Our minds must have gone mad – when the
plate landed on our table – it was an instant regret; this is EXACTLY what we
had been trying to avoid for the past 2 weeks…
6.30am – Baquebus
to Colonia del Sacramento– Uruguay. Just one hour across the Delta to another
Spanish-speaking country. Within 10 minutes of arriving at what seemed to be an
abandoned port and we were in the centre of Old Colonia.
A quaint
city – village just a couple of hundred years old, proud of its old
automobiles; their BBQ restaurants; and their craft shops. The village can be
explored within 45 minutes. So we had to drag our every step. By hopping in and
out of the shops we could while a bit more time. http://www.buquebus.com/cache/HomeARG.html
There were
precious stores – all well made and certainly of exceptional quality than
similar shops in Buenos Aires. The prices seemed extreme and near impossible to
fathom; 5 x Argentina pesos – therefore about 25 x UK pounds. That makes it about
4pence (£0.04) per dollar – try the maths on that. When a beer is priced UR$100
it was a bit unnerving. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonia_del_Sacramento
There are
some excellent art and craft stores here of both real leather, wool artefacts
as well as some superb wood and metal designs that are excellent prices and a
great souvenir. I stopped in Oveja Negra, a local boutique with goods made from
local sheep – the black sheep’s hair is thick and unique to Uruguay – so I
couldn’t resist buying a poncho.
Silvia Sarti
established the brand Oveja Negra as artist/designer and travels the world
selling here designs. While in sweltering heat of 30+ degrees we soon learned
how cold it could get in winter – these intricate designs for sweaters, scarves
and accessories were increadily well made. Check below for details. See the shop in my video and the
poncho I bought. http://www.ovejanegraweb.com/
It’s
certainly worth taking advantage of the time to relax and stroll slowly around
the small port town. Beyond here, a taxi ride away, there is a larger town but
not one we felt was appropriate to visit.
On the way
back to the port we stopped for a Paradilla – their special BBQ meat bowl. Our
minds must have gone mad – when the plate landed on our table – it was an
instant regret; this is EXACTLY what we had been trying to avoid for the past 2
weeks; black pudding sausage, liver plus some odd fatty substance. We only had
a small bottle of water and salad to dilute the taste between us.
Our final
night of luxury we spent in a 4* Axel hotel – Heterofriendly. This hotel came complete with see-through
shower, queen-sized bed, mini-bar, Jacuzzi, sauna, steam room and a pool with a
transparent bottom from the foyer! http://www.axelhotels.com/buenosaires/index.php?lang=en
We spent the
evening drinking Caipirinha in the bar before stumbling to the fifth floor for
a late night spa.
The final
day we took it easy on our last trek on the shopping streets of Buenos Aires
before heading by taxi to the airport for our 24-hour journey home.
One
excellent holiday – a great adventure.
COSTS:
Boat to
Uruguay: AR$300
Night in Art
Factory: AR$120 http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Art-Factory/Buenos-Aires/23860?source=googleadwordshostelsbyname&gclid=CLXDkLGNu6gCFQoa4QodTktoBw
Poncho:
UR$4,000
Axel Hotel:
AR$454 http://www.axelhotels.com/buenosaires/index.php?lang=en
Taxi to
Airport: AR$150
Sweets for
family & friends: AR$75
Oveja Negro:
Address: De la Playa 114, Barrio Historico. Tel. 052-21323. Also a store in
Punta del Este. http://www.ovejanegraweb.com/
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