorrow"!  It sounds like our worst nightmare. I'm very glad that we don't all like the same type of travel! 😂

    Back at the hostel, we chatted to a few people and then went to pack ready to move on in the morning.  We only have 135 kilometres to go to Punta del Este, so we are not leaving until 9am.  Nikki sent through the itinerary for the remainder of the trip.  We have 18 days to go.  16 of those days, we will be camping!!  Joy 😊.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Leaving Montevideo

    February 10, 2025 in Uruguay ☁️ 25 °C

    We were up for an 8am breakfast and were ready to leave by 9.  We had a new truckmate with us today, so we are back up to 29 passengers in the back of the truck.  She is from the UK and will continue with the truck up through the Guianas after we finish in Rio.

    We had enjoyed our time in Uruguay's capital.  It has a very relaxed atmosphere.  I would have liked to spend another couple of days here.

    If we expected Montevideo to be any busier on a Monday morning than it had been over the weekend, we were mistaken!  It was just as quiet!

    We left the city heading north along the coast road.  Inland, the landscape was very green and largely given over to agriculture.  We drove past the world-famous Bouza vineyards, but, unfortunately, didn't get the chance to visit!

    We had one toilet stop and then, before long, we were heading into Punta del Este. 

    Punta del Este is a seaside city and peninsula on the Atlantic Coast of southeastern Uruguay.  Starting as a small town, Punta del Este grew to become a resort for the Latin and North American jet set.  The city has been called 'The Monaco of the South', 'The Pearl of the Atlantic', 'The Hamptons of South America', 'The Miami Beach of South America', and 'The St. Tropez of South America'.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Exploring Punta del Este

    February 10, 2025 in Uruguay ☁️ 29 °C

    Nikki and Ritchie dropped us off by the beach in Punta del Este and gave us 4 hours to swim and/or explore the town.  They went off to do the cook group shop for the next three nights.

    We walked up to the point of the peninsula and headed back down the other side.  Punta del Este is clearly an upmarket resort for yachties and people who like to be seen!

    We had plenty of time, so we stopped at a beach café for lunch.  We shared a small pizza and a portion of fries.

    After lunch, we continued our walk to visit La Mano (The Hand), a sculpture by Chilean artist Mario Irarrázabal.  It depicts five human fingers partially emerging from the sand.  It is a famous sculpture that has become a symbol for Punta del Este since its completion in February 1982.  In turn, it has become one of Uruguay's most recognizable landmarks.  I thought it wasn't nearly as impressive as the work by the same artist that we saw in the Atacama Desert.

    I then wanted to go to the town's shopping centre to buy some flip-flops.  It was quite a long walk and it was extremely hot, so I suggested that Mark went back to the pick-up point for the truck while I walked on.  

    My search for flip-flops was successful.  I also bought a prepared fresh fruit salad to quench my thirst before I headed back. I knew I was cutting it fine, so I speeded up and was very hot and very tired by the time I reached the truck, just 2 minutes before the 4pm deadline.  I was surprised to discover that Mark hadn't made it back.  I'd expected him to have been waiting at the truck for at least an hour!  Unfortunately, he had taken a wrong turning and ended up walking much further than he needed to.  He arrived back at about ten past four!  Luckily, he wasn't the last.  Two other members of the group had also got lost.  They arrived a few minutes later.

    We then drove to our campsite about 30 minutes from the town centre.  A few people wanted to upgrade, but when they saw the accommodation on offer, most of them decided not to!  Only two couples stayed in the huts.  They all got bitten to death by mosquitos!  We were happy to have stayed in our tent.

    I was on cook group duty tonight.  We made pork and mushroom stroganoff with tagliatelle which went down well with everyone.  Mark was shattered after his earlier exertions, so he skipped dinner and had an early night instead.

    All of us had our sleep disrupted by a number of rowdy kids who were making a racket and riding their bikes around our tents until 2am!!    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    A wet day on site

    February 11, 2025 in Uruguay 🌬 22 °C

    I was up at 7.30am to start preparing breakfast for everyone.  We made huevos pericos and toast which proved very popular.  Unfortunately, just as we were finishing cooking, the heavens opened and there was a mad scramble to get the canopy out to provide us all with some cover.  It was the first time we had needed to use it on the trip, so it stank to high heaven as we unrolled it due to all the water trapped inside it!  Because of the weather, some people didn't come to breakfast until 40 minutes after the time we had given.  By then, we had finished serving and were packing away.  They weren't impressed!  The lesson is - don't be late for breakfast!!

    The rain continued all day!  It was such a shame after the glorious day we had yesterday.  There was very little to do in our location, so most people spent the day in their tents or on the truck.  We sat on the truck catching up with notes, doing posts, and chatting to people.

    Today's cook group prepared a vegetable curry for dinner.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    A long drive day

    February 12, 2025 in Uruguay ☁️ 23 °C

    It continued to rain for most of the night, so we had to put our tents away wet this morning.  The cook group decided not to do eggs this morning, even though we had plenty.  Instead, they warmed up last night's leftover curry and rice.  Needless to say, we passed on that option.

    After breakfast, we all mucked in to roll the canopy up.  We were on the road by 6.30am.  We had 580 kilometres to cover today to get to our overnight camping stop in La Posta del Dayman near Salto.

    It was a relentless drive.  At least the roads were in good condition - the best out of everywhere we've been in Uruguay.  We marvelled at the brilliant infrastructure for a country with such a small population and a relatively large area.  The road verges are all immaculately cut and extremely clean.  We saw several teams of workers strimming and mowing.  As we noted the other day, people are very proud of their houses and gardens and take good care of them.  Refuse collection seems well-organised and efficient.  

