A Rich Idea: Articles on Travel

Uruguayan Nightlife

I once read, when I traveled to Madrid, Spain many years back, that the Spaniards embrace nightlife unlike any other culture. I believe the exact statement was…”if you think New-Yorkers know night-life, you will quickly realize that the Spaniards know better”.

On my first day in Uruguay, after arrival, I ventured out at about 5pm to begin my language learning quest. And what better way to begin than at a bar, striking up conversations with the local patrons? I walked a few blocks and saw few bars but they were all closed. Must be the neighborhood, I surmised. I’ll go more downtown and hit the after work crowd. I passed many bars on the way there-nada. All bars were closed. When I got to Ciudad Vieja-the old city, a bustling touristy/work area, I found one bar with a couple of old cronies. Even the Irish Pub I found was closed.

Living In Uruguay–Richard’s Freakonomics

This is an article I wrote about the Freakonomics of Uruguay back in 2007. Some of the observations would no longer be accurate today (like the tattoo one!) ……but some would. Thus, I leave this article about Uruguayan Freakonomics here for a glimpse of the past and perhaps some revelations about the present.

I met a girl named Maria the other day which is not unusual because a large number of girls here bear that name. What was unusual is that Maria had a tattoo, or as Vince Vaugh’s character in Wedding Crashers says, “might as well be a bullseye”.

Why Choose Uruguay?

“Why Uruguay?”

“Uruguay…why Uruguay?” is the most asked question often accompanied by the confounded look of one trying to place Uruguay on their mental map. But the question is the answer.Read More

Punta Del Este, Uruguay In The Off-Season

Punta Del Este, Uruguay is unlike any other beach town in Uruguay.

Whereas most beaches in Uruguay are more laid-back and filled with actual Uruguayans, Punta Del Este during the South American summer is the hub of South America’s (and the worlds) elite.

My first exposure to Punta Del Este was not in the summer. It was at the end of September, the beginning of the springtime in Uruguay, when winter is slowly releasing its grasp on the cold weather. We were fortunate to have a good day at this time of the year and decided to take advantage of it with a visit to Punta Del Este.

Renting a Car (and driving it) in Uruguay

Renting a car in Uruguay is a tremendous way to get around if you intend to see many places in a short amount of time.

If you are simply going to one place (like Punta Del Este) for several days, it is better to travel by bus.

Bus travel is the most common way to get around for Uruguayans and, unlike most of the people, the buses are extremely prompt, leaving the station at the exact moment that it says on the itinerary.

Summer In Uruguay

If you read about my arrival in Uruguay, you know that I was greeted by warm people and cold weather. This ran counter to all my dim intuition which says travel south, get warmer. Well, thankfully, over time, the weather changes. Even better, the people don’t.

I would not like to be a weatherman. Everybody claims to be an expert in your field. I would not like it if I was an accountant and everybody told me that my credits and debits are in the wrong columns. But if I were an accountant, I would probably be right most of the time. Weatherman are so often wrong. Thus, people are compelled to prognosticate.

The common prognostication was this:

“We had such a long, cold winter that the summer is going to be equally long and very hot.”

Living In Uruguay: Introduction

Hello and welcome to the Living in Uruguay section of my site.

A while back, I decided to take some time away from the corporate workplace and travel to Uruguay, South America. My decision to travel to Uruguay, instead of other South American countries, was as much by chance as anything else (as you can read in my post “Why Choose Uruguay?“.)

A One Day Trip to Colonia, Uruguay

My Uruguayan friend Vicky and I took a trip to Colonia, Uruguay last week.

Colonia is town situated along the border between Argentina and Uruguay. Most folks pass through here on their short journey to Buenos Aires (the quick boat gets you there in just an hour). It’s well worth it to take the time to visit Colonia rather than just passing through.

Colonia is a strong mix of Spanish and Portuguese history. The two empires fought endlessly over Colonia like she was a woman neither could live without.