Tarariras

Monday and Tuesday can be a weekend, right? Got up bright and early this morning to catch a ferry to Colonia in neighboring Uruguay. When I'd first started planning this trip, I had a lot of thinking to do about how to incorporate a visit to Colonia and Montevideo since I had a couple of extra days in Argentina. Did I want to lug everything with me? Take two separate day trips? How about a loop? Which direction should the loop go? Finally I settled with a morning in Colonia, followed by a bus ride to Montevideo, spend the night, the next day and then back to Buenos Aires. It was cost effective, one ferry there, one inexpensive bus, and one ferry back. Timing-wise, it was also perfect to check out of one hotel, leave my big bag, then come back, pick it up and check into another hotel in another neighborhood.

So the ferry - due to the early hour, I hopped into a cab to get to the Buquebus terminal near Puerto Madero. Ferry tickets were easily pre-bought online, or you could buy at the terminal. The ride is only an hour, this is the shorter of the two routes, but it's really cold on board as my roommate warned me. Make sure you bring something warm.

Arriving in Colonia, it's a short walk to the Old Town where most people go. I stop to get a bus ticket for Montevideo that afternoon before setting off. I've been told the town can be seen in a few hours, and the staff in the bus station echoed this. It's a nice easy walk and the few sites are clustered together. Once you get to the old gate, this Unesco site is easy to explore and meander the morning away. Walk along the water, go pass Calle de los Suspiros. Not quite the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, but still with its own backstory like criminals being led to their deaths or sailors visiting brothels after lengths at sea. Go up the lighthouse to get a view of the town, the weather was fairly clear and you can see some of Buenos Aires skyscrapers in the distance.

From Colonia to Montevideo, it's about a 3-3.5 hour bus ride. The neat thing about this part of the travel is getting to see a little bit more of Colonia, the Uruguayan countryside and the local side to Montevideo when you get in, since you'll find yourself spending most of your time in visitor hotspots. Our arrival point in Montevideo in Tres Cruces, part mall, part bus station. It's about an hour's walk from the beaches, but the walk is pleasant.

This afternoon I'm first heading to the Montevideo sign in Pocitos. A landmark I'd debated about visiting since it seemed so far removed from everything else. I probably could've taken a local bus, but I like walking, and this way I can also check out the architecture. From here, I stroll down La Rambla towards central, making my way to Ramirez Beach (this one recommended by a friend) for sunset. I hadn't read about it previously in my research, and it's a great spot to park oneself and just let time pass and let the sun down. The beach faces the Rio Plata to the west and this was easily one of the most spectacular sunsets I've every seen.

As night drew, I continued along the Rambla to take in as much of the 22km+ route that I could, along the water. Locals were out in numbers in the summer evening, exercising, drinking mate and just hanging out. Sunlight became replaced by night light as I headed to my hotel in downtown for the hotel to wrap a relaxing but still full exploring day.Read more