Uruguay - Land wild and rough between Eucalyptus and Gauchos

Uruguay is a country, which is not very much attended in the world and not among tourists. I was around closely several times in Argentina and Brazil, but did not make it over to Uruguay. The country is listed as one of the poorer countries of Latin America. For me it is a cozy country and with about 3.5 million inhabitants not really overpopulated. Half of them live in the city of Montevideo.

It was winter when I was there first time and I knew it already from my visits in Argentina that winter can be really deadly there. One day sunny and hot with winds from the north, from Brazil. The other day heavy rain, cutting cold winds from the south (Polar winds) and from the west (Andes mountain snow winds). One can freeze to death with this extreme climate changes within a very short time. A temperature difference of 25 degrees centigrade within about 5 or 6 hours is clearly not unusual. This makes the land rough as it makes the people rough. But not at heart, only in their resistance for living in extreme climates.

Uruguay is a country of wood production. Centuries ago the country was covered by natural forests with mainly Eucalyptus trees. Eucalyptus is very heavy and it is easy to cut and work with when it is wet cut. But it is extremely hard and resistant when dry. Big parts of the forests were cut down for construction timber and also for firing throughout the cold winters. Over the decades the Eucalyptus timber was also very profitable for exporting it and so more and more forests disappeared over the years until almost nothing was left. Today they cultivate big timber farms and have Eucalyptus plantations all over the country. Fortunately Eucalyptus is a quite fast growing tree. And sometimes when you are driving through the country you can see the big excavator harvester, which cut and process each of these big and heavy trees in just a few seconds. Quite impressive to watch.

Uruguay is also a country of animal breeding. Wide ranges of open land allows big animal farms. Mostly they have cattle, sheeps, ostriches and horses. The bad consequence of animal farming is that the whole land is divided into parts with wire fences. This impairs a bit the impressive wide view over rough open land to the horizon.

Uruguayan gaucho

While traveling through the country side on sandy roads you can see lots of wood and animal trucks. You can find rocky hills and lonely farm houses. You can see bizarre formations of wood or rocks, formed by the weather. You can see beautiful rough land, clean air, grazing animals and with some good luck you can see and meet the Uruguayan gauchos, which care for all the different animals in the wide lands. Take the chance for a chat if you can get it. Maybe they will tell you stories from their hard, but free life. They are still the real “cowboys”. In my experience one can learn a lot of helpful things from them if you spend a lot of time out in the nature.

The Uruguayan people (Uruguayos) are very friendly and helpful. If anybody needs help, they'll get it. Many of them reminded me of my own countrymen. Distanced and cold looking at the beginning, but warm and openhearted after a few moments. Once I was out on the road with the truck and far from everything. I had a flat tire and not the right tools to change the wheel. It was late afternoon, windy cold and in very short time the dark night will come. There are not a lot of cars passing on this dirty roads, but all will ask you whether you need help. The first two that passed I thanked and thought I can fix it myself, but then I realized that I was wrong. Every minute I had less daylight and the next trucker, which came by, did not even ask whether I need help. He realized the situation and gave me a hand and also a working tool. In a few minutes the problem was fixed and I was able to spend the night in my bed instead in the car.

For people who like nature, pure nature and for those who can deal with extreme weather conditions from very hot to ice cold and rainy with fog in the night in which you cannot even see your own hands, I can really recommend to visit Uruguay and explore this rough, but very lovely country. If you go in winter, just make sure you have a dry and warm place for the night. It can be really scary sometimes. Explore the land by bike, camper or even by foot. For sure you will find lots of unforgettable places, people and moments and maybe also new friends, which you can count on.

Montevideo and the beach side I will introduce to you in later posts.

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"Patricia" the biggest brewery in Uruguay

"Patricia" the biggest brewery in Uruguay

A beautiful orange tree

Fresh vitamin C in winter

Sometimes palm trees between the Eucalyptus

Zapican, little village in the "nowhere"

Bizarr growings

Bizarr natural objects

A finca in the middle of nowhere

The "Ayers Rock" of Uruguay

The "Ayers Rock" of Uruguay

In memory to a beloved person.