    We drove through huge swathes of land given over to growing crops and raising livestock.  There are thousands of acres of vines, cornfields, apple orchards, olive groves, and potato fields.  Uruguay seems like a good place to live.  I need to do some research, though, on whether or not there is a big rich/poor divide.

    We had several toilet stops at service stations, all of which had well-stocked shops.  At the first of these, we bought some delicious cheese and ham croissants to make up for the missing breakfast.  

    We drove through the town of Trinidad.  In a few days time, we will stay in a town of the same name in Paraguay!

    At about 12.30pm, we stopped by a lake in the rain for a truck lunch.  We had cheese and ham salad wraps.  I ate mine on the truck.  I can't believe how much rain we have had since my waterproof jacket was stolen!

    It rained on and off all day, so I hardly took any photos.  We arrived at our campsite at around 5pm.  Fortunately, it had dried up, so we were able to put our tents up without any problems.  There was a pool on site that was the temperature of a warm bath.  Several of the group had a soak before dinner.  We sat chatting to Gill and then went to take some photos of the sunset.

    Dinner tonight was chicken, crushed potatoes, and couscous with beans and corn.  We went to bed soon afterwards as we have another early start tomorrow.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Back to Argentina

    February 13, 2025 in Argentina ☁️ 21 °C

    We had breakfast at 6.45am this morning and were on the road by 7.30.  We were crossing into Argentina for the final time.  The border was just 30 kilometres away and we were there by 8.30.  Here, the border between Uruguay and Argentina is marked by a river.  The two countries have jointly built a hydroelectric plant to harness the power of the river to generate electricity for both countries.

    Unfortunately, it took over two hours to get through the border.  Bizarrely, an immigration officer came to the truck instead of us having to go in the office.  We had to line up against the truck.  He called us forward one at a time to match our faces to our passports!  We were processed electronically, so we didn't get stamped out of Uruguay or in to Argentina.

    Once we had crossed the border, we stopped in the nearby town of Concordia to go to a massive Carrefour. Nikki did the cook group shop for the next three days while the rest of us bought stuff for lunch today and anything else we needed.

    We got back on the road by just after 12 noon.  We still had over 400 kilometres to go to reach Esteros del Iberia and our campsite for the next three nights.

    We stopped again for toilets at just before 3pm.  Unbelievably, people wanted to shop again!  So, with 260 kilometres still to drive, a 10-minute loo stop turned into 40 minutes!  It was very frustrating!

    With 70 kilometres to go, we ran out of tarmac.  The dirt track we were now on really slowed us down.  The only upside was that we were now on the fringes of the wetlands.  There were lots of birds to look at, and we also spotted a capybara and a caiman.  Unfortunately, we didn't see any more after I got the big camera out!

    We were now making extremely slow progress!  We watched the sunset as we trundled along at a snail's pace.  Darkness soon fell.  There was lots of wildlife about after dark, but it was impossible to photograph.  We saw countless capybara, several owls, a group of crab-eating raccoons, and loads of other birds.  We had two or three more roadside toilet stops.  Inevitably, certain people started drinking on the truck and there was some unacceptable behaviour, though nothing like as bad as we've had in the past!

    We eventually pulled into our campsite at just before 11pm!!  We were all very tired after 16 hours on the truck!  We were allocated pitches which were an inexplicably long way from the only toilet facilities on site.  We put our tents up in the pitch black and struggled to find our way to and from the shower block.  Nikki made scrambled eggs for those who wanted them (Mark's cook group dinner is postponed until tomorrow), but we just went straight to bed.  It was still very hot and sticky, but we fell asleep anyway.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    Iberá National Park

    February 14, 2025 in Argentina ☁️ 26 °C

    We were both awake long before we needed to be, having only had four or five hours sleep.  I went for a shower and Mark went to start preparing French toast and watermelon for breakfast.  

    After we'd eaten, we all got on the truck to be driven to the Ibera National Park office to buy our passes.  Unlike other very expensive national parks in Argentina, this one only costs US$20 for a five-day pass.  

    We drove back across the rickety wooden bridge we had crossed in the dark last night.  The views over the water were beautiful - we even saw a massive caiman!

    Having got our wristbands, some members of the group decided to walk back to camp.  We joined those who were going back on the truck.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    An afternoon on site

    February 14, 2025 in Argentina ☁️ 32 °C

    Back at the campsite, the temperature had soared.  Mark got all of our washing done while I caught up on some posts (I'm still way behind!!).  At 5pm, most people went off to do a boat trip on the lake.  Because Mark is cooking, we have opted to do it early in the morning instead.

    We had dinner at 8 to allow for everyone to get back from the boat trip.  They all said it had been amazing!  Mark wasn't entirely happy with how the carbonara turned out, but everyone loved it.  We went to bed as soon as we'd cleared up.

    Shonagh took the video I've attached to this footprint on her walk this afternoon.    Read more

  • South American Adventure

    A boat trip on Ibera Lake

    February 15, 2025 in Argentina ☁️ 25 °C

    We were up early after a sweltering night! Breakfast was at 6.20am for those of us who were going in the boat trip or horse riding. The six of us on the boat left site at 6.40 to be at the jetty on the municipal campsite by 7am.

    Our boat was on time and we were soon kitted out with life jackets and on our way. Our skipper didn't speak any English, but we managed with our limited Spanish. He certainly knew the best places to take us. Over the next two hours, we saw everything we'd hoped to see and more, including lots of caiman, capybara, countless birds, a few deer, and a family of greater rhea, known by the locals as nandu. This is a species of flightless bird native to eastern South America. It inhabits a variety of open areas, such as grasslands, savanna or grassy wetlands. Weighing 20–27 kilograms (44–60 lb), the greater rhea is the largest native bird in the Americas. In the wild, it has a life expectancy of 10.5 years.

    It was a really enjoyable trip - one of the highlights of the whole tour.    Read more