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Montevideo, Punta del Este and the Maldanado coastline, Uruguay
What a fabulous country this is and with only one day’s visit I know that it is a place that I would like to return to for further exploration. Then again just about everywhere has drawn my same response. Uruguay is the second smallest South American country with Suriname being the smallest. With a population of only 3.1 million and 1.3 million of them in Montevideo you can rightly imagine that much of it is unpopulated. It has a coastline of 400+ km, all of it beautiful beaches. About ¾ of the coastline is on the Rio de la Plata and the remaining ¼ on the Atlantic Ocean but the part that is on the river feels exactly like the Ocean. We couldn’t tell when we moved from one area to another, the river is so vast and sea-like. It is the banking capital of Uruguay and since it is also a tax haven it experiences a somewhat higher standard of living than that of some of its northern neighbours. Our excursion to Punta del Este included many of the amazing summer homes that Argentinians, Chileans and North Americans maintain here . Our guide told us that many Canadians have purchased homes here, too. The end result is that the area prospers but real estate has become far out of reach for the average Uruguayan with houses/condos in Punta del Este starting at $300 U.S. and the majority being north of $500,000. The average income in this country is $500/month so there aren’t very many Uruguayans found in the beach area except for rock stars. At this time of year the weather is a fairly consistent 25 degrees with cooling breezes and moderate rainfall and the countryside displays a green lushness that puts one in mind of Ireland as much as South America. It definitely has allure as a place to do a winter (in our hemisphere) rental as there are lots of very reasonable rentals and it would be a great place to make a base to tour the other northern South American countries. Something to think about for another year. We will be back here on Friday after doing our stop in Buenos Aires tomorrow so we are just going to wander on our own that day and take in some more of the flavour of the people, who are very friendly, and check out the leather and crafts markets as compared to Buenos Aires. I still think the best bargains are to be had in Argentina. The picture I am posting is of an incredible mermaid sculpture grouping just sitting on an outcropping of rock between two sand beaches on the Maldonado coast heading to Punta del Este. Love to all, Sally xoxo
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Montevideo, Punta del Este and the Maldonado Coast, Uruguay
Montevideo, Punta del Este and the Maldanado coastline, Uruguay
What a fabulous country this is and with only one day’s visit I know that it is a place that I would like to return to for further exploration. Then again just about everywhere has drawn my same response. Uruguay is the second smallest South American country with Suriname being the smallest. With a population of only 3.1 million and 1.3 million of them in Montevideo you can rightly imagine that much of it is unpopulated. It has a coastline of 400+ km, all of it beautiful beaches. About ¾ of the coastline is on the Rio de la Plata and the remaining ¼ on the Atlantic Ocean but the part that is on the river feels exactly like the Ocean. We couldn’t tell when we moved from one area to another, the river is so vast and sea-like. It is the banking capital of Uruguay and since it is also a tax haven it experiences a somewhat higher standard of living than that of some of its northern neighbours. Our excursion to Punta del Este included many of the amazing summer homes that Argentinians, Chileans and North Americans maintain here . Our guide told us that many Canadians have purchased homes here, too. The end result is that the area prospers but real estate has become far out of reach for the average Uruguayan with houses/condos in Punta del Este starting at $300 U.S. and the majority being north of $500,000. The average income in this country is $500/month so there aren’t very many Uruguayans found in the beach area except for rock stars. At this time of year the weather is a fairly consistent 25 degrees with cooling breezes and moderate rainfall and the countryside displays a green lushness that puts one in mind of Ireland as much as South America. It definitely has allure as a place to do a winter (in our hemisphere) rental as there are lots of very reasonable rentals and it would be a great place to make a base to tour the other northern South American countries. Something to think about for another year. We will be back here on Friday after doing our stop in Buenos Aires tomorrow so we are just going to wander on our own that day and take in some more of the flavour of the people, who are very friendly, and check out the leather and crafts markets as compared to Buenos Aires. I still think the best bargains are to be had in Argentina. The picture I am posting is of an incredible mermaid sculpture grouping just sitting on an outcropping of rock between two sand beaches on the Maldonado coast heading to Punta del Este. Love to all, Sally xoxo
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