After stressing about my first poorly planned border run and then recovering enough to remind myself that it would not be the end of the world if this was not the greatest day of my life, the big day arrived.
Early wake up call.
For the 8am ferry, Jeff and I had to be at the port at 7am for check-in/ passport stamping fun. That meant that I had to leave my house at 5:45am to take the bus to Jeff’s house and then take another bus to the port in La Boca.
My alarm went off at 5am. If you remember my post about the lifestyle of a Porteño, you know that 5am is not an hour they normally see unless they are still up from the previous night drinking a liter of Quilmes on the street or making their way home from the boliche.
No time to eat breakfast. A hungry Stephanie is not a happy Stephanie. I told Jeff that I hope breakfast is more than medialunas.
Why would I think they would serve anything for breakfast besides medialunas in Argentina?
Because my brain was not functioning.
Immigration process.
Jeff and I both agreed this was the most efficient border crossing we had ever experienced. When we checked in, we received all papers we would need and only had to fill out two boxes on the immigration forms.
Then we put our bags through a scanner. No problems… even though I had an apple in my bag. I think I have had an apple confiscated at every border crossing.
Argentina and Uruguay receive two thumbs up for border efficiency.
On the ferry.
Guess what the “included breakfast” was.
I ate my 2 medialunas knowing I would be starving again in 30 minutes.
The boat was a decent size and equipped with televisions in case you are incapable of sitting still for a whole hour without entertainment.
Arriving in Colonia del Sacramento.
An hour later we arrived in Uruguay. Note that I had bought a hat and gloves to prepare for the cold and windy conditions I had been warned about. You would think I was going on an Arctic expedition in this photo. But I was sooo glad I had them, or I might have froze to death.
We took our one-hour city tour and learned about the things we could do and see.
The list included:
- 5 museums (purchase one pass to get into all of them for about US$3.50)
- Lunch at a restaurant in the historic area
- Rent bikes/ scooters/ golf carts or take a bus through the new town to the Plaza de Toros (5km away)
The town itself was exactly how everyone describes it: a small, pretty colonial town. But I’ve seen better (Antigua and Granada for starters). The sky was gray, but the sun did peak through for maybe an hour. I was just happy we were spared the rain.
There was a lighthouse
AND LOTS OF OLD CARS
and the same trees i love in buenos aires
and colorful buildings lining cobblestone streets
and friendly dogs
then there was this bizarre giant chess set made of plastic bottles
Museums
I typically do not like museums with historical artifacts like dishes and pottery and old furniture. But there were not many options, and we had a lot of time to kill.
If you are the type to enjoy museums, let me tell you not to get your hopes up about Colonia. The museums in Colonia are ridiculous. I am not sure how they can actually call them museums. It only took us 30 minutes to see all of the museums. I am not exaggerating. 30 minutes in total, including walking time. Each museum was so tiny.
The most ridiculous museum of all was just filled with rocks in glass cases. There was nothing special about the rocks as far as I could tell. They were mainly round and of varying sizes. Seriously, just rocks.
For some reason, all of the museums had signs posted that you could not take photos. But I took a photo of this sign because I found it amusing. I guess they want you to know that children are not banned from the museum as long as they are capable of walking?
A least we got to try a Uruguayan dish for lunch.
I had been told we need to eat chivito. So that’s what we were going to do.
The funny thing is neither of us had any idea what it actually was. But damn it, we were in Uruguay and were going to try whatever their typical dish is.
Chivito is basically a heart attack on a plate
Steak topped with ham, cheese, bacon, and a fried egg. The dish came with what they call salad (really just some lettuce and slices of tomato), some weird mayonnaise mixture with carrots and peas, and French fries.
Delicious and filling.
Filling like concrete.
So what do we do next?
We only have 5 hours to kill before we have to check in at the ferry?
10KM Walk
The only other thing to do was see the historic Plaza de Toros. We could take the bus, but that would be a quick trip. What would we do when we got back?
So we decided to walk.
We came across a bunch of military equipment set up in the street. The kids were having a great time playing on the tanks and with the guns.
