Montevideo, Uruguay
February 1-8, 2016
Montevideo is Uruguay's capital city and home to nearly half of Uruguay's population. The city is an eclectic place from its industrial port, to its colonial buildings, to its high end beach neighborhoods. Its hard not to make a comparison to its sister city Buenos Aires across the river and indeed, we found Montevideo to be a more relaxed and manageable version with a lot going for it. One of its claims to fame is the "rambla" a beachfront walking path which is suppose to be the longest in the world at 22km and currently on the list to become a Unesco heritage site. This is where you'll often see Montevideans strolling, exercising and lounging along the water. We spent a week in the city checking out its various neighborhoods, its markets, strolling along the beach and eating ice cream (again!) everyday!
Our Accommodations - Buena Onda Hostel in Pocitos
Through a connection we made while volunteering we stayed at this brand new hostel owned by three Italians (Luca, Lorrena and Carmine) who made us feel welcomed and at home immediately. Its located in a great neighborhood called Pocitos and near to the beaches. We had a great time getting to know the owners and everyone at the hostel.
Asado....Finally!
One of the most iconic dishes of Uruguay and Argentina is the BBQ meat extravaganza called asado. Its one of the most strongly rooted customs and acts as a symbol of friendship. Nearly no one prepares a barbecue for themselves alone. The barbecue is a reason to meet, an excuse for a get together and to bring together those who are separated for whatever reason. The role of the barbecuer ("asador" in Spanish) is fundamental to this social event and the one who manages the timing and to a certain extent, a master of ceremonies. A typical asado usually consists of grilling meat and vegetables and everyone contributes by bringing a variety of meats to BBQ and then is shared among the group. Asado can be a quick lunch break or can last until the wee hours of the night. We finally got our chance to experience our first asado at our hostel in Montevideo. We shared laughs and stories and of course a few beverages along with our asado.
Photo's of Montevideo
Carnival in Uruguay
Though its relatively unknown to the rest of the world, the Uruguay Carnival is the longest running carnival in the world with 40 days of continuous festivities and events from mid January to late February. Our hostel owners and a few other guests took us down to carnival where we experienced the events of "comparsa". These are groups of candombe drum players drumming their hearts out while beautiful women dressed in colorful costumes dance to the music.