B and I had to leave Argentina. We did not have permission to stay in the country for more than 90 days. Of course F, as an Argentine citizen, could stay as long as he wanted. Still, we took him with us when we left the country for Uruguay. Fortunately, the 90 days was soon after a 3-day weekend (Columbus Day), so we chose this long weekend for our trip. John left the night before for a 3-week trip to the United States.
When I had gone to Uruguay in the past, I had taken Buquebus. This time, I found that Buquebus was much more expensive than Colonia Express. So, I bought tickets for Colonia Express instead. Our boat left at 8:00AM but since we were crossing international borders, we were expected to arrive at the Colonia Express office at 6:30AM. We almost didn’t make it. I had set out the key to our apartment the night before but when the taxi buzzed our doorbell in the morning, I could not find the key. The boys and I looked everywhere. We couldn’t get out of (or into) the apartment without the key. We spent 15 minutes looking for it. Finally, I found it on the floor in the corner of our hall closet. B had kicked it there earlier in the morning.
Of course there was a long line at Colonia Express. A lot of people had decided to visit Uruguay for the long weekend. We waited to check in and then go through both Argentine and Uruguayan immigration. I was prepared with a thick stack of paperwork – our current passports, B & my expired passports that had our Argentine visas, and F’s legal permission for me to take him out of the country without his father (a requirement for Argentine minors). I also had the boys’ birth certificates just in case. We quickly passed through customs without a problem and then waited a short while before boarding the boat.
When I had gone to Uruguay in the past, I had taken Buquebus. This time, I found that Buquebus was much more expensive than Colonia Express. So, I bought tickets for Colonia Express instead. Our boat left at 8:00AM but since we were crossing international borders, we were expected to arrive at the Colonia Express office at 6:30AM. We almost didn’t make it. I had set out the key to our apartment the night before but when the taxi buzzed our doorbell in the morning, I could not find the key. The boys and I looked everywhere. We couldn’t get out of (or into) the apartment without the key. We spent 15 minutes looking for it. Finally, I found it on the floor in the corner of our hall closet. B had kicked it there earlier in the morning.
Of course there was a long line at Colonia Express. A lot of people had decided to visit Uruguay for the long weekend. We waited to check in and then go through both Argentine and Uruguayan immigration. I was prepared with a thick stack of paperwork – our current passports, B & my expired passports that had our Argentine visas, and F’s legal permission for me to take him out of the country without his father (a requirement for Argentine minors). I also had the boys’ birth certificates just in case. We quickly passed through customs without a problem and then waited a short while before boarding the boat.
We found 3 seats together on the boat for the 1+ hour trip across the Río de la Plata to Colonia. The first minutes were fairly uneventful. Then conditions changed dramatically. The boat started moving up and down a lot with the waves. B told me that his stomach had started bothering him. I knew from experience to take his complaint seriously. B has a sensitive stomach and has vomited on various automobile and airplane trips. I took him toward the front of the boat so that he could see outside. Soon an attendant passing by told me to go to the back of the boat, where he said the boat would be most stable. B & I promptly went to the back of the boat. I couldn’t tell much of a difference – the boat still swayed and jerked a lot. There weren’t any seats so we sat on the ground. Soon one after another passenger moved to the back with us. The staff was kept very busy distributing barf bags. Couples who had been affectionate and flirtatious and small groups who had been drinking mate had stopped. Everyone looked glum. People were vomiting (or almost vomiting) everywhere. My stomach started to bother me. I wasn’t sure if I was actually seasick or had gotten queasy because everyone else was feeling sick. B fell asleep on my lap. Surprisingly, he survived the journey without vomiting. When the boat arrived, B and I eventually made our way up to our original seats where we found a glum (and possibly green) F. He too didn’t feel well but he hadn’t been able to get to the back of the boat. F was very unhappy. He couldn’t believe that we had paid for that torture and that in two days we would have to make the same trip. As we gathered our stuff, someone violently wretched nearby. We were were glad to get off the boat!
After lunch, we explored Colonia a bit. It is really a lovely town and is very much a tourist destination. F commented on this when we arrived and said that Colonia doesn’t seem like a place where kids go to school. F was right. The family of the owner of our hostel lives in Punta del Este precisely because of the better school and programs for the kids.
I took a different approach to our time in Colonia than I usually do. Normally I try to visit at least one museum. This time, I let the boys be in charge and didn’t insist on visiting museums. The boys really enjoyed being in charge. We wandered the streets and arrived at a dock.
I took a different approach to our time in Colonia than I usually do. Normally I try to visit at least one museum. This time, I let the boys be in charge and didn’t insist on visiting museums. The boys really enjoyed being in charge. We wandered the streets and arrived at a dock.
After relaxing at our hostel for a bit (and playing some video games), we went outside again to explore. A major highlight of our late afternoon wanderings was the innumerable leaf cutting ants. The green on the railroad tracks are tiny pieces of grass carried by ants. We spent a good 20 minutes or more tracking the distant ant trails, trying to bait the ants to take grass that we cut, and other antics.