Journals

Normal.dotm 0 0 1 850 4846 Social Sauce 40 9 5951 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false It's been less than 2 months since I've returned to the states from an international getaway, and already I'm aching to leave again. Where to next, you ask? Uruguay .    Piriapolis, Uruguay   "Uruguay has rich artistic and literary traditions, and in places such as Colonia del Sacramento, which is the oldest city in Uruguay and a UNESCO World Heritage site, colonial history and architecture spring to life. The capital city of Montevideo preserves a lot of charm. Traveling to Uruguay from Buenos Aires is a mere hour of ferry ride, and the experiences are well worth the trip." -- Sosauce Guide   This odd fascination with Uruguay started literally on the day they beat Ghana in the World Cup game. I was sitting at a bar with my friend Michaela ( Briefcase to Backpack fame) watching the game when I leaned over to her and said, "I'm just gonna root for my ancestors, the Spanish" then shouted "YEA URUGUAY" as the game continued. I had no other reason to root for this country aside that they were of Spanish descent, which I felt somewhat connected to having just returned from Spain .   Uruguay won the game, and I was ecstatic. I left that day thinking "Hey it'd be cool to see Uruguay." This little joke has now turned into a full fledged travel inspiration game plan, so to speak. I'm not sure if it was irony, or fate, or just pure coincidence but after that game, I felt EVERYONE was talking about Uruguay. In recent discussions with my Travel Geek friends , whenever I'd mention Uruguay they immediately responded with it being the most pleasant country to visit. Nothing but good things were said about Uruguay, and the more I learned about it the more I fell in love. I was hooked.    But of course, as with my last Spanish trip, one man was to blame for my travel inspiration: Anthony Bourdain .   I remembered watching the Uruguay episode of No Reservations and liking it. Tony was on a mission with his brother to discover their great grandfather's past having settled in Uruguay. They explored the nooks and crannies of the country, trying to learn why of all places had their great pa decided to come to Uruguay. They never found out. BUT! They did discover a new love for the country. I rewatched the episode recently, paying extra attention to where Tony went, what he ate, how the locals lived, the landscape, everything. I was determined to soak up as much info as possible. My conclusion? I gotta go to Uruguay .     Uruguayans love meat. I love people that love meat. I may not eat ALL meat, but I'm certainly known to be a fan of red meat. Having experienced eating pleasures of the pig in Spain , I'm determined to be more ambitious with my palette. So when I saw Tony hanging out at a "meat bar," I was in. Send me there please!     Uruguayans also drink "siete y tres" which is similar to "kalimotxo" in the Basque country (Spain). As shown above, Tony and brother are enjoying a local drink thats 7 parts red wine, 3 parts Coca Cola. In Spain I had this weird concoction, and though I was hesitant at first, upon first sip I loved it. So if I can go to Uruguay and enjoy some wine and cola again, with lovely people, sign me up!    You know what else is in Uruguay? PENGUINS! My favorite animal! Apparently penguins reside on the western coast of Uruguay but have been facing increasing difficulty surviving due to an oil spill a few years back. With remnants of oil in the waters of South America, often times it seeps into the penguins' coats, thus forcing them to swim harder and faster, but proving unsuccessful. It's been reported that dead penguins are washing up on the shores of Rio de la Plata which is quite frankly the saddest news I've ever heard. I'm determined to join an environmental organization while in Uruguay to help save my precious penguinos. You can all thank me later.      How will I get to Uruguay, and when? I'm already one step ahead of you. This is my plan:   Come this September I will have a full time job with salary, benefits, the whole nine so that I can save as much money as possible to travel for at least one month next winter. I want leave in December 2011 with a one way ticket: I'll fly into Buenos Aires, Argentina and spend roughly 10-14 days there since I've always wanted to see BA , then go to Uruguay for another 10-14 days. My idea is to see as many destinations as possible while I'm in Uruguay until I run out of money. South America is on my bucket list so there's no reason why I shouldn't try to travel as much as possible while I'm there anyway. Plus, if I've got nothing waiting for me back home in New York, why not stick around a bit longer and enjoy myself? That's one suggestion I learned after I got back from Spain - I was coming home to a lay off, no significant other, no business, just bills. I had enough money to spare that I could have stuck around Spain for another 2 weeks but I just didn't think to. So I definitely don't want to miss another opportunity to extend my travels next time around.    Work, save, travel. That's what it's all about from now on. So Uruguay, get ready! I'm coming for you!   If you’ve traveled, visited, or lived in Uruguay I want to know! Leave me some tips and words of wisdom so I can better prepare myself for this trip.