After the upending and re-booking that took place in Buenos Aires (click HERE), we had virtually smooth sailing once we departed Argentina. The method of transportation? Buquebus, the very well run ferry system that takes passengers across the Rio de la Plata between the two neighboring countries. Our route was just 2.5 hours and most pleasant! There is a longer route of four hours but that involves a bus to our ultimate destination of Montevideo.
Below, checking in. What a relief — just like at the airport, 3 bags checked in!
So for a few days, we were at the lovely Sofitel Montevideo Casino Carrasco & Spa. Don’t let the casino part cause any judgement (I did). It is separate from this beautiful and historic hotel, and may as well be in a different time zone. Other than walking through the casino on the way to the town for meals, one hardly connects the two. The casino is mostly slot machines and I believe poker is also offered.
The hotel sits right on the Rio de la Plata, which is more like an enormous lake than a river. It then flows into the South Atlantic Ocean.
Below, view from our room
The hubby and I were truly surprised by Uruguay. It is just a lovely country, safe, affordable, with a vast number of modern high rise buildings facing the water. Not just in the city of Montevideo, but likewise in Punta del Este, a coastal resort area well known to many vacationers coming to the country.
Above, the harbor at Punta del Este. Below, this guy’s no dummy. He positioned himself directly below all the women selling various fish, freshly caught. They chopped up the leftovers and he had a feast!
We rented a car for the 90-minute drive from Montevideo. The driving is easy and most pleasant. I feel confident making that judgement as Uruguay is now my 31st foreign country to get behind the wheel. Oh, and no time spent finding the least expensive gas to refill the tank — pricing is the same at every gas station.
Definitely a highpoint was dinner at Manzanar, on one top 50 list or another! As with so many other restaurants, most all of the dishes include grilling, which is an absolute art form in South America. The skirt steak did not disappoint. And it was fun being seated so close to the open kitchen watching the grill masters do their thing, shown below.
The bottom photo shows a genius way to repurpose wine bottles into a chandelier!
Of course, there was a bit more drama. I booked us on the return journey via Buquebus. The ferry terminal in Uruguay was extremely pleasant and modern (see below). The ferry departed at 11a.m. and was due back in Buenos Aires at 1:30. With that timeframe, I felt certain a 4:10 flight out of the smaller airport in Buenos Aires (AEP) – less than 20 minutes from the ferry — would work.
Getting off the ferry and gathering our luggage, going through security, and finally exiting took close to an hour. The place was a zoo — wall-to-wall people and construction going on — with little organization anywhere! We dragged our bags over uneven pavement and the hubby “hi-jacked” a cab (any New Yorker would be proud). Getting 3 people and the luggage into a very small vehicle — not to mention the language barrier — was a challenge. I kept saying please hurry up (andele!) and this young enterprising man did his best. We ran in and found the domestic departures counter at roughly 3pm. Fortunately the agent at the “special services” counter checked us in. She asked if we needed a wheelchair and honestly I thought about it for a minute but declined.
After paying $18 for excess baggage, we made the flight. Fun fact: the clerk who checked us in for the flight gave us one boarding pass torn in half. You get a full one after going to the separate “caja” window and pay for the extra baggage. Interesting system.
And we made our flight, albeit a bit disheveled. The hubby’s observation about the ordeal: “You know what the good news is? We can still do this s#@t.” Indeed.
Next stop: Iguazu Falls.
