The old city of Colonia is a picturesque colonial adventure with cobblestone streets situated on the bank of the Rio del Plata in Uruguay. It's one hour by high-speed catamaran from Buenos Aires and 2.5 hours by bus from Montevideo. Most people come here for an hour or two in transit to somewhere else. Here they catch the ferry service to Argentina, renew their visas, have lunch, or find a bus to other cities in Uruguay. And realistically you can walk the old city in 2 hours so why stay longer. For someone to spend a week in Colonia, like we do, is highly unusual, but well worth the stay. By sunset, the town is nearly empty of tourists. The serenity and peacefulness provide a meditative experience away from the high energy of Buenos Aires.
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It's understandable why Colonia's Barrio Historico was selected as a Unesco World Heritage site. You must visit Calle de Los Suspiros and other nearby areas below the Lighthouse as well as the Rio Plata Rambla. Outside of town, you can walk for 15 miles, exploring the many beaches and the Plaza del Toros under renovation as an outdoor concert and performance center. There is much to do in the area and doing nothing is a cherished past time.
It was worth a climb to the top of the lighthouse. From there you can really appreciate what a jewel Colonia is, as it spreads out from the water's edge. I just love the are. The air is fresh and the evenings could be dead quiet with a light breeze off the river, rustling leaves in tree-lined avenues. At sunset and in the early mornings, the old city was virtually empty of tourists. You can walk out on the docks and feel the winds that brought the sailboats from distant places. The vacated streets of the old city and the waterfront vistas are an unexpected delight. If you are a fisherman, you can cast your line into the river, and lazily dream away the day. And if you are a shopper and love exploring the side streets, you will find an artistic celebration in apparel that rivals the boutiques of Palermo Viejo and Punta del Este.
During the day it was possible to walk on the white, sandy beaches about 10km and back again, with only a few sporadic sunbathers to visually interrupt the lapping of the river on the shore. The river has a caffeine look of coffee con leche that contrasts nicely with the aquatic vegetation and the meditative, complacent shoreline. It was easy to forget what needed forgetting, forgive what needed forgiving, and merge into the picturesque, timeless moment. It was as rejuvenating as a full body massage to bask in the sun, roll in the sand, and talk to the clouds drifting over us. But would I give more than a toe to the river? Heavens no! That could wait for body surfing in the Atlantic and the cyrstalline, warm waters off the shores of Punta del Diablo. (Check out this blog). There are many ways to interact with the river. Watching the world's largest estuary drift by was just perfect for me.
In the evening there was always another sunset to applaud, each uniquely different from the others. One night there was even an amazing lightning storm over Buenos Aires to rival any thriller movie. And there was not a drop of rain, just the chill from icy beer to cool the evening night.
On yet another evening we discovered local birds returning to their roost. It was an extraordinary phenomenon with thousands of diving black forms, like bats returning to the caves on Borneo. Against the orange colored sky they descended in clusters in an abrupt, unexpected swirling formation. It was if gravity was pulling them at incredible speeds into a dark hole of trees that inhabited a small plaza. The air was alive with their music and whiffs of their excited droppings that covered 2 old automobiles from the 1920's. You soon realized that antique cars were not such an unusual site in Uruguay, many recycled and still of service with miles too many to remember. Others with parts impossible to find, were recycled into flower pots! Let the buyer beware!
And then there was that unexpected Saturday night happening where hundreds of locals gathered to dance to live bands which alternated hourly from midnight to daybreak, playing folkloric and cumbia rhythms. We were probably the only tourists there as this was not a must-see/do destination. We were there because we love to dance and enjoy sharing the energy of other like-minded souls. Taking a nap, from 8 to 11pm helped make It a memorable night. There was no pretentiousness about ability. With or without a partner, everyone was responding to the music the way your feet want to do. That night I appreciated the fact that Colonia and the surrounding agricultural community was a place where all the women were lucky with love and all the men were willing to dance.
These are the kind of experiences you might miss, traveling fast, blinking only once or twice as you pass through Colonia. I know that I'll retreat there from time to time, the perfect escape from the vibrant energy of Buenos Aires.
