Another Stamp on the Passport- Uruguay!

This past weekend, Steve and I crossed the frontera and added one more stamp to our passports! woo! We took the ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia, Uruguay. It was actually a very organized system…you go through both Argentine and Uruguayan customs before even getting on the ferry. Because our initial plans of renting a car in B.A. and driving to Uruguay changed (as you can’t take a rental car across the border!) we bought our tickets somewhat last minute and ended up having to be first class…boo hoo! hehe On the way there, we were on the fast boat, and it only took about an hour. We sat next to a very interesting man from the U.S. and his Argentine son. Steve chatted with them the whole time, and I took a nap! When we got to Colonia, we picked up our rental car (which was an upgrade from what we booked because they gave our car away!) and headed towards the estancia, La Sirena which is near the town of Mercedes. The drive was absolutely beautiful…farm after farm with cows grazing in bright green field under blue skies. They looked like the happiest cows in the world, because unlike many in the U.S. they have so much space! The weather Saturday was perfect, and we really enjoyed the drive.

We arrived to La Sirena Saturday afternoon, just in time for the asado (barbecue). An estancia is basically a cattle ranch. Rural tourism is becoming popular in Uruguay and Argentina, and people who own these ranches are opening up their homes and inviting tourists in to live the life of a gaucho. The owners of La Sirena were an older couple, Rodney and Lucía. As it’s the off-season, there was only one other tourist couple there, from Australia. Rodney and Lucía were so welcoming- it felt like we were staying with family. It was apparent that they love what they do and where they live, and were full of stories to share from their 30 years of having people stay on their farms. They also were very knowledgeable about the history of their country, and were quite proud to share it with us- turns out their estancia dates back to the founding of Uruguay. The house itself is about 200 years old, and one of the first owners of the land and the house was Bernardino Rivadavia, the first president of Argentina.

Back to the food I mentioned earlier- the asado. Argentines and Uruguayans alike love their beef and have a very particular way of preparing it. They use these huge grills, parillas, that are over open flames. The one in Uruguay actually has a basket above the grill rack where you burn the wood. The ashes fall down under the grill and you can then spread them out, however you need, to control the heat. The first part of the asado is usually some sausages- morcilla (blood sausage- sounds gross but is delicious), chorizo, and other various parts of the cow, such as chinchulin (intestine). I was brave and tasted the chinchulin and found it to be as chewy and unappetizing as it sounds- I won’t be ordering it at a restaurant any time soon, but am glad that I tried it! After those initial appetizers they serve the main portions. At the estancia, we had chicken as well as beef. They also served delicious potatoes that were prepared right on the parilla as well as an ensalada mixta (typical salad served with asados that has lettuce, tomatoes and onions). There was plenty of wine to share and they even brought out a cake. Every meal at the estancia was delicious and they definitely fattened us up!

After lunch, we got to partake in some real gaucho activities. They had some men coming to look at some of the cattle before purchasing it. Rodney and Lucía are in the business of selling calves. They had to ride horses into the fields to bring in all the cattle. Once they brought it into a corral, they had to separate it into two groups- the ones to be sold and those that would stay. They do this just by getting in the corral with the cattle and chasing them around- quite interesting and a little funny to see! We got to partake- my job was to guard a corner to make sure none escaped. I have never been so close to so many cows- it made me a little nervous at times!

After the men came and looked at the cattle, Steve and I were able to go on a little horseback ride before it got dark. It was really cold, but we wanted to fit one in because we knew it was going to rain the next day. That night and Sunday were both freezing, and the estancia (or most places down here) didn’t have the central heat that we have in the U.S. We all had to go sit by a fire in this tiny room just to keep warm. By the fire, we ate dinner and then passed a guitar around and sang songs lol. Rodney then got out his collection of Uruguayan liquors and was very excited to let us all sample them.

Sunday it poured all day. Steve and I left the estancia and drove back to Colonia. We arrived after dark, and after searching the city for a restaurant we wanted to try but then couldn’t find, we ended up getting wine, pizza and a chivito (sandwich with steak, bacon, ham, hearts of palm, lettuce, tomato, etc.) at a cute little place. Sunday morning we got up and went out into the rain to explore Colonia. Colonia was one of the first towns in Uruguay, founded by the Portuguese in 1630. It’s very historical and the cobble-stone streets and colorful buildings make you feel like you are back in time. Despite the cold and rain we had a great day exploring, shopping and eating, before heading back to Buenos Aires on the night ferry.

It was a great trip and I was very impressed with Uruguay- from the little bit that we saw, it is a beautiful country, full of history, culture and welcoming people.