Backpacking South America

Rivera is a long detour from the well worn traveler’s path through Uruguay, but it was where we could relax and celebrate the holidays with friendly and familiar faces. My good friend Katie’s parents live in Rivera, Uruguay. So, of course, we’re on the same continent so we just had to see them. Please, we have all the time in the world. They graciously hosted us for Christmas and allowed us to stay as long as we wanted. Emily, her sister, was visiting after completing a semester in Buenos Aires. We felt so lucky to be welcomed into their home.

We had a great time in Rivera. It is small, but not so small, town directly north of Montevideo in Uruguay (about a 6 hour bus ride), but on the border with Brazil – which is why the locals call it the “frontera.” Upon arriving in Rivera, we decided to drive on the Brazil side of the border, because we could. For an American to cross into Brazil, they must secure a visa and pay an entrance fee or $130, which is a reciprocal fee that America charges Brazilians. (Note: this is the case when flying into Argentina now).

If you read our Christmas post you would know that we are in Rivera, Uruguay and spent the holidays with friends.  It was a wonderful week (plus one day) and a perfect place to regroup and recharge for the road that lies ahead.

It wasn’t your typical Christmas.  We woke up to 80 degree weather, managed to make some good Brazilian coffee, just in time for the electricity to shut off.  No, we didn’t have a turkey in the oven, nor were we without heat, but we were down a few fans, a breeze and a refrigerator holding food for 14 people (5 of us and 9 guests).  We banned anyone from opening the fridge until the electricity switched back on – as a power outage wasn’t uncommon.   Please keep in mind, Rivera is on the “frontier,” that is that it is on the border with Brasil.

We had good brazilian coffee and food.  We decided to just wait this out.  We were told the electricity goes out during a storm, but there had been no storm.  So, we just waited, sipped coffee, hoping the electricity would kick back on any minute.

We want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. We miss all our friendsand family very dearly and hope that you are spending this holiday seasonwith the people you love.

So you may wonder what we are doing for Christmas. Well, after a 3 hour boat ride to Colonia, Uruguay and a week at the beach in La Paloma, we have arrived in Rivera, Uruguay, on the border of Brasil (which we have crossed over to on several occasions), to spend a week at the ever so generous Falk compound (dear friends of ours from the states). We arrived on Sunday and have been given the grand tour of Rivera. It has been a very special visit for us as it is so very special to spend Christmas with such good friends when so far away from home. We have settled in nicely, now if only there was snow. There will be more to come on our stay in Rivera and our travels through Uruguay, so stay tuned.

We’re alive and doing very well. We’re still best friends and aren’t tired of each other yet. We’ve learned A LOT and lost a little.

So we thought the Post Office was bad… but it was nothing compared to thebank.  This is where I would say “there has to be a better way.”  After our experience at the bank, I feel as if I fully understand why people wouldn’t want to keep their money in the bank, because it’s near to impossible to get it out.  I’m not trying to judge, but allow for me to paint you a picture of what it was like for us.

Here we are in La Paloma, a small little beach town.  We are nearing the end of our stay and we still need to pay the hostel.  We realize that we need more Uruguayian pesos to pay in full, plus the laundry we had done (they don’t believe in charging their customers up front, so you always pay the day before you leave).

It was a nice morning in a walkable beach town, so we asked where there was a bank (there’s only one) and we walked downtown.  Up until this point, it must be noted, that we had had no trouble extracting money from any ATM in Argentina, Chile or Uruguay, big cities and small villages.

Prior to Christmas, we decided to get away and relax beachside in La Paloma, Uruguay.  A 3.5 hour bus ride from Montevideo, it was the perfect getaway.  With nice beaches, laid-back beach culture and good weather, it was hard not to be relaxed.

The first day was a bit cloudy, so we decided to take a leisurely walk along the beach, which was across the street and over the dune (less than 50 meters).  As we rounded the point by the lighthouse, we noticed an older man crawling up over a rock.  It looked like he was struggling to get up from a fall.  I assumed everything was alright – he wasn’t bleeding – but Carra, being a bit more compassionate, decided to check to make sure everything was alright.  Her simple ‘Todo bien? Necesita ayudar?’ started a half hour conversation in Spanish, which we successfully navigated.  We gather he was actually hunting for mussels.

That evening the clouds finally broke and we were treated to a spectacular sunset.  Unfortunately we still only had a disposable camera, which I’m sure annoyed the couple somewhat nearby.  After every shot, we had to go through the wind and click action.