A few blogs back, I wrote about my life-affirming travels to Colombia. Basically, these two trips set the standard for what I want from my journeys: culture and connection in a dynamic society. After Colombia, I reflected on some of my favorite trips and identified that I always had a great time in Latin America – in a way that stood out from other places I’ve visited. When I was chatting about where to go next in the region with my Colombia travel buddy, he kept telling me about how cool Uruguay is. A beach-bound country with socially progressive values, a thriving wine culture, and a hint of mystique as a distant, off-the-beaten-path destination, Uruguay quickly spoke to me. In fact, my friend sold it to me so well that I quickly forgot that he hadn’t even been there.

So back when LATAM Airlines announced its Black Friday sale for 2019, I went to see if it was the time to go to Uruguay. Happy with the prices I could get out of JFK, I planned to fly through Sao Paulo to Montevideo. With a week to spend there, I planned side trips in Colonia del Sacramento and Buenos Aires. Even more, my most budget friendly return option had a 14-hour or so layover in Sao Paulo. When life gives you beans, make feijoada! I worked a day trip to Sao Paulo into my plans, and with that, I anticipated being three countries closer to my goal.

However, as the trip approached, it became clear that the spread of COVID-19 across the world was going to encroach on my plans. With two of the three countries closing their borders during the week I was to be there, and with infections rapidly spreading, it became clear that I was going to stay home. And for the next year and a half, I lived out my travel fantasies through international media and cooking South American dishes.

So, when LATAM reached out to me about honoring my ticket, (and not just to Montevideo - I had options!) I decided it was time to resume the country count and finally make my way to Uruguay. Of course, aside from being up to date on my COVID vaccine, I also made sure to research what was happening with the virus in Uruguay. Compared to many places, Uruguay managed the pandemic quite well. Being both comfortable with the situation and willing to follow both Uruguay and Argentina’s rules for COVID testing, I set off to Montevideo, Buenos Aires, and Maldonado.

It was an interesting time to visit Uruguay. The country had only recently reopened for international visitors and Uruguay, while now one of my favorite places to visit, doesn’t rely on tourism from the United States as much as many other Latin American coastal countries. While Uruguay receives many tourists from Argentina, Brazil, and Europe, it is not a particularly easy place to reach from the US. In my case, I flew from JFK, connecting in Sao Paulo Guarulhos for an 8-hour layover. With Sao Paulo’s notorious traffic, this didn’t give me enough time to leave the airport and explore. Instead, I spent the day in the airport working my 9-5 as if it were any other day working remotely. That said, Guarulhos is a well-appointed airport with decent WiFi, places to sit, and a fair amount of shopping and food options to pass time.

I landed in Montevideo late afternoon. Despite Montevideo being a city of 1.3 million and MVD being the country’s only large airport, I found it easy to navigate the airport and immigration is a breeze. Getting a cab and making my way to my hotel in La Ciudad Vieja (The Old City) was also easy, even with my intermediate-ish Spanish.

On the way to the hotel, I was immediately taken aback by the scenery and vibes of mid-afternoon Summer/Fall shoulder season Montevideo. From the beautiful homes of Carrasco to the playful vibes of Pocitos, I saw a place with chill vibes that was a great escape from a long Boston winter spent mostly indoors. I saw people having picnics on the grass, mate thermoses in hand. I spotted beach volleyball and other games, alongside a few sunbathers by the Rambla. I felt like I was already picking up what Montevideo was putting down, and I was immediately intrigued by life in this country. These initial impressions made me a little sad that it took me almost 38 years to get to Uruguay.

(Side note: While I have always observed happiness and people living what outwardly appear to be well-balanced lives in Uruguay, the full picture of the country’s happiness levels is a bit more complicated. This article does a good job of describing Uruguay’s unique mental health picture.)

Ciudad Vieja, where I stayed, is a classic historic urban downtown, home to many historical buildings and the national government. For the most part, it lacks that open sky feeling that those first neighborhoods I passed through had. However, it carries its own gravitas and the advantage of being an easy launching point for many attractions.

As I mentioned earlier, Uruguay had just reopened to visitors and its tourism sector isn’t as large as you might think (especially in Montevideo). Activities such as guided tours weren’t as readily available online as they are now. (Also, given the last-minute nature of the trip, it wasn’t planned as thoroughly as I would have liked). The clerk who checked me into my hotel tried to hook me up with a guided tour, but it turned out that the only time available conflicted with my flight to Argentina. So, after catching up on sleep, I spent much of my initial time exploring Ciudad Vieja on my own before heading to Cordon to explore another area and get my required COVID test from a pharmacy.

On the second night (a Friday), I enjoyed my first activity which was a Candombe show at El Milongon. Candombe is a heavily drum-based style of music and dancing that originates from the Afro-Uruguyan community. This particular show combines Candombe, Tango, and Milonga dancing (which all have origins in both Montevideo and Buenos Aires) with traditional Uruguayan music. I felt the show was both entertaining and educational as it walked through the history of dance in the Montevideo region while featuring very talented and engaging performers. At the end of the show, everyone in the audience was invited to join in and show off their own moves. Like with many similar venues, you have the option to have dinner at El Milongon before the show. While the dinner option is convenient, the main event is the draw here - don’t let a tight schedule keep you from experiencing Candombe!

I spent the next day exploring the Rambla before heading over to the Prado neighborhood.

It was a beautiful Saturday to take in the calm waters abutting the Rambla and the intricate murals that dotted the area. Afterwards, I allowed myself to become better acquainted with the many monuments of Ciudad Vieja. After a lunch of sorrentinos (a type of round ravioli specific to Argentina and Uruguay), I made my way to the Museo Historico Nacional for a crash course in Uruguayan history. In this indoor/outdoor museum, I was able to see visual representations of the early days of Uruguay and many of the key people and places of that time. (The gallery below shows some sights of the Ciudad Vieja portion of the Rambla and the Museo Historico Nacional)

Realizing that the afternoon was passing quickly, I took an Uber to the Prado neighborhood to visit the Museo de Bellas Artes Juan Manuel Blanes, a neat municipal art museum with a cute Japanese garden in the back (see gallery below). After perusing the main exhibit of textile arts, I took a few moments to gather more serenity in the garden. However, the main attraction for me in Prado was actually the Botanical Garden of Montevideo. Just about a 10-minute walk from the Blanes museum, this garden collection was the verdant paradise I needed to experience on a Saturday afternoon. Spacious, well-cared for and populated with plants from around the world, this is truly a top-notch botanical garden. It’s easy to get lost here, so I’d recommend getting to know the layout in advance.

Interestingly enough, I happened upon another landmark during the walk from the museum to the gardens. While walking through Prado, I noticed a nice but unostentatious house surrounded by a high brick fence. As it would turn out, that was the Residencia de Suarez - aka the President’s Mansion!

At the end of my Prado excursion, I decided to walk for a bit back in the direction of my hotel. After stopping for ice cream, I Ubered back toward downtown and dropped in at the Mercado Agricola, a great spot for perusing Uruguayan food as well as for people watching.

With that, I was back to the hotel and preparing for the next leg of the journey - Buenos Aires. I’ll pick up here in the next blog and let you know what happens next!