Warning: This is a long post, heavy on photographs.
Mark, Maya, and I entered Uruguay from Argentina without expectations. We knew the coast drew lots of people, Montevideo was the capital, and Colonia del Sacramento was a highlight and UNESCO World Heritage Site. And that the country was super expensive, aptly called the Switzerland of South America.
(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)
Dealing with the border formalities was a bit confusing (everyone from either side wanted to inspect our camper) but didn’t take too long. We were a tad nervous regarding the “prohibited items” we brought to sustain ourselves and our dog (check the blue sign and guess what we carried), but Maya’s paperwork was in order, which proved important – and distracting – enough.
Salto Grande Dam
Right across the border, on the outskirts of Salto, we stopped by the Salto Grande dam, operated by both countries. There, Mark and I partook in a free tour, conducted in Spanish.
Afterwards, mid-afternoon, we decided to put some miles behind our wheels, since we hoped to cross the entire country and reach the coast within a few days. In Uruguay, we planned our route and stops more carefully, due to the costs. When gasoline has a price tag of $7 a gallon (about $2 per liter), you think twice about detours and their “worth.”
We stopped at a small clearing in the bushes, out of view, for that first night. The next three days, we leisurely traversed the hinterland of Uruguay, gazing at the well-kept homes and fields and feeling happy for the livestock – mostly horses, cows, and sheep – with all that juicy, bright-green grass everywhere!
We also came across a dinosaur display, with preserved footprints and information signs.
The people we met along the way were friendly, we enjoyed this peek into lesser-known territory, and we happily noticed the lack of garbage everywhere, but we were surprised at the state of the throughways.
Thinking that Uruguay was a relatively developed nation with a relatively western mentality, we had counted on beautifully paved main roads everywhere. Not in the back country. For at least 100 of the 400 miles across, we dealt with broken pavement, potholes, road work, or dirt tracks going east-west. The north-south equivalents seemed in better shape.
La Coronilla
The Atlantic coast brought pleasant surprises. First, we arrived at La Coronilla at the exact same time a familiar-looking kombi VW bus did. Mark recognized them as the Kombi Chronicles, a British couple with two cats, who had been exploring Latin America overland for a few years. We knew Willow and Lee through Facebook, WhatsApp groups, and mutual friends. It was great to finally meet! (They have a popular YouTube channel and Facebook page as well.)
After an introductory chat, they decided to stay another day, a Sunday, on which we hung out all afternoon and evening, chatting, exchanging stories, and sharing popcorn and wine. It’s always nice to meet like-minded folks and we hope to run into them again soon, on the way to – or in – Patagonia.
Our boondocking spot offered an “exotic” setting under palm trees, long walks on the beach, a decent view, and the sound of waves when falling asleep. It was quiet at night, so all three of us could rest up.