Lima, Miraflores :: Memories and impressions of my first days in a new life

View from above the cliff

It was a step that I had in mind for many years. I guess I had it already before I started to study. One day as soon as possible I wanted to live anywhere far away from my home country. I always loved the sun, the heat of summer, the nature. It was at least only a matter of time and the commonly known “first step” to make it real. Since I had the big advantage to travel trough the world for many years in my job, I knew already a lot of countries and wonderful places. But it was some kind of a “love on the first sight” when I came to Latin America the first time. From this moment on it was clear that I want to live in a Latin country one day.

Beach walk in Miraflores with the historical Lighthouse

After lots of planning where and how, I threw it over board at least and made a more or less spontaneous decision to start my new life experiment in Peru. Why? Well, saw some good job options for me, had some contacts and never was there before. Though... I jumped into the cold water as I was used to do.

It was on a January 11^th early in the morning when I came out the international airport in Lima. I organized to get picked by a friend, but he was not yet there. I decided to leave the arrival hall to check the temperature outside. It was very nice warm, not really hot in the early morning, but it was clear that it will be the temperature I was expecting to live in.

Miraflores is like a big colorfull garden

After a little while my friend came and we drove into the city. Lima, a big city with about 9 million inhabitants. I was not sure whether I will really feel good in such a big city, because I prefer the countryside and most big cities I knew I didn't like at all. But I was in good hope for that. We came to Miraflores. “Mira means Look and “Flores” means Flowers. The district where one can look flowers and it was the very truth. One of the richest districts in Lima and the one all tourists know. Not far from the city center and at the ocean side. I had absolutely no orientation here and I was depending on the help and local knowledge of my friend. I remember it was in “Torre Tagle” street where I had organized my first room already from Germany. It was in the house of an elder lady who rented some rooms to tourists from all over the world. It was good for the first time until I knew what I to do next.

New designed parts of the beach

I just made a quick check in, threw my luggage into the room and then we went for a breakfast just a few hundred meters from the house, so that I won't get lost alone and to find some basic orientation. I bought a first map of the city and wanted to explore the near surrounding in a spiral way. It seemed not quite easy to get an orientation in that big city, but it also didn't make me nervous at all, cause my sense of orientation was always very good. Though, the first day in my new life was not very spectacular, but already quite interesting and nice. I planned my walking tour for the next day and my friend gave me some ideas where to go to see nice places.

Park of Love, Parque del Amor

Refreshed with a nice sleep and a shower after a really nice arrival day I started my exploration tour in the morning of the second day in Lima. First I tried to find the way to the coast. I was not far, only a few blocks, but needed to find the way there and to remember how to come back. And really after a few streets I was already at the cliff. Miraflores is above the cliff. It might be about 80 m on the highest point and quite impressive to look down to the ocean. Down there is passing the transit road from the San Miguel district to the district of Barranco along the green coast “Costa Verde”. Up on the cliff parks, only parks and wonderful walkways. A historical lighthouse, a paragliding start place, the Park of Love (Parque del amor) with the big and famous monument “The kiss” (El Beso). And beside all these beautiful themes a fantastic view down the cliff to the ocean and the green coast (Costa Verde). The Park of Love is called like this, because here the love carvings in trees and the love writings on walls are set as mosaics in walls.

"El Beso", The Kiss

Out on the peer one can see the well known and traditional seafood restaurant “La Rosa Nautica”. All this way goes along the upper beach road in Miraflores called “Melacon Cisneros”. It was hot and I was walking a lot already this day. I made some breaks on the way to enjoy the places, parks and views over the cliff. I decided to walk back to the room and continue my way the next day.

I was crossing a high bridge over the road that goes down to the beach road. Slowly I was wondering where this shopping center might be that my friend suggested me to visit. Anyway, it may come or not. It was just like being on vacation and I thought I may allow myself a few days of orientation before I start organizing other things. Lots of high buildings along the beach up on the cliff. I thought it might be a quite impressive view from the top on theses buildings. And while coming around the next curve I saw another park or something like this. I came closer and realized that this must be the shopping center my friend told me.

Larcomar

“LarcoMar” almost invisible from above it is a shopping center, which is in the cliff. Unbelievable and I never saw anything comparable before. It is a park on top and the center is below in the rock. It is awesome. Shops, restaurants, cinema, parking... everything in the rock. And a view, which is indescribably, over the green coast. I loved that place and it turned out that I will come back lots of times in the future.

It was the start into my new life and I felt every day a bit more alive and with a continuously growing drive. Lima became the city I love.

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	Larcomar
	Park of Love