Colonia is a beautiful old port city in Uruguay, well known for being the gateway to Buenos Aires. This small city is located approximately 2.5 hours southwest of Montevideo and has a population of 27,000 people. We arrived in Colonia in the early afternoon, and after checking into our hostel, we set out to find some lunch. After eating, we wandered around the city center, which proved to be quite tiny. The Main Street is cobbled, lined with restaurants serving asado, and tiny gift shops selling mate cups and straws. Aside from the gift shops, the Main Street reminded me a lot of Penticton. We arrived back at our hotel a few hours later, realizing that we had explored much of what Colonia had to offer, and we had 2 more days there! Because of this, we spent the next day cafe hopping, reading in the park, admiring the old buildings covered with ivy and the retro cars that have been turned into gardens, and reviewing the spanish that we had learned in the months prior to Brazil. We stopped in at an adorable restaurant called Lentas Maravillas, which was like stepping into someone’s home. The inside was filled with cozy chairs, a fireplace, and an array of books, while the backyard had delightful little tables overlooking the water. We enjoyed a delicious meal in the sun, looking over the pier, and my entire experience there could be summed up as serene.
Although Montevideo had proved to be much cheaper than Brazil, Colonia was a bit more expensive; therefore, we got into a routine of making breakfast, buying lunch, and then making dinner, in hopes of saving a bit of money. I was become increasingly frustrated with the lack of proper grocery stores in a country that felt first world in every other way. Every time we decided on something to eat, we were unable to find the ingredients, and we found ourselves back at square one. I was also frustrated because all of the cheap food was stuff that I couldn’t eat because of my (unfortunate) gluten intolerance. I’m used to paying more for food because I can’t eat gluten, but for some reason it was really bothering me the second day in Colonia. Nevertheless, I told myself to give up the grudge, embrace the Uruguayan way off eating, and enjoy the beauty that was Colonia.
Being that it is quite small, Colonia is very quaint. The streets are quiet, and it is possible to walk along the rugged cobblestones with seeing very many other people. We took advantage of this, spending much of our time wandering around, visiting the main squares of the old city, as well as the lighthouse that you can walk up in order to get a view of the entire city. Although this view wasn’t overly impressive, it was a pleasant experience. While wondering the colonial streets of Colonia, I also managed to stumble across a yoga studio that offered a nice yoga class, which I took willingly! The weather was beautiful for much of our stay in Colonia, and it is safe to say that I have fully embraced the 20-25 degree weather. However, on our final day in Colonia, it poured rain. And when I say pour, I mean that the skies opened up and a flood of water dumped down on us. After getting trapped in the downpour searching for food (of course), we dashed back to the hostel, returning with soaked runners and pants. Being in a small hostel, and a small town, meant that everyone was crowded around in the tiny common space in an attempt to stay dry. The instant the rain let up, Ryan and I made a mad dash for the ferry terminal, and although we were far too early, we were dry!
Within minutes of the ferry leaving Colonia, we were able to see the sky rises of Buenos Aires in the distance. I immediately had excited butterflies in my stomach; not only have I wanted to go to Buenos Aires for years, but we were doing a 2 week home stay and language school there, making it a much different experience from other cities we’ve been to in South America. After a painless 1 hour ferry ride, we were in Buenos Aires and on our way to the trendy Palermo area to meet our host. Her name is also Amanda (it’s not nearly as confusing as I thought it might be), and she is a native Porteño (what people from Buenos Aires are referred to as). She is an older woman with an adult son (30 years old) who lives nearby. Her and her 2 cats, Cotton and Chai, reside in a beautiful apartment that is decorated with some of the most eclectic artwork that I have ever seen; some of this artwork is from countries she has visited, while other pieces are works of her own. Ryan and I had picked Amanda up a ceramic candle holder with an incense as a thank you gift for having us, and as it turned out, she had multiple of these already and loved the one we had brought her. She clapped her hands, hugged us tightly, kissed our cheeks, and I immediately adored her. I’m not sure that we could have ended up with a more adorable host! Although we have stumbled through a few conversations, Amanda is patient with us and speaks slowly to help us understand her spanish, which is much appreciated.
After our first dinner with Amanda, set out to explore the Palermo area. While out, we came across a grocery store called Jumbo, which reminded me of a Safeway, Whole Foods, or Planet Organic. I walked into the grocery with my eyes wide, and the largest smile came across my face. For those of you who know me well, you know my love of foreign grocery stores, and let me tell you – this one made my week! From organized fruits, to gluten free cookies, to whole roasted chickens, to bottles of wine, this grocery store had everything a girl could want and more! I was in complete bliss, and after leaving, I decided that I was in love with BA. After our walk of the area, we headed to bed early to get a good sleep before our first day of language school. I was a bit nervous to be “stuck” in a classroom learning for half of the day, but it turned out not to be so bad. Our teacher was incredibly animated and engaging, the people in the class were dynamic and nice, and we were given frequent breaks. Although the jury is still out as to how much spanish I’m intaking, I’m doing my best to learn as much as I can!