Photo: Libertinus

1. Don’t… think Montevideo will be Buenos Aires

Much like Santiago de Chile, Uruguay’s capital city is close to Buenos Aires (actually much closer at 145 miles) but is also worlds apart.

Buenos Aires has been called South America’s Paris, but Montevideo doesn’t approach that scene…nor want to.

Do… enjoy the capital’s tranquilidad

You might first notice it when a car stops to let you cross the street.

Ask any Montevideo local to describe their city, and you’ll get the standard: “tranquilo.” Anthony Bourdain said it the best:

Montevideo is like BA…without the LA.

2. Don’t… stick with coffee

There are restaurants and bars serving quality coffee in Montevideo — even the McDonald’s has a separate café inside its Ciudad Vieja (Old City) location.

But if you don’t explore beyond the Western Hemisphere’s hot beverage of choice, you’re going to miss out on something special.

Do… drink mate

Tasting like a super-strong green tea, mate in Uruguay is more than a drink. It’s a way of life. People commonly walk the streets of Uruguay with a thermos full of hot water, sipping from their gourd.

Sharing mate is a ritual that can last hours and provides an excellent opportunity to get in with the local culture at ground level.

Warning: Although in other countries it might be tolerated, DO NOT move around the bombilla (metal straw) while drinking.

3. Don’t… expect diversified cuisine

Uruguayans are a conservative people who don’t seek out change. They stick to tradition and to what they know — and that holds true when it comes to food.

Photo above and feature: Vince Alongi

Do… feast at an asado

As with many events in Uruguay, asados (barbeques) are a prolonged production. But the rewards are great: relaxed times with friends, slowly (very slowly) cooked meat impossible to stop eating, and another view into Uruguay’s traditions and culture.

Don’t plan on stopping by an asado for an hour — it requires at least four. Send out an email to the very active Couchsurfing Uruguay group to see if they can organize one for your visit.

Other recommendations: empanadas and beef, of course. And don’t pass over chivitos — essentially a steak burger garnished (somewhat) creatively at times. Ask for the chivito canadiense, which comes with onions, egg, olives, pickles, and sometimes bacon.

4. Don’t… be satisfied with Punta del Este

This is Uruguay’s most famous beach town, catering to the rich, the famous, the tourist, and the backpacker at the same time. It’s rowdy during summertime when it fills with Argentines and Brazilians.

Clubs, beaches (including stretches with names like Bikini Beach), and overflowing restaurants make the months between December and March una locura.

Photo: Vince Alongi

Do… check out Uruguay’s other beaches

Keep traveling east and check out Punta del Diablo for a small fishing village environment with a few surfing beaches thrown in.

Again, be prepared for the crowds in summer, but with more of a backpacker vibe.

5. Don’t… go to Uruguay to save money

Compared to the States, Uruguay is still a bargain. But matched with other South American countries that doesn’t hold. You’re better off saving the dough traveling around places like Peru or Bolivia.

Do… feel safe

Barely trailing Asunción (Paraguay) and Santiago (Chile), Montevideo was recently ranked the third-safest city on the continent by the Mercer consulting firm.

6. Don’t… go looking for modern music

Again, in many ways, Uruguay can seem to exist in a time warp. This goes for the majority of the music you’ll hear throughout the country, whether on the radio in a cab or on the dance floor (indeed, it seems to be a regional phenomenon).

Do… prepare for your 80s fix

No joke — Uruguay is infatuated with the past. Take a Montevideo bus ride and you might hear a Peter Frampton tune followed by a Billy Ocean gem.

They even devote a night — La Noche de la Nostalgia (The Night of Nostalgia ) — to music of bygone years on August 24th each year.

Photo: Vince Alongi

7. Don’t… expect the mountains of Argentina and Chile

Um, because there aren’t any mountains in all of Uruguay. The highest elevation in this Missouri-sized country is about 500 meters (1,500 feet).

Do… explore the coast

In as little as a 30-minute drive outside of the capital, a chain of welcoming beaches begins — some surrounded by small cities or towns, some completely untouched by civilization.

These beach getaways are well worth the drive or easy bus ride.

8. Don’t… give money to Montevidean street kids

This reads harsh, but there’s good reason. Touristy sections of Montevideo are home to the planchas, a community of young people hooked on the drug pasta base and looking to do nothing else than buy more.

It’s an impure cocaine sulfate that takes a heavy toll on the body — one sign is teeth being eaten away.

Do… give food and time

They’d rather splurge on the next hit, but what they really need is food. Buy a couple empanadas and sit down with them; listen if they want to talk.

Warning: If it’s nighttime and you’re alone, it’s best to move on without engaging.

