Urug-Why?!

 Last week Tiago and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary with a trip to the Uruguay- Brazil border.  As exotic as Uruguay sounds, I can say now that traveling there was about as scenic as traveling through Nebraska or Iowa.  And I don’t know much about Uruguay, but there isn’t much on the border that we saw - no amusement parks, fancy restaurants, cushy resorts, etc.  Still, I’d estimate that every week, thousands of Brazilians and probably Uruguaians travel there - Rivera, Uruguay/ Livramento, Brazil.  Why??  Because the streets are completely lined with stores that sell various items (many name brands, like Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, etc.) for prices considerably lower than you can find anywhere else in the country - Duty-Free shops!  (In most cases, the items sold are commonly found in the US for cheaper still.  I used to wonder why my in-laws always wanted to go shopping in New York City or Las Vegas when they came to visit...)  Since we gave away/sold practically all of our earthly belongings in January and had yet to replace several things, and since I had never experienced shopping in Uruguay before, we were excited to plan our trip.  

The hotel restaurant barbecue

We knew in advance that the hotel we would stay in was no Marriott or Holiday Inn.  I would say it wasn’t even a Super 8.  In fact, had it been in the US, I believe it would have been shut down years ago.  The front desk had no computer system, just a paper calendar book with scraps of paper stapled to it for ‘reservations’.   There was an elevator, which had only a thin door on the outside that swung open.  It reminded me of the front door on a trailer.  The elevator itself felt like it should be in some scary movie where the hero gets caught in it with monsters tearing through the roof.  (The monsters wouldn’t have much difficulty at all.)  Then, there were the hallways and rooms.  If we didn’t know better, we would have thought we’d accidentally checked in to a hospital.  The rooms were small, some with a single bed (yes, A single bed).  Ours had a double.  There was a small, old school tv mounted on the wall, maybe a 15 or 17 inch screen.  Rather than a closet, there was a fairly decent sized wardrobe, and there was a small vanity that looked like it could be an antique.  And of course it had a bathroom, complete  with toilet, sink and shower.  Since it appeared to be clean (other than some spots on the ceiling) and it really was conveniently located right in the middle of all the best shopping spots, we went ahead and stayed in our little hospital - er, hotel room.  It was a great decision!!  After visiting store after store and accumulating several shopping bags worth of treasures, we were very grateful that we could then go back up to our room, drop them off, and relax for a while before going out again.  



 We found that despite many of the features that the hotel owners chose not to invest more money into, they actually did have a nice free breakfast buffet and restaurant.  For those that are curious, here’s some of the things they served:  Breakfast had sliced bread, ham and cheese, and sandwich grills for, well, grilling your sandwich.  (Yes, here sandwiches are often a breakfast food.)  There was also a bowl of fruit salad, several baskets with croissants and other pastries, fresh oranges and apples, dulce de leite (for spreading on bread or pastries :)), jams and jellies, and a few cereal options as well.  They also had a pan with scrambled eggs, which is not too common around here. 

Somewhere in this pile of meet was a cooked cow kidney.

Now, the lunch/dinner menu had the more unique and typical food options for the area.  Not unlike southern Brazil, apparently beef is a pretty big industry in Uruguay.  So menu choices included many different cuts of beef with various toppings, and one type of dish that relatives had suggested that we try:  Parrillada.  It is a type of barbecue common in Uruguay, and all I know is this:  When Tiago asked the waitress which option she recommended, she said that a certain one was most popular because it included less of the cow’s insides.  Yeah.  I’m not ashamed to say that we chickened out and ordered something entirely different the first day.  The next day, we toughened up our stomachs and agreed to give the Parrillada Light a try.  The waitress brought out a mini-stove-like serving dish with meat piled high.  Sausages, black sausages, rib cutlets, sirloin pieces, ... and a kidney.  I am quite proud that I tried at least a small piece of all but the black sausage (later I was told it was a type of blood sausage).  Sirloin - awesome. Ribs - great!  Sausage - eh....  Kidney - I think I’ll pass next time.  My personal favorite part of the meals we ate there?  The melted cheese appetizer.  A blob of melted cheese (I think provolone), sprinkled with oregano, and served by the spoonful.  Good stuff. :)

Best Churros Ever!

Seriously though, we had a blast!  I discovered that you can get an amazing dulce de leite-filled churro from the street vendors, and Tiago discovered that he could actually enjoy shopping with me for extended periods of time. We got to enjoy an audiobook during the drive there and back (7-8 hours each way), and it felt like Christmas when we got home!  New printer, my favorite Victoria Secret lotions, some toys for Lissie, some clothes for Tiago, a couple boxes of the best Alfajors I’ve ever had (they’re kind of like a Moonpie, only instead of marshmallow, they’re filled with dulce de leite), and other miscellaneous things that probably aren’t that interesting to read about, so I’ll stop.  It was definitely a trip unlike any other, and one of my new favorite South American experiences.  I’m grateful to my husband who made all the plans and arrangements, and to his family and coworkers who helped him know what to plan and arrange.  I would do it again in a heartbeat, creaky elevator, cow innards and all!

Lissie's favorite new treasure from our shopping adventure