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