Community Connection

Now that Argentina’s decided to charge a $131 reciprocity fee for Americans arriving in Buenos Aires by air, Uruguay is looking even sweeter. Hit up Dominic with your questions before you go.

Photo above by Dominic DeGrazier

Sri Lanka. “Is that part of India?” people asked. A few others warned: “watch out for the terrorists – are you sure you want to go to a place so dangerous?”

Yes, I was sure.

But what about traveling through these lands when the terrorist group, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), had organized a few suicide bombs earlier this year?

A few years ago the “guerilla-ravaged” lands of Colombia gave me an amazingly different reality than what appeared on the television screen. Why not go for round two in another place?

I went, and I am very thankful for my decision. Here are 9 reasons to consider visiting Sri Lanka in 2009:

1. The Art of Smiling

If you have not seen enough smiles lately, go to Sri Lanka. The frequency with which locals will beam their brightness at you is mind-boggling. In a few days of venturing out of the capital city of Colombo, you will probably receive more smiles than you did in the previous two months back home.

2. The Land

Sri Lanka is a bit larger than the state of West Virginia. But this nation contains over a thousand miles of coastline, vast tea plantations in the mountains of the central highlands, rainforests, deserts, and brilliant beaches. Its three zones are divided by elevation: the central highlands, the plains, and the coastal belt.

Photo above by Dominic DeGrazier

3. Fruit

Kings coconuts are widely sold in road-side shacks. Costing roughly 30 cents, they are hacked open by a vendor, who will stick a straw inside and presto – you have a refreshing all-natural drink said to help with digestion.

Don’t miss the wood apple. About the size of a small orange with a rock hard stone-looking shell, this fruit is smashed down on a hard surface in order to be cracked open. The ripe wood apple is on the sweet side, and is best used as a jam. The unripe wood apple offers nature’s version of Sour Patch Kids. It’s an unreal nature-candy if you like sour flavors.

4. Friendliness with Interest

After seeing my friend (who is African-American and has braids), a Sri Lankan man in a restaurant could not stop himself from overflowing with excitement. He immediately began to say “Bob Marley!” over and over again while asking to take multiple pictures with my buddy.

In general, families seeing a foreigner walk by their home are inclined to invite them inside for a cup of tea. They want to hear what you think of the country and its people, and they usually get a thrill out of having their picture taken.

Photo above by Dominic DeGrazier

5. Architecture

This is a land of temples – Buddhist and Hindu. Some of these praying structures are magnificently large and visited by many; others are small and seemingly known only by locals. Don’t be surprised to find yourself unexpectedly stopping in a small village to see a beautifully crafted Hindu statue or other eye-catching structure.

6. Commercials

No joke – they are hilarious, as is much of the media. Picture a young girl sitting in the backseat of a car with her mother driving. They stop, get out of the car, and walk into a park full of trees. The child later drops her toy on the ground. A man then picks it up and hands it over with a smile. Next appears a close-up shot of the car’s wheels, for a tire advertisement.

The commercial was so unconnectedly entertaining that it was difficult to forget – like a few other Sri Lankan adverts. But that is the whole idea, right?

7. English Spoken Here

Due to the British colonization lasting over 150 years, a good percentage of the population speaks English – especially in the cities. When a traveler is lost or curious, the locals’ fluency in English comes in handy. A warning to those having difficulties picking up accents: some pidgin English is spoken here. My friends had no problem understanding from the start, but I was lost in this seemingly foreign language for a few days.

Photo above by Dominic DeGrazier

8. Surf’s Up

Sri Lanka has been rebuilding itself, with the help of many nations, since the horrific tsunami in December, 2004. In this restructuring, beach resorts – such as Awanatuna Beach – were built on the southwest side to cater to surfers from April to October. Waves are reported three to eight feet – substantial swells. The off season would be better for novice surfers as the swells usually come in at two to six feet.

9. Watch a Forming Culture(s)

Sri Lankans have fought for independence for more than 400 years, starting with colonization by the Portuguese in 1505, the Dutch in 1660, and finally, the British in 1796. Each colonizer has left its respective mark on the Sri Lankan society. A consistent example of one of these marks is a popular men’s clothing style: a sarong (traditional), accompanied with an incongruous collared shirt (British) to complete the outfit.

Since 1948, Sri Lanka has been a sovereign nation. In 1972, the country changed the British-bestowed name “Ceylon” to “Sri Lanka”, which roughly translates to “prosperous island.” Now, Sri Lanka is making its own way in the world, and figuring out who it is in the process.

Photo above by Dominic DeGrazier

Community Connection

For more on Sri Lanka, check out Hidden Hope: A Visit To A Sri Lankan Tea Estate, or several Sri Lankan blogs from Matador member khammons.