Colonia, Uruguay: con Mama y Papa

Colonia. Ah Colonia. A mild and tranquil oasis away from the bustling day-to-day of Buenos Aires.  Just a one-hour ferry ride across the Rio de la Plata and you’ve stepped foot into the territory of Uruguay.  The planning for the trip was fairly easy: 1. Go online, book the tickets through Buquebus 2. Go to the ferry terminal 3. Enjoy a coffee and brief conversation with a Colonia native and professional body builder along with his family while waiting for the arrival of our boat.  You know, the usual. The ride, comfortable.  The journey, smooth.  Customs in Uruguay, a breeze.  Now, how to get to our hostel without having to walk 12 blocks or grab a sparsely available cab?  Solution: rent a golf cart, naturally.  It’s airy, it seats four comfortably, quite easy to maneuver and ridiculously indiscreet but it gets the job done and the streets of Colonia are calm enough to feel confident that you won’t find yourself as road-kill.  The historical town of Colonia is considered a World Heritage Site, restored and preserved to its original 17^th Century Portuguese architecture.  Its quaint, cobble-stoned streets and picturesque neighborhood is ideal for a one- to two-day, relaxing getaway but be aware of the prices as the closer you get to the center of the historic square, the higher the prices rocket. It’s tourism at its finest.  After spending more than we had liked for lunch on the first day, Kip and I decided to buy pizza from a local pizza shop and a couple bottles of wine for dinner to bring back to my parents at the hostel and it turned out to be much more pleasant of a meal knowing we had spent significantly much less than at lunch. The company was, of course, enjoyable as always!

The sites are limited but beautiful.  Being as small as Colonia is, everything you need to see can be done in a day:  The lighthouse tower, which you can climb up for a small fee, will give you breathtaking views of Colonia and the Rio de la Plata.  The Plaza de Toros, which is a 10-15 minute drive up the coast in our little ol’ cart, is the site of an old bullfighting ring which had been abandoned and is now closed off to the public but obviously is not regulated well by the looks of the disheveled fence prohibiting visitors.  The church and the drawbridge evoke images of the beginnings of a small village or town and the many vista points near the coast and beaches are perfect for photo ops.  All in all, it was a wonderful mini vacation from our vacation and I’m sure my parents enjoyed riding in the back of the golf cart while Kip drove! Colonia: two thumbs up.