This past weekend, we threw all our cares to the wind, hopped on a plane and went to the most northeastern province of Argentina bordering Paraguay and Brazil. Nestled in this amazonian region is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the world, known as Iguazú Falls, and frankly, you really have to see it to understand. The beauty of this place has a way of knocking the words and the sanity right out of you. We also visited a Guarani village, the Triple frontier (a vantage point where Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil meet), a mate plantation, ancient ruins, and some beautiful jungle. I could not have asked for a better getaway, or a better group of people to take the journey with me. Enjoy!
PSA: The combination of midterms, travel, and being an inherently easy person to distract, I have, indeed skipped some travel videos, but I promise it is for your viewing pleasure that I am taking my time with both Bariloche and Mendoza.
Okay, playing on words is not my strong point. I get it. But this past weekend, I needed to get away, so Linette, Monae, Tiffany and I hopped on a Buquebus (a very large, airplane like ferry) and sailed across the river/ocean (there's an ongoing debate) to Colonia de Sacramento, Uruguay. Colonia is an old Portuguese settlement on the Río de la Plata. It is characterized by the historic buildings and cobblestone streets throughout the town. Our group stayed in Hostel Oriental, A beautiful turn of the century house situated in the heart of old town, with vaulted ceilings, original wood floors, a tiled patio and plenty of space. We were greeted by the owners, a wonderful couple that gave us a tour, settled us in and helped us plan our day. For those of you thinking about traveling through Colonia, hostels are an easy, inexpensive way to travel and the friendly easy going staff at Hostel Oriental is my recommendation.
We spent our long weekend meandering the streets in the town, admiring the buildings, the colors, the markets, and the way people stopped at a crosswalk. Smaller towns, even touristy towns have the advantage of having people that have not become hardened by the city. We met many friendly (and helpful) individuals. People seemed eager to tell us where things were, what we needed to see, and where to exchange money. I wasn't expecting much from the small town in Uruguay but it had a beach town feel. There were tourists, but it wasn't noticeable, I have a feeling very little could ruin the atmosphere of this town. We were content to cook dinner, try Tannat (the local wine) and watch the famous Colonia sunset.
