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Link #15
20 May - 1 June, 2000
Colonia to Bella Union, UrUgUay (904 km)
After the first day pedaling Uruguay, we learned why "Uruguay"
has three U's... because that's the shape of its terrain. But that's more
of an observation than a complaint. After the flatlands of Argentina,
we welcome a little variety in our asphalt.
Apart from one day of torrential rains, we enjoyed mostly sunny skies
and fair weather in Uruguay. While the wind wasn't nearly Patagoniesque,
it was steady out of the northwest. So, slight headwinds most of the way.
A quick recap of our spin: arrived Colonia via ferry from Buenos Aires
on May 19, pedaled two days to Montevideo on route 1, then north on route
5 for two days to Durazno, then crossed over to Trinidad and route 3,
then up to Paysandú, Salto, and Bella Union. We pedaled ten of
the thirteen days we were there - taking rest days in Montevideo, Durazno
(thunderstorm), and Paysandú.
With a total headcount of about 3 million, Uruguay doesn't have enough
people to populate its roads much less its open spaces (85% of all Uruguayans
live in cities, more than half of those in Montevideo). That's means good
stuff for cyclists. Though since we didn't see any other fellow pedalers,
we figure that Uruguay is some sort of secret. The highways we rolled
along were amazingly quiet, in great condition, and even had paved shoulders!
And, while the countryside is not thickly treed, some routes come lined
with eucalyptus, pines, or sometimes palms. Great windbreaks and homes
to an astonishing array of birds.
Birds of almost every feather. Parrots, pigeons, doves, cardinals, jays,
egrets, herons, storks, hawks, and a few hundred other types still anonymous
to us. The parrots we saw were mostly loros, bright green dove-sized
squawkers found in much of southern South America. They seem to literally
take over entire stands of eucalyptus and construct wonderfully hugh nests
which appear to house friends, relatives, and in-laws. We also observed
many bright yellow-chested birds whose name we never learned. And such
song! Of particular note is the tero, a native jay-sized bird that
seems to always come in twos, named after the sound it makes. Many a morning
we were awakened not by the usual rooster but by flocks of chirping birds.
Many a day we fancied ourselves played to as we wheeled on by.
The almost vacant countryside is composed of farms, wetlands, and humid
pastures with plenty of elbow room. The crest of a hill often provides
an extensive view of grassy green hills as far as the eye can see. Happy
cow country for sure. Happy camping country, not really. Due to a recent
wet spell, finding good, non-soggy camping was tough. Though, as usual,
we managed just fine - a roadside police station, a dairy farm, a couple
of estancias, a casa de deportes, a few hot springs, and a kind family
in Paysandú.
Uruguay's ample roadside fruitstands reminded us of our first week out
of Santiago - tasty on the lips and easy on the wallet. Nice to be back
in good fruit & veggie territory. Pears, bananas, apples, tangerines,
oranges, carrots, tomatoes, and zapallitos (small round green squash
that taste like zucchinis) all very fresh.
Another similarity with Chile seemed to be the vitality of the central
plaza, especially in smaller, rural towns. Usually adorned with fountains
and statues and well maintained, the squares always provide great people
watching. We again got in the habit of cycling the mornings and lunching/siesta'ing
afternoons in the plaza. We met the provincial governor in one plaza and
the entire congregation of Seventh-Day Adventists in another. Nicole not
only received kisses from the chicas but signed autographs in return.
Montevideo
A very cool town. Old feeling. Even crumbly at times. The kind of city
that makes you want to walk all day through it and take hundreds of photos.
Much more subdued than its neighbor across the river, Buenos Aires. Kind
of like the difference between Lisbon and Madrid.
It was in Montevideo that we learned a new phrase, No hay drama
which literally means, "there's no drama," but a better translation
is, "no worries" or "no big deal." As in, that's what
the manager said when we asked if we could bring the bikes into the hotel
room.
We arrived in Montevideo on May 21. After a 115 km ride along Uruguay's
rolling southern coast our dogs were barking. We checked into the nearest
cheap hotel and crashed for a few hours. Woke in time to catch the end
of the Sunday night street fair and grab a rather large meal at the local
Chinese tenedor libre. Proud to report that the American team had
a strong showing - 5 heaping platefuls.
Next day we walked from one end of the city to the other. We strolled
through parks and along boardwalks. We perused the Museo de Torres Garcia,
one of the country's many celebrated artists, and the one whose face covers
Uruguay's $5 bill. We listened to a busker strum his guitar for sidewalk
cafe patrons. We ate panchos (aka., completos, perro
calientes, or hot dogs) at the miniature amusement park. We solved
the labyrinth in one of Montevideo's plazas. We watched the old men play
bocci ball in the park.
Having once more run our stomachs down to empty, we again filled up at
the very same tenedor libre. Mama always said, don't go messing with a
good thing. Plus, it's kinda cool to feel like a regular.
Paysandú
We had just rolled into town after our longest day yet on the road - started
at 8:30 am and got off at 6:30 pm, a total of over 6 hours actually turning
the cranks - when a van pulled up behind us. Turns out that Gonzalo is
a fellow cyclist and knew well that look on our faces.
We loaded up our bikes and made a quick stop at the market for meat,
bread, beer, and ice cream. Jackie, his wife, seemed happy if not a little
surprised to met us and immediately said, no, we're not to set up the
tent in her yard, that there was plenty of room in the house. Gonzalo
got the fireplace stoked and heated up the grill over it while I poured
the beer and tried to lube up the tongue for a night of Spanish. As it
ended up, not totally necessary since Jackie is an English instructor.
Her grandparents emigrated from England and so she grew up bilingual.
Their kids - Manuel (5) and Maria Elena (3) warmed up to us after the
first hour or so.
At their bidding we stayed an extra day. Gonzalo took us on a casual
20 km spin through the muddy countryside, along the rivershore, and later
through town. Later that afternoon they took us to "The Club."
Jackie's grandfather was one of the founders of the Paysandú Golf
Club. While it hasn't had a golf course for decades, it does have a nice
clubhouse and restaurant.
Termas de Guaviyú y Dayman
Up in its northwest corner along the river, Uruguay offers the road-worn
traveler a couple soothing rewards: Guaviyú and Dayman, two sets
of mineral hot springs. Indeed cyclist friendly, the springs, or termas,
are located just off the side of route 3, about 50 km apart. (There's
actually a third set of springs in Arapey, a bit off the beaten track
that we didn't get to.)
For a about $3 US you can enjoy the pools all day/night long. That's
pretty much what we did - soaked afternoons, evenings, and mornings at
both. Being late autumn/early winter, we had the springs almost to ourselves.
At Guaviyú we stayed in a simple cabin. At Dayman, we found a lonely
pool tucked back into the woods and pitched our tent right next to it.
After a morning dip at Dayman we somehow we managed to get back in the
saddles. We pedaled two more days and rode through the towns of Salto
and Bella Union and finally came to the Brazilian border.
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