We spent 15 days in Uruguay and it’s time to review the big three B’s: Brilliant, Boring & Brutal.

The Brilliant

So let’s talk about what we loved about Uruguay.

1. People – The people were kind and helpful everywhere we went. We didn’t have a single incident of anyone going out of their way to be a “Karen” or creating any kind of issues. Generally, most people were friendly and talkative (in Spanish).
2. Beef & Veggies – The meat is outstanding, very organic and I can practically commune with the cow and the grass it’s been fed to produce majestic beef. The veggies are fresh and organic and loved every bite.
3. The Promenade – The “Rambla” is a large boardwalk all along the cost of Montevideo and it features a pedestrian and cycle pathway. Loved every minute of the expansive endless coast line and sea!
4. Museums – Many of the museums were free and interesting although some had odd hours or were closed some days – always check before going.
5. Wine – There are a ton of great tasting wines and they are relatively low cost too!
6. Art & Teatro Solis – The Solis Theater was impressive and great. Truly love the art scene here with various artists developing some really great art from hand crafted sculptures, paintings, T-shirts, jewelry and other items.
7. Safety – We kept hearing “stories” of someone somewhere being threatened by a man with a machete but never saw any crime or felt unsafe anywhere in Montevideo. There are a few homeless people so don’t let your guard down but we felt safe 99% of the time. Crime does happen everywhere.
8. Card Acceptance – My credit cards were accepted everywhere and didn’t have any issues with ATMs although a few expats we talked to said they had issues withdrawing money at some ATMs.

The Boring

Let’s talk about what we found boring and needs some improvement.

1. The restaurant scene is boring. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of great restaurants in Uruguay but the main problem is variety of dishes, expansion of different cultural foods, and more variation within menus. Practically everyone here has the same menu and there seem to be only four main food groups: milanesas, asados, chivitos, pasta. We ate at a highly recommended Indian restaurant run by actual Indians but the food was bland even after ordering “spicy” and we suspect it’s because the people here don’t like flavorful spicy food so it’s toned down and boring. The story was the same for other variations of food. We hope that as Uruguay grows there will be more food variations.
2. Punta Del Este – Visiting this seemingly large city with towering high rises along a very long coast you would think there would be a lively food scene and more things to do but it’s a tourist town and fairly boring if you go during the off season. We’re here in the winter and there is really zero reason for visiting Punta Del Este aside from visiting a few landmarks. The few restaurants that were open were good but not enough.
3. Apartments – We stayed in an apartment during our first couple of weeks here and it was a great little apartment but it did not have amenities like a gym, swimming pool or remote work office space. Many of the apartment buildings don’t feature any amenities as far as I can tell from reviewing property websites so if you desire a pool or gym you may be disappointed.
4. Office Hours & Services – Perhaps off season is different than on season but many shops or offices seemed closed during prime time and it was difficult to do things when offices/shops were closed. We arrived at one restaurant at 5 pm and were told they were closing and to come back at 8 pm!

The Brutal

Let’s talk about some serious transformation issues.

1. Dirty streets and trash everywhere. It was a bigger problem in Montevideo than Colonia or Punta Del Este but there is trash on virtually every street in Montevideo. Seriously, it makes the country look like an “emerging market” rather than the upcoming economic metropolis it can be. Easily fixed by picking up the trash, fining people heavily for littering and educating the population. Also, there is dog poop on every sidewalk, someone teach these people how to use poop bags!!!
2. Cost & Taxes – The cost of items is on par with items in the United States and Europe so don’t think you’ll be coming down here to save a ton of money. Exchange rates impact the “value” you derive from visiting down here but the real problem is heavy taxation of stuff. There is a rule/policy/law that foreign charged credit cards get a small refund and you’ll see that on our posted receipts and that helps a bit. Uruguay is known as “Switzerland” of South America and cost is the reason.
3. Closed Shops, Hard to Find Items – I travel with two carbon monoxide detectors when I travel and one needed a new AA battery. I had to visit a few stores before I found one that sold batteries and they were $1 USD each! Also had to travel to several shops to find a wine opener and several stores to find a network cable for a computer. Many shops in different parts of town are simply closed or have strange hours and we were told many people close shops and go on holiday in July. I had to visit 19 pharmacies to find a back brace.
4. No Mass Transit – Yes there is a bus system but with traffic it is slow, stops frequently and it’s often cheaper to take a taxi. If you plan on being here a long time, you will likely need a car to move about or be prepared to pay for taxis, Ubers, or wait on the bus.

Categories: Uruguay
No Comments »