Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

 Impressions: The section of the town next to the ferry port is definitely curated for tourists, which has both positives and negatives. Positives: very clean, beautiful, preserved history, lots of greenery and tall trees making a canopy over the cobblestone streets. Negatives: expensive, not very authentic. This town is a great way to step foot in Uruguay for a day when visiting Buenos Aires, but I wanted to spend more time in Uruguay so I used Colonia as a pleasant place to buffer my transit. I really enjoyed strolling through the beautiful streets, especially in the beautiful weather. I stayed at a mainstream hostel next to the town square and it was a pleasant experience, especially with the breeze coming through the open windows and the sounds of the town. Locals were kind, but again…tourism.

Safety: I felt extremely safe here! There are some small safety concerns in other parts of Uruguay (namely, Montevideo) but Colonia is known for being very safe.


Transit: There are two main ferry companies that operate between Buenos Aires and Colonia del Sacramento - Buquebus and Colonia Express. If prices are similar, I would recommend Buquebus, as it operates in a more centrally located part of BA that is easier to reach by public transit. I would also recommend booking directly with the ferry company if possible. I did neither of these (long story) and it ended up being a bit problematic. The ferry ride is about an hour and uneventful but my lord Uruguay customs was an absolute clusterf*ck. Prepare yourself for longggggg and chaotic lines to enter and exit the country.

The tourist section of town is very walkable from the ferry port.


Recommendations: I don’t have many specific recommendations for the town, aside from just walking around. Buen Suspiro is a neat little historical place to eat but is a bit pricey.













Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCT Info and FAQ Answers

Image
Not so shockingly, there are lots of questions when you undertake something like the PCT!  Here are a few answers to FAQs, plus some general background info on the trail, in addition to many of my own thoughts and opinions: Thru-hiking Thru-hiking refers to hiking point to point, without looping or retracing your route back to where you started. Thru-hikes are typically lengthy by definition. The Pacific Crest Trail is a lengthy for a thru-hike but not the longest out there. My first thru-hike was the Trans Catalina Trail (TCT) in 2023, which is about 40 miles. During PCT training, I completed the Nakahechi Kumano Kodo route in Japan (a little over 40 mi) and Tyler and I completed the West Highland Way in Scotland (around 100 mi). Tyler hiked around 200 mi on a route of the Camino de Santiago (I was injured so I did not). In addition to full thru-hikes, we also hiked sections of the AZT and multi-day loops/out and back trails. Other very well-known thru-hikes in the US include: App...
Read more

Fiji Layover

Image
  I was pumped for my 18 hour layover in Fiji but after looking into transit from the airport, I found that the taxis were very expensive and scammy. After my recent travel days in Malaysia I decided I really didn’t want to deal with that, and local buses seemed way too unreliable and difficult to figure out (after being there, can confirm I never would have figured them out)…so I ended up deciding not to withdraw any cash and to just walk to the closest beach…which ended up being on a private island where season 5 of Love Island USA was filmed. Security tried to kick me off the island but I made up a really elaborate lie and they let me stay but the beach was not very nice and I mostly just laid in the sand and read to pass the time (was also being watched by a camera the entire time). The hour long walk from the airport (and back) was kinda cool tho, bc I got to walk through a local neighborhood and had pretty views during the morning golden hour
Read more

Tokyo, Japan

Image
  Notes from the journal: • Tyler and I took an overnight Flix bus from Vegas to Union Station in LA and then took public transit to LAX • We did our first of many preparations for airport weigh ins by putting on jackets and putting heavy items in pockets so we looked like the Michelin Man :) we checked in at the counter and found out we were unfortunately not sitting together for the 12 hr flight but we both had aisle seats and Tyler was sitting directly behind me • I was exhausted from the all-nighter so I took a nap at the gate and when Tyler woke me up to board I swear to god I have never been more disoriented in my entire life…I thought we had a kid named Tyler?? So I started panicking and asking where Tyler was, which obviously confused Tyler and then I asked if we had a kid and he said no, so I don’t know what that was but it was a hell of a way to wake up • Took off around 10:30 am on 5/13 and landed around 2:30 pm on 5/14 5/14 • Went through customs, did an ATM withdrawal,...
Read more