And so did I.
After this, we saw absolutely nothing else of interest during our walk to Plaza de Toros. The “beaches” of Colonia are little more than patches of sand along the road. I didn’t even bother to take a photo.
Must kill more time. What can we do?
Let’s eat one of those alfores we saw advertised as the “best in Uruguay.”
It was delicious
We took a different route back through the actual town instead of along the coast. Jeff and I joked about how incredibly boring the town was. I think what makes this colonial town different from my experiences in Central America is the fact that nobody actually lives in the historical part of town. It is just a tourist attraction.
Desolate was the word we decided was most descriptive.
Here is the only thing I saw of interest on our walk back to the port. A pirate museum.
But we could not go in because this was a “private pirate museum,” and our pass would not work nor would they take Argentine pesos. There was not a person in the museum, and they were turning away business.
That’s it. That’s Colonia. Been there. Done that. A successful border run.
That alfajor looks amazing!! I liked Colonia, even though everyone told me its really touristy, it’s still charming!
Maybe it is because it is Winter, but there was nobody there. I had heart it was touristy too, but there was no one.
Definitely charming though… for an hour
We were stunned by the rock museum too. I think it’s a prank they play on tourists!
I’m glad I’m not the only one who finds it so strange.
this excursion has sparked my professional interest. about the expats who live in BA, do they all just leave and re-enter the country every 90 days and Argentina is OK w/them doing that and not having any long-term resident status? the US of A would sooo not be down with that! US would start refusing entry to foreign nationals who tried to do that
Yes, they all just leave every 90 days. Some have long-term resident status, but it’s expensive and hard to get. Argentina seems to make it quite easy to leave and enter, so they seem completely okay with it. I assume it is helpful for their economy.
Stephanie,
I love these pics…especially the one with the dog….it always takes the wind out of your sail when you reach destinations that end up being very boring. I can sympathize!
At least my expectations were low
Even though there wasn’t a lot todo in Colonia from the pictures it looked very pretty! I liked the one of you playing on the tank!
Yes, we had a little fun with the miitary equipment. Colonia was pretty. I imagine on a sunny, warm day, it’s must more enjoyable.
30minutes for 5 museums……omg.
I like the giant chess. If it was me, I would start taking photos with funny poses with the chess piece XDDD
The food looks a bit heavy though…I am not hungry anymore when I saw it.
We should have done that. I think we were so surprised when we saw it, we didn’t think of all the fun photos we could get.
The food was definitely heavy. The 10km walk was good for us.
It’s nice to see you in the photos. It’s so hot here & hard to believe you are cold. 4 more days until we go on the houseboat : )
Love Mom
I know. It kind of sucks to be cold here when everyone I know back home is having summer.
I almost forgot the houseboat. Have fun and tell everyone I said hello!
I laughed when you mentioned the only people up at 5am would be those who have yet to go to bed. That’s just so true! I had a hard time getting used to eating dinner at 10 or 11pm when I first arrived. For a border (visa) run you seemed to do quite a bit – lovely photos.
I still haven’t adjusted to the late eating times. My roommates ask me if I’m eating dinner or just a snack when I’m cooking at 6:30pm. It’s dinner
But it is a challenge when I go out to dinner because then I am starving.
wow stephanie!!! you’ve just made me realize with your all-bundled-up photo that in all the years i went to BA, i never went during winter! i imagine it a sun shiny hot as hell place all the time and imagined winter to be a myth 😉 i had a meh time in colonia myself. it was pretty, but i found the food to be REALLY expensive and not all the great. dug the architecture, people were nice, views beautiful, but didn’t make a love connection with it either. glad it did the trick for you for the border run though!
Colonia is ridiculously expensive, but I have heard it’s the same all over Uruguay. I don’t know if the people were nice because there were none there
Yes, my previous experience was BA was hot as hell. I recommend November and March/ April. Not too hot but definitely warm and sunny. Luckily it has warmed up a bit now, and it’s like Spring… but it won’t last long. Temps are already dropping.
Cute photos! And those old cars are so picturesque!
