Colonia del Sacramento
Apart from pretty much knocking England out of a World Cup in 2014, I didn’t know what to expect from Uruguay. So, for nothing other than the sake of exploring the mystery of the country, I jumped aboard the Colonia Express from Buenos Aires to visit a small town called Colonia del Sacramento.
I spent 3 days exploring Colonia and it was a refreshing change from the rush of Buenos Aires. If everything moves at double speed in the Argentinian capital, things move at half speed in Colonia. You can feel it as soon as you get off the boat. I can’t say how the boat journey was as I slept through it, but the trip must’ve been relatively smooth.
Colonia has wide tree-lined streets that absorb noise- even though it’s already a quiet place- from the main road and the whole place is as relaxed as it gets. It’s the sort of town where you could go out for an afternoon coffee and before you’ve had chance to breath, you’re watching sunset with a bottle of red wine. For travelling in South America- this is as safe as I’ve felt.
And sunsets bang.
Sunset on my first night in Colonia
Sunset on my first night in Colonia
Disappointingly, the Colonia express'looks like every other ferry
Colonia's main road
As far as culture goes, Colonia has offerings, and it gives the small town a lot of character. Founded in 1680 making it one of the oldest towns in Uruguay, there’s several small cobbled streets with the odd colonial building here and there.
If you go exploring, you can find small alleyways that lead to hidden beaches or a slightly out the way coffee shops that can feel like you were one of only a handful of people to visit.
The town is essentially just one main road, so you don’t need long to come to terms with the place, but if you’re after somewhere that can facilitate a fat chill- this is it.
My hostel was laid-back and it kind of felt like I was part of the secrecy I’d come to explore.
If you can rent a bike or a car, another part of Colonia can open up called Real de San Carlos and I’d recommend checking it out. If you visit the beaches, you can look out over the Atlantic and feel a very, very long way from everything.
There are also some interesting buildings knocking about, for example, to complement a selection of colonial buildings, Colonia has a colosseum looking building called ‘Plaza de toros Real de San Carlos’. It’s completely random and unexpected. It’s a restored bull ring and would be cool to go inside.
One thing to keep in mind about Uruguay is how expensive the country is. I’d heard on the grapevine how expensive things were there, but it’s no joke. If you’re going to Uruguay expect to be reaching deep into your pockets for everything. Apparently, the economy is heavily influenced by the fluctuations and uncertainty in Brazil and Argentina.
