Liberty or Death!

Uruguay's motto ("Libertad o muerte") is well-suited for how I felt on Sunday when I took a trip to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. The last week in Buenos Aires had been a tough one, and I needed to leave the city for a bit. I needed a little freedom. I needed a little liberty. And I got both in the wonderful and charming little town of Colonia that I visited with Robyn and Andrew--two friends from back at school at UNC and Duke, respectively.

At the beginning of our tour, our guide began with a greeting that went something like this: "I want to welcome you to the best country in South America--Uruguay--MY COUNTRY! And I want to welcome you to the best town in Uruguay--Colonia!" I did not see or experience anything on my visit that would be evidence to the contrary. Colonia is, in almost every way, the opposite of Buenos Aires. Whereas Buenos Aires is a bustling city of millions, Colonia is a quiet little town of approximately 22,000 of the nicest people you will ever meet in the world. Whereas you literally have to be constantly holding your wallet in Buenos Aires, you'd have to visit the police station in order to figure out when the last violent crime occurred in Colonia. "Muy tranquilo," as they would say here. Literally every time we stopped to ask for directions or were shown a new part of town by our Uruguayan tour guide, the incredible hospitality, gentleness, and welcoming disposition of the people was striking.

Colonia's gentle disposition stands in stark contrast to its dynamic and, at times, violent history. Founded by the Portuguese in 1680, the town is Uruguay's oldest European settlement. It went through periods of both Portuguese and Spanish control and the difference in architectural styles is evident when one walks through the city. In fact, in the old historic section of the city, it seems as though almost nothing has changed since the 17th century. This part of town is so antiquated and so well-preserved that it has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Of course, most of the buildings have had to be restored, but they have kept the original structures and architecture largely intact.

Our visit began with a visit to an artisan market in town. Although nearly every single store and many restaurants in town were closed, local artists and merchants had come to the market to display their goods for sale. Nearly all of the products were made my hand, and the three of us were overwhelmed by the beauty and craftsmanship that went into each one. Whereas we had previously thought that Argentine prices were cheap, we came to have a whole new understanding of price in Uruguay. The Uruguayan peso echanges for 23 US dollars or 6 Argentine pesos, and prices in Colonia are cheap---DIRT cheap and most merchants accept US dollars and Argentine pesos in addition to Uruguayan pesos. Here are some examples of prices

• Steak dinner: $6
• Sneakers: $40 (payable in four monthly payments of $10 each)
• Leather jacket: $80
• Keychain: $0.40
• Coca-Cola (HIGHLY popular throughout both Colonia and Uruguay): $0.80
  

After doing some shopping, we began our guided tour of the town. To the left is a picture of Robyn, Andrew, and me on one of the oldest streets in the town. The area where we are standing was originally part of the red light district in town, and, although you will not find too many prostitutes hanging out in the town of Colonia, prostitution is still legal in Uruguay. Perhaps that's why so many Argentinians venture across the Río de la Plata each day... (In fact, thinking about it, the three of us did notice one sketchy older man reading some sort of pornography magazine right out in the open on the boat on the way over to Uruguay. I suppose people are less conservative regarding what they're willing to do in public in South America.)

Another stop on our trip was the Iglesia Matriz – the oldest church in Uruguay, dating from 1695-99. Although the building was restored relatively recently, much of the structure of the original church remains intact even today. We also visited the Plaza de Toros Real de San Carlos, an abandoned bull ring located a couple of miles out from the main part of the city, as well as two of the main museums in the city. The Municipal Museum exhibits artifacts and documents from the city's different periods and cultures while the Casa de Nacarello is an old 18th century Portuguese house that visitors can now walk though.

We also saw the lighthouse (from which the picture at the end of this post was taken) and very near (and somewhat attached) to the lighthouse were the convent ruins of the 17th century Convent of San Francisco and from there it was only about a two-block walk to the Portón de Campo (the City Gate), pictured to the right.

After seeing many of the historic sites in town, the three of us were ready to relax for a little while so we walked down to the water to watch the sunset over the Río de la Plata (pictured at left). Not too far away, a group of Uruguayans were drinking mate together--a social ritual common throughout South America that I will talk about in more depth in a later post. It was almost time to catch our boat back to Buenos Aires, and we grabbed some hot chocolate along the way. Unlike hot chocolate I am used to in the United States, this hot chocolate was made with actual bars of chocolate melted in the liquid, and the reward for making it to the bottom of the cup is the opportunity to savour the thick chocolate that has collected at the bottom.

As we sipped our steaming hot drinks and made our way back to the port, I asked my friends what they thought about changing our ticket and staying for the night in Colonia. I was only half joking...

Nevertheless, we got on the bus, which would take us back to the port. As our bus pulled up to customs, the tour guide wished us safe and happy travels back to wherever our homes were. She ended by saying to us, "If you ever want to return to Uruguay, our ports will forever be open to you." Perhaps one day I shall...