Posadas, Argentina
March 26, 2009
It always amazes me how neighboring countries can look and feel so different once a border is crossed. Think of lovely downtown Mooers, NY and teh charming village of Hemmingford, Quebec. It was a bit like that once I left Colonia, Uruguay and headed east to Montevideo. Wha struck me immediately was the open space. Uruguay is loaded with wide open speaces. This was farm country. Indeed, as I would come to see later, most of Uruguay is farm country. I liiked it almost at once.
Montevideo was a delight. It's not that Buenos Airest wasn't deglightful in its own way, but Montevideo was likeable for what it was not. Unlike its neighboring city, Montevideo wasn't a city with attitude. It wasn't diry. The air wasn't full of carbon dioxide and cigarettes moke. (Argentinian smokers are pigs who think nothing of smoking everywhere. There wasn't caca de perro on the sidewalks. In fact, I didn't see many dogs at all, Maybe Uruguayans eat them.
It had a similar architecture, but it was much better maintained. I love Art Deco, and Montevideo was loaded with beautiful examples of a `930's building spree. And, unlike where Mexico City, where air quality has really taken a toll on this style of architecture, Montevideo's examples are in far better condition.
There were 25 kilometers of beaches in the city and, while the water quality wasn't the greatest, they're still wonderful. Unlike Buenos Aires which only had swimming pools, Montevideo's beaches were a wonderful way to wile away a day or two.
As I headed north, the landscape began to change. While Montevideo and Buenos Aires are on the edge of sub-tropical, the area I was traveling towards was definately sub-tropic. Miiles and miles of palms and eucalyptus and sycamores passed by window as we travled north. There were open prairies, grazing land, farms and small towns. While coastal Uruguay is a bit hilly, the area north flattened ut. I had the feeling I was entering big sky country. It was sunny and clear and the horizon went on forever.
I spent four days outsdie of Salta as a spa/resort with three spring fed swimming pools. It certainly wasn't cold in Salto, but I must that dipping into hot-thermal waters was mighty relazing. The spa was wonderful, but I wanted to see more, so one day I rented a car and headed even further north.
One of the appealing things about Uruguay, at least for me, is its lack of population density. From Salta I drove 100 miles north and only encounted two very small towns. I would stop the car often to take pictures. It was like being in Kansas, but Kansas with a twist. The landscape was flat with rolling hills in every direction. There'd be large stand of cattle and cowboys (gauchos) herding cattle. Once I slammed on the brakes when I saw two emus at the top of a small hillock. High prairie grasses glittered in the sun and goldenrod abounded along the sides of the road. A dead armadillo gave me a clue to the ecosystem I was enjoying.
March 26, 2009
I like small countries. They're much easier to manage, which is why Uruguay was so appealing after the frenetic maelstrom of a month in Buenos Aires, a place I was more than ready to leave.
My first goal was the capital, Montevideo. Geograpically, it's only three hours across the Rio Plata, but in other ways it's a world apart. I boarded a fast boat on March 16th, crossed the river, met a bus that brough me the rest of the way then checked into a small hotel.
It always amazes me how neighboring countries can look and feel so different once a border is crossed. Think of lovely downtown Mooers, NY and teh charming village of Hemmingford, Quebec. It was a bit like that once I left Colonia, Uruguay and headed east to Montevideo. Wha struck me immediately was the open space. Uruguay is loaded with wide open speaces. This was farm country. Indeed, as I would come to see later, most of Uruguay is farm country. I liiked it almost at once.
Montevideo was a delight. It's not that Buenos Airest wasn't deglightful in its own way, but Montevideo was likeable for what it was not. Unlike its neighboring city, Montevideo wasn't a city with attitude. It wasn't diry. The air wasn't full of carbon dioxide and cigarettes moke. (Argentinian smokers are pigs who think nothing of smoking everywhere. There wasn't caca de perro on the sidewalks. In fact, I didn't see many dogs at all, Maybe Uruguayans eat them.
There were 25 kilometers of beaches in the city and, while the water quality wasn't the greatest, they're still wonderful. Unlike Buenos Aires which only had swimming pools, Montevideo's beaches were a wonderful way to wile away a day or two.
I spent five days in the city, and took two day trips out of it. One trip was to Punta del Este, which is one
of 
south America's premier beach towns.
south America's premier beach towns.
But it was early fall and much of the town had closed itself up for the season. Still, our tour allowed three hours in the town and I spent most of it on its gorgous Atlantic beaches. The water, which had traveled north from Antarctica, was too cold for my tastes.
I wanted to explore more of rural Uruguay, plus I knew I had to head north to reenter Argentina later in the week to get to Iguazu Falls for the end of the month, so I chose the small border city of Salto, six hours north of Montevideo. I'd chosen the place because it has so many hot springs nearby and i'd been told that the small resorts in the area are really pleasant. How right they were.
As I headed north, the landscape began to change. While Montevideo and Buenos Aires are on the edge of sub-tropical, the area I was traveling towards was definately sub-tropic. Miiles and miles of palms and eucalyptus and sycamores passed by window as we travled north. There were open prairies, grazing land, farms and small towns. While coastal Uruguay is a bit hilly, the area north flattened ut. I had the feeling I was entering big sky country. It was sunny and clear and the horizon went on forever.
I spent four days outsdie of Salta as a spa/resort with three spring fed swimming pools. It certainly wasn't cold in Salto, but I must that dipping into hot-thermal waters was mighty relazing. The spa was wonderful, but I wanted to see more, so one day I rented a car and headed even further north.
One of the appealing things about Uruguay, at least for me, is its lack of population density. From Salta I drove 100 miles north and only encounted two very small towns. I would stop the car often to take pictures. It was like being in Kansas, but Kansas with a twist. The landscape was flat with rolling hills in every direction. There'd be large stand of cattle and cowboys (gauchos) herding cattle. Once I slammed on the brakes when I saw two emus at the top of a small hillock. High prairie grasses glittered in the sun and goldenrod abounded along the sides of the road. A dead armadillo gave me a clue to the ecosystem I was enjoying.
By noon I wanted a bite toeat and especially to get something to drink. There had been no stores along the road, so I was dependant on small towns where I knew I'd find small grocery stores. Belem and Constitucion were delightful
but, in truth, I'd go out of my mind if I had live in either of them. Both were located on small lakes, both had a population of about 1,000 and borth were like stepping back in time. I reallly needed to drink something at each town, but each town only had one store. In belem, the store looked as if it hadn't been renovated since it openend in 1932. The refrigerator coolers were ancient, the proprietor was ancient, the stores had shelves of old clothing, farm supplies and a small amount of foodstuffs. The bus company that serviced the town used busses from the 1950's. For a time, I thought I'd been time-warped..
but, in truth, I'd go out of my mind if I had live in either of them. Both were located on small lakes, both had a population of about 1,000 and borth were like stepping back in time. I reallly needed to drink something at each town, but each town only had one store. In belem, the store looked as if it hadn't been renovated since it openend in 1932. The refrigerator coolers were ancient, the proprietor was ancient, the stores had shelves of old clothing, farm supplies and a small amount of foodstuffs. The bus company that serviced the town used busses from the 1950's. For a time, I thought I'd been time-warped..
It was a fun day, but the car rental was only for a day. I would be quite content to spend the next day, my last, hanging out at the thermal fed swimming pool of my spa/resort
Salto and Uruguayan big sky country had seduced me with it all-day summer shimmer of brilliant sunlight and its long, bright, early autumn days. It had seduced me with its prairies and small towns that stepped out of another world. I could have stayed longer, but it was time to move on. I had a date with destiny and destiny was not about to wait.
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