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Uruguay

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Thorn

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My name's Adam, and I'm a US teacher living in Montevideo. My wife and I have been here over a year, and I'm still amazed that so few people know anything about it, and how great it is here...

If you have any questions about what to see and do when your boat stops in...just drop me an email! Be glad to help...

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My name's Adam, and I'm a US teacher living in Montevideo. My wife and I have been here over a year, and I'm still amazed that so few people know anything about it, and how great it is here...

If you have any questions about what to see and do when your boat stops in...just drop me an email! Be glad to help...

Hi Adam what a wonderful offer...Thank you... when you have time It would be great if you could start off by giving us some basic information..as to who what when and where in regards to your part of Uruguay..

Joey

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No prob Joey! Thanks for the warm sea breeze welcome...

Well, we've lived in Montevideo for a year. This is a great place to live and visit, but nobody knows it. I'm sure most folks consider it the least eye-popping stop on their South American itinerary...

We've traveled all around the country, including Punta del Este and Colonia--the only other two well know ports, all the beach towns, and into wineries and estancias, the other usual recommendations for visits. I could give people tons of advice on all of those things, so they could do it on there own...

Punta del Este and Colonia or wine or ranches can easily be done in a day, even if you only port in Montevideo.

Montevideo is where I could lend the most help, by letting folks know everything about the history and culture and giving them a full list of places to visit--beaches, museums, historical sites, viewpoints, shopping, sports, etc...

So, any questions folks have, I can answer for ya and enhance your visit, and give you a more real experience than the cruise boat tour... :biggrin:

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  • 2 weeks later...

My name's Adam, and I'm a US teacher living in Montevideo. My wife and I have been here over a year, and I'm still amazed that so few people know anything about it, and how great it is here...

If you have any questions about what to see and do when your boat stops in...just drop me an email! Be glad to help...

Hello Adam and thanks for the offer of help. I think I'll take you up on it. My partner and I will stop in Montevideo Feb 14, 12pm-8pm and we thought we could get a taste (literally) of Montevideo by visiting the port market and Plaza Independencia area. Since we've only got a few hours there before we head to our final desitination BA, I was wondering if you could offer us a few tips. We're 40-ish, love to try new things, up to lots of walking if necessary and we'd like to make the best of our short visit.

Thanks

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Hi Adam,

I didn't visit Montevideo on a cruise ship but came about fifteen years ago when American Airlines started service into Buenos Aires. They offered frequent flyer tickets for only 30,000 miles and that's all the incentive I needed. I couldn't find anyone to come with me but, since I spoke Spanish reasonably well, I headed south from San Francisco. I indulged myself and played the ultimate tourist - and had a fabulous time. Stayed five days in Buenos Aires, went to a gaucho barbecue, did the tango show, a cruise on the Tigre River, had a bottle of wine every day for lunch and dinner, ate the best beef in the world ( though I must admit Kobe beef is pretty darn good! ), flew to Mendoza for an overnight visit and drank malbec, went to Iguazu Falls - the most spiritual experience of my life - overnighting at the Hotel Internacional, then I headed to Uruguay. I spent one night in Colonia and three in the lovely city of Montevideo. What an outstanding sojourn I had during that brief stay in your part of the world. I saw Punta del Este during your winter - no jet setters cavorting about the beaches but I was so charmed by the beautiful homes. I found the most exquisite amethyst ring - I had read that, except for Siberia, Uruguay has some of the finest amethysts in the world....I wasn't sure my travel plans would ever include Siberia...and I was able to increase my collection of Artesania Rinconada animals from four to twelve!

I am still hoping to get back - time is running out - at 63, and having survived that tree falling on me and my van this month, I think it had better be soon. You will hear from me!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi all! So, after three weeks of giving walking tours in Montevideo, we have heard some pretty bad things...

Apparently, some of the cruise lines really like to put on the scare tactics to passengers--telling them things like, "don't wear rings or you'll get your fingers cut off by robbers" or "you can't walk from the port to the old city without getting mugged". We hope that this is at best an attempt to protect and warn people, or possibly just ignorance on the part of the cruise boats, but it sounds more like a devious way to get more money out of the passengers they scare...

I just want people to know that Montevideo is a wonderful city with very low crime and highly educated and friendly people. Port areas are seldom the nice parts of town, but during the day, Montevideo puts out hundreds of police who patrol every corner. Unless you make an effort to be in the wrong place at the wrong time with your valuables dangling for all to see, you should have no problem at all.

It's just sad that this country's reputation is tarnished while passengers pay ridiculous prices (most of which goes to the boat, since the cost of local tour agencies here is a fraction of those in 1st world countries). That may offer the comfort and security, but do not offer any authentic experience...

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