Surprised in South America – Three Times

Colombia, Paraguay, and Uruguay

By Sandra Scott

To escape northern New York’s winters my husband, John, and I spend three months some place warm. In 2007, our “winter getaway” was South America. While we had been to South American several times, during this trip we found some pleasant surprises.

The new Colombia

If ever a country needed a PR makeover it is Colombia. “I can’t believe you are going to Colombia?  Aren’t you afraid?” were the most common comments when people heard we were going to Colombia. With some trepidation we scheduled two weeks in Colombia.  On the drive from the Bogota airport to the Crowne Plaza in the center of the city, my first impression was very positive.  There were trees and parks along the entire way. We spent several days wandering the historic La Candelaria area with its colorful buildings and churches, visited the museum dedicated to Colombia’s artistic icon, Fernando Botero, and took the cable car to Monserrate topped with the El Santuario de Monserrate church which is visible from everywhere in the city. One Sunday we took a day trip through the tranquil countryside to Zipaquira, renown for the Salt Cathedral built entirely underground in a salt mine.

Medellin, “The City of Flowers” was a wonderful surprise. The city has an impressive location in a deep valley with high-rise buildings climbing up the hillside.  The hop-on-hop-off Turibus with a bi-lingual guide took us to all the highlights of the city for $6. One stop was at the Park of Wishes, which includes a planetarium plus a unique open area where people can observe the universe. Special benches and a large incline are designed for people to lie down to look at the stars. Eleven interactive scientific attractions are in the open area. Bare Foot Park is one of the world’s most unique city parks with water fountains, sand areas, a zen garden, and a guadua tree park. Attendants guide visitors through a series of relaxation exercises starting with walking barefoot through the sand. Adjacent to the park is the EPM Interactive Science Museum with a Van de Graaff Generator, Disney-like science-related rides, a centrifuge ride recreating the g-force experienced by astronauts, and 200 other interactive experiments.

Cartagena has really embraced tourism with cruise ships making it a port of call. The walled historic city is beautifully restored with a plethora of shops, restaurants, boutique hotels, and museums.  Hotels outside the historic district offer resort accommodations with swimming pools, kid’s clubs, and water sports.

At no time did we experience the “danger” so often associated with Colombia.   We hope to return someday to visit the archeological park in San Agustin with statues comparable in size and detail to the Moai on Easter Island and visit the Colombia’s Caribbean Island of San Andres. We stayed at the Bogota Crowne Plaza, Medellin InterContinental , and the Cartagena Hilton. For more information check www.turismocolombia.com.

Emerging Paraguay

The most frequent comment when we mentioned Paraguay was on our itinerary was, “What’s there to see and do.”  Paraguay has been slow to develop its tourist potential but there were some pleasant surprises.  The heart of the city of Asuncion can be toured in a day with one of the best stops the Casa de los Independencia museum, the oldest building in Paraguay.  But the best surprise was the day train trip to Lake Ypacarati. It is the oldest operating wood-burning steam engine.  The actors and musicians who accompanied the train were first-rate and didn’t even ask for tips.  On arrival at the lake there was a small handicraft market, a short indigenous dance presentation, and for $2 we took a bus tour of the area.

One morning we took a short tour to several small, quiet picturesque villages including San Bernardino on Lake Ypacarati where we were enchanted by the lakeside hotel that seemed frozen in time. Our time in Paraguay was short so we didn’t visit the Itaipu Hydroelectric dam and the missions considered the highlights of Paraguay but we hope to return, especially because we would like to take the multi-day boat trip to the Pantanal with the luxurious Crucero Paraguay, http://cruceroparaguay.info. From our hotel, the Crowne Plaza we could walk to the historic center and restaurants. For more information check www.senatur.gov.py.

Uruguay – South American’s best kept secret

Only one-hour by fast ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonial, Uruguay offers such diversity that it would be easy to spend weeks in Uruguay, which is what we did.  The historic section of Colonia is charming with cobbled streets, outdoor cafes, and a quiet ambiance.

Punta del Este is the “Miami” of Uruguay.  The land arm jutting out in to the ocean is dotted with high-rise hotels, including the five-star Conrad with a casino and nightly shows, a first-rate spa, two swimming pools, and a beach across the street. We saw the most spectacular sunsets from nearby Casa Pueblo, a meringue looking museum, hotel, workshop, and home of Uruguayan artist, Carlos Paez Villaro. There are seal and whale-watching boat trips, plenty of restaurants, art museums, golf and everything people need or want for a kickback upscale vacation.

Salto is an all-season destination due to the thermal waters. The Hotel Horacio Quiroga has three pools with pure hot water pumped from the ground.  It seems that they were drilling for oil in the 1940s and hit pockets of hot water, which led to the tourist industry.  The Quiroga has a spa, golf course, water park, sail boats, and a variety of evening activities including tango lessons.

We ended our visit to Uruguay with a few days at Estancia La Paz near Paysandu and didn’t want to leave. We loved watching the gauchos herd the sheep, relaxing by the pool, and watching the sunsets.  A wonderful place to totally escape. We visited the 5-star Four Seasons Resort in Carmelo, which has a strong Balinese influence, a beautiful spa, a casino – maybe the next time.

The best way to get around Uruguay is by rental car.  In most area the roads are good and there is so little traffic people waved as we passed by. Our accommodations were the Radisson Colonia which was excellent value wise as it is located right on the Rio del Plata and only a short walk to the historic district, and the Conrad in Punta del Este, ($195) the best “everything” place. For more information on Uruguay check www.turismo.gub.uy.

On previous trips to South America we followed the tourist route – the Galapagos, Easter Island, Buenos Aires, Carnaval in Rio, and loved it all. But Colombia, Paraguay, and Uruguay were wonderful surprises because they were “a road less traveled” and we knew so little about them that everything seemed like a new discovery.