Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay - 7 January 2009

Above right: Crossing the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

Oh what a huge relief it was for me to arrive in Colonia del Sacramento (or 'Colonia' for short) in Uruguay the Wednesday morning of 7th Jan. It took the 9AM Colonia Express ferry about 1:30hrs to cross the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires to Colonia (one-way: 129 ARP or ~US$37).

Uruguayans were different in a good way from the people in Buenos Aires, Argentina - they were more relaxed and helpful. I was offered help and greetings by Uruguayans in Colonia right off the bat. It was easy to be enchanted by the charm and pace of this little historical town.

The Old Town of Colonia was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1995. There, you will find a number of buildings bearing testimony to their colonial past. The Portuguese founded Colonia in 1680 to smuggle goods across the Rio de la Plata into Buenos Aires but the Spanish captured it in 1762 and held it until 1777. The dispute for Colonia amongst the European powers (British including) continued for another hundred years.

All history aside, I was really glad for the time spent at Colonia. It was so relaxing there, I wished I had spent more time in Colonia than in BA. I had never been to Cuba but if I had, I would imagine it to be like this (a la the Buena Vista Social Club documentary that I saw many years ago).

Above: Mother Church - Uruguay's oldest church

Above: The Old City's Gate

Above right: In a museum of an old Portuguese home

Above: Ruins of San Francisco Convent and the Lighthouse

Above left: For those who don't know, I have acrophobia (it's ironic considering that I like to hike up the mountains)

Above: From old, vintage to the small, unassuming beetle, these cars reflect the laid-back atmosphere of Colonia


Above: Kicking it with a relaxing lunch at Colonia :)