I came to Uruguay for one reason- I needed to leave Brazil for a few days to reset the clock on my visa. Uruguay seemed an easy option. I had no preconceptions of what Uruguay would be like. Let’s be honest, how much time do people spend thinking of a country of 3 million people tucked in the southeast corner of South America?  Uruguay turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. It is completely different from Brazil. Brazilians are warm and embracing. The people of Uruguay are polite and reserved.  Brazil is messy, disorganized and loud. Uruguay is safe, clean and the streets are without the ubiquitous potholes in Brazil. Uruguay is well-known for its information technology. Clearing immigration at the airport required a 15 second scan of my passport- all by machine. I thought that I was in Europe. The prices in Uruguay were similar to Europe too. The country has a socialist government that has enacted a strong social safety net- free university education for all, free health care, paid leave for new mothers, etc. All of these services come at a cost and younger people in Uruguay are leaving the country because taxes are so high.

I spent several days in Montevideo, where about half of all Uruguayans live. The city has beautiful colonial buildings, much like Argentina and Brazil. Unlike other South American countries, Uruguay has legalized marijuana—but only for citizens.  From Montevideo, I headed east along the coast to visit vineyards and farms. It was far enough south that it was chilly (60 degrees during the day), a real shock after the heat of northern Brazil.  I also visited several Uruguyan beaches, some of them maintained as national parks that can only be accessed by four-wheel drive trucks. Other beaches were very upscale, including one that has summer homes for Brad Pitt and Robert Duvall (I had no celebrity sightings). Most beaches in Uruguay face south, meaning that they have very little tidal change. One result of limited tidal movement is that debris that washes ashore stays there. I walked along isolated strands of beaches covered with plastic bottles and other debris. The reports of the excessive levels of plastics in the oceans were borne out by what I saw in Uruguay.

I also saw plastic bottles used in a more positive form. In Uruguay, if you want to sell your car, put a 2-liter plastic bottle filled with water on the roof of your car. How this practice got started remains a mystery to me. 

After a week in Uruguay, it was time to head back to Brazil, this time going to the Federal university in the city of Juiz de Fora.  I am glad that I visited Uruguay. My visa problems were resolved, at least for a few months, and I had a chance to visit an interesting, underrecognized country. 

Independence Square

weed is legal

car for sale

colonial building

local restaurants

colonial building

colonial building

Vineyards

Cabo Polano National Park- getting there

conch sacs

Jose Igancio - upscale beach

I opted to leave Olinda during the peak of Carnival in search of more tranquil locations. I had heard from Brazilians about two wonderful beaches in northeast Brazil—Fernando de Noronha and Jericoacoara.  I could not have chosen two more different beaches.



Fernando de Noronha

Fernando de Noronha is an archipelago in the Atlantic that is 220 west of northeast Brazil.  I wanted to go there because I had heard from Brazilians that it is spectacularly beautiful. Fernando de Noronha is a Brazilian National Park that has been designated a World Heritage site by UNESCO because of its biodiversity. The island has dense vegetation with many cliffs overlooking rocky beaches. The aqua blue waters around the island are full of coral reefs, sea turtles, and many types of dolphins.

The islands were first discovered by Portuguese explorers in the early 1500s. The only remaining evidence of the early colonists is a tiny chapel, St. Peter of the Fisherman, on a cliff overlooking the sea. The main island is 6 miles long and 2 miles wide, the majority of the area belongs to the National Park. The rest of the island is home to 3,000 permanent residents and tourists who stay in small lodges nested in heavy vegetation. There is one main road that crosses the part of the island outside the National Park. The airport is the size of a high school gym.

The island is vigorously protected by the Brazilian government. The authorities are determined to preserve the biodiversity, primarily by controlling access to the park.  There is a daily limit on the number of hikers on the trails. The beaches are remote and can only be accessed by a 4X4 vehicle. Some beaches are completely off limits. This makes Fernando de Noronha different from any other beach in the country.  Brazilians embrace their beaches-they hang out on the strand and spend much time in the water. If such behavior were permitted on Fernando de Noronha, the biodiversity would quickly be destroyed.  On the other hand, it makes the island more like an object to be admired rather than a locale to be engaged. I found the scenery to be lovely but it did not “wow” me.  When you ask most Brazilians about Fernando de Noronha, they will passionately tell you what an amazingly beautiful place it is. What I did not recognize is that the people who are promulgating the beauties of the island  have never been there. After my visit, I met two Brazilians who have actually visited the island. Their impressions were similar to mine- a pleasant place to visit but a long way to go for some panoramic views.

Getting to Jeri

Downtown Jeri

The Bars

The Bars

The Bars

Jeri at dawn

path through the mangroves

Dune Buggy

The open road of Jeri

After the descent

We survived the descent

Fresh water lagoons

road across the lagoon

Hanging out at the lagoon

Loading the ferry across the lagoon

on the ferry

Slide from top

Slide other side