Mark and I at a restaurant in Punta del Este, Uruguay
Beach at Punta del Este with 5 Finger sculpture
Montevideo, Uruguay, from Sheraton 4 Points
We renewed our 90 day Chilean visas with a 3 day jaunt to Montevideo, Uruguay. It was more expensive than we planned; we failed to anticipate the expensive transportation to and from the Santiago and Montevideo airports. It costs almost as much the plane tickets! A luxury bus to Mendoza, Argentina is much less expensive, but consumes 8 hours each way.
Mendoza is appealing because it is attractive and has wineries and wine shops, tango dinner shows, festive pocket parks filled with pedestrians and mature trees, grilled meat restaurants, and stores selling native crafts and leather apparel.
Montevideo is a clean city with a waterfront partly decorated by an industrial port. It was one of the richest countries in the world, but the government arrested modernization with high spending, creating inflation and sinking the economy. The city has lost its glory and the tired architecture remains a reflection of the prosperous past.
Mary in Punta del Este Harbor near cruise ship
We took a bus to Punta del Este and spent the day in the seaside town that hosted the Uruguay Round (1986-1994) of international trade negotiations. The highlights of our detour was the 5 finger beach sculpture, cruise ship anchorings and encounters with mammoth sea lions.
Wow! If you have leave Chile every 90 days, at least you can plan for 4 interesting excursions a year.
If you come to Uruguay to renew again, stop by CoworkingMVD, we’ve got a mini-incubator running, with a bunch of web startups and freelancers.
Thanks for stopping by! The co-working concept sounds innovative.
Our 90 days will expire soon and Chile is ousting us from the country next month, so we’re going to Argentina. We’ll be in Buenos Aires at the end of March, so we’ll stop by afterwards. See you then!
Sounded like such a great vacation. South America is where I am hoping to hit up next and knowing that Mendoza is worth a visit is great. Hope the rest of your trip went smoothly.
Mendoza is great to visit, but is hot in January and February. In those months, the best places are Bariloche, Argentina and Viña del Mar, Chile. Check out our Alta Patagonia gallery and enjoy your trip to South America!
Montevideo, Uruguay is a perfect destination for travelers looking for a relaxing stroll past colonial era buildings and along beautiful beaches. Home to churches, museums, and theaters, at night the area comes alive with nightclubs playing Tango and Candombe music for crowds of dancers.