South America | Argentina to Uruguay

On this morning we are crossing the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires Argentina to Colonia Uruguay. This river is a combination of the Uruguay River and the Parana River. It separates the borders of Argentina and Uruguay and opens to the Atlantic Ocean. It took about one hour for our ferry (Buquebus) to cross to Colonia.

We were greeted when we arrived in Uruguay by the family that would be hosting us with for the week. They took us into the old part of Colonia so I could take pictures. This place was amazing - I could have stayed there and taken photographs all day. Colonia del Sacramento was the only Portuguese settlement along the Rio de la Plata and was founded in 1680. For years it operated as a contraband port, evading the strictures imposed on trade by the Spanish crown. Today it is a resort city, a port, and the trade center for a rich agricultural region. I wish this area was close enough for photo shoots!

From here we had to drive a little over an hour to the ranch where we would be staying for the week. We stopped in a little town along the way to pick up another truck which gave me the opportunity to hop out and snap a few pictures. The schools in Uruguay are very crowded so students only go half a day. We were there around noon so the morning students were leaving and the afternoon students were arriving. What was interesting was their transportation. Almost all on bikes or scooters. We actually saw one scooter with an entire family of 5, but were in the car and I couldn't get a shot. This is a public school and the students wear white uniforms. They were so kind and loved looking at the pictures I took. This is a very safe town and they don't even lock their homes or bikes.

Here's our home for the week - Virgen De La Ayuda. Javier, who cooked amazing meals for us every day, actually picked oranges off that tree and squeezed fresh orange juice for us - awesome!