Uruguay served up a couple of unforgettable spots, the first was Punta Del Diablo on the east coast, then it was Colonia Del Sacramento which was only a short 190km dash from Montevideo. Colonia is a town lined with cobblestone streets and beautiful old buildings that are remnants of the Portugese colonial days. Although we were there during peak holiday season, you dont notice the crowds in this little town. You somehow feel like you have the place to youself and that you have sumbled across a little gem. In reality it is very busy with lots of holiday makers coming over from Buenos Aires as it is only a couple hours by ferrry or from Montevideo. 
Birthday celebrations for Matteo were in Colonia…it was well timed as the town was meant to be throwing its Carnaval through the streets on same day. Unfortunately it pisssed with rain and it was abit of a wash out…only a hand full of drummers rocked up and two women who were a tad rough around the edges in tiny bikinis trying to get the massive crowd of about 50 unimpressed spectators (including us) going. We did however end up having a good boozy dinner in good company and hit up the local club untill about 5am. 
Alter a recovery day we set off through the guts off Uruguay to check out a couple of spots that had been recomendad to us by a ´character´ that we met at the hostel in Colonia. We didnt make Tacuarembo on the first day, instead ended up camping in picturesque spot on Rio Negro with its sandy beach and thick Eucalypt forrest just down river from Lago Rincón Del Bonete, which is a massive artificial lake surrounded by some great country side that often has you thinking that you are back in Oz. If it isn´t the vast flat and very dry grazing country it is the never ending gum trees lining the side of the roads with the odd emu like bird bolting away from the bikes.
Tucuarembo wasn´t quite worth the 400km detour to the border until we picked a little secondary road that runs 225km through Gaucho territory to Salto. In the last couple of weeks we had started to pine for the twisting undulating roads of south west Argentina and the Carretrra Austral in Chile, as since leaving Ushuaia the roads had not exactly been of those that are fun on a bike…dead straight and flat. This little stretch was just what we needed to get rid of the flat spot on our tires.
Just out of Salto is the little town of Termas del Dayman…´The termal bath capital of Uruguay.´ It could be great in winter, i´m guessing the crowds could be worse but it just wasn´t what you felt like doing when the outside air temperature hovers around 38 degrees celsius.
Two nights camping on baked dry ground and dead grass would surfice…next stop back in Argentina and en route to Iguazu Falls.
No comments:
Post a Comment