I was really surprised by these restored old cars. I enjoyed taking photos in Colonia despite the grey skies.
You have some amazing pictures starting from the breakfast!
Ha! Thank you. It was a picturesque town. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the weather to cooperate.
Love all your photos with those fall colours! Your chivito looks a lot bigger than any of the ones we ate, which is what we were expecting. Sounds like a fun border run day!
Fall is my favorite season, so I did enjoy the colorful leaves. The chivito was ridiculous. I really did feel like I had a ball of concrete in my stomach for the whole day.
Very nice pics! I didnt’ find Colonia that interesting either and found the prices for food shocking after eating cheapie empanadas in Buenos Aires! Looks really cold there, brrrr!! I’m actually going to be in Guatemala for a month (I leave at the end of August). Will check out your Guate posts for info! I’m thinking of taking a Spanish course for part of that time. Which city should I do it in?
It is cold, but we did get a nice warm-up this week with some Spring-like temperatures. Colonia is even colder, since it’s right on the water.
I only went to Antigua when I was in Guatemala, and it’s a great place to learn. Lots of good schools, and you can shop around and find what you like best. I talked to several other travelers there who took classes in other parts of Guatemala too, and they had great experiences. It seems like one of the best countries to learn.
Woah, I’ve never seen a ferry with that kind of layout before!
Wow, look at those old-style cars. And that chess set is awesome. 😀
Loved the pictures and what a great day! If this is border hopping for the day, it’s something I wouldn’t mind doing. 😀
I loved the cars and the chess set too. A quirky little surprise.
It’s not a bad day trip to do one time. It’s just something that would be much nicer in any season other than Winter
Plus, I cannot imagine going back a second time. I now understand why the expats get creative and plan other border run trips.
Well, that’s just great. My next post is on Colonia. And since your photos make mine look like garbage haha. Love the hat 😉
Whatever!!
I forgot that you went to Colonia. I hope you had better weather than I did.
Wow the ferry is so much nicer than I thought it would be. In my mind it was like some old antique river ferry, now I understand why it costs so much.
OMG. The colors of this place are mute and amazing. I’m not normally a fan of colonial towns but these pics are freaking spectacular.
P.S. It appears as though all travelers have hats like yours. I rock mine here in Xela.
Thank you! Despite the dreary day, I was pretty happy with how the pics turned out.
I was told my hat is “Bolivian” style, not “Argentine.” Winter hats all look the same to me.
Why have I gone so many years without knowing this Chivito concoction existed?! Need to remedy that.
It is quite an incredible meal, and it seems easy to make yourself. Just make sure you don’t have to much for the next 24 hours as your body will feel like it is moving at half-speed.
Very nice shots! Have you tried Habana Alfajores? They are my favourite, particularly those with chocolate. Can’t u send me some via email??? 😉
I have not tried those yet. They are kind of pricey, and to be honest, I don’t like alfajores that much. I’d rather have a brownie
thanks for taking me along – feel as if I were right there with you. those TVs are a total shock. Mostly, I can’t believe you smuggled agricultural products across international borders though 😉
I know! That may have been the biggest accomplishment of this border run.
Hi Travel chica, I saw your picture of the friendly dog in colonia de sacramento, we are looking for him…. can you give us any hints? Did he follow you? His bame is betty….thanks for your help, Madeleine
Hey there! We went to Colonia too back in ’08 when we spent two weeks in Buenos Aires. We spent one night there, and the hotel we stayed in was cute, but overall I was counting down the minutes to get out of there. It was one of the worst places I’ve ever been. A former co-worker who was from Argentina suggested I go to Colonia over Montevideo because he said “Montevideo is like Cleveland, and who wants to go to Cleveland” – and it was an easy trip on the ferry, so went. We were there in October, and I can tell you it was just as desolate then as it was when you were there. We went to a restaurant on the water and we were the only ones there. Couldn’t wait to get back to Argentina the next day.
I hope Montevideo is better than Cleveland. But my cousins when there for a night or two when they came to BA and said they weren’t that impressed. I guess anything that close to Buenos Aires doesn’t have a chance
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