Yesterday was our first real day off since our arrival. We decided to take a road trip to Salto, on the northwestern coast of Uruguay. It took 2 ½ hours to get there, but the drive was nice. We thought the area around Tacuarembó felt rural, but halfway to Salto you could look for miles and not see another soul.
We decided to head just north of Salto to try and find the falls near the dam which supplies the majority of power to Uruguay. Instead of finding the falls, we ended up on a bridge that connects Uruguay with Argentina, and ended up adding another country of our list of places we’ve visited. The best thing about venturing into Argentina was the “wild animal” signs cautioning drivers to the nearby animal habitat.
Also near the dam and bridge was a roadside stand next to a woman’s house. She was selling freshly squeezed orange juice from the nearby orchards. We bought two small bottles (the fresh juice was poured into used soda bottles) along with some local canned mushrooms that I hope Sonia can help me find a use for. J
We also ventured into one of the hot spring areas (“thermals”) that makes Salto famous, or at least to Uruguayans. Scott’s guidebook listed this one as “the Disneyland of hot springs.” We weren’t sure exactly what that meant, but apparently that equates to street vendors and people wandering around in bathrobes. Needless to say, we didn’t end up spending too much time here.
May 1 is a national holiday here in Uruguay, as it is for most of the world. Apparently everyone spends their holiday either at the thermals, or in the local city park. Next to artistic and historical monuments were inflatable bouncey-houses. I think the locals were wondering why we got the giggles.
Seems nice!
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