And the winner is...Uruguay!

We'd heard mixed reports on Uruguay. Some people said a day-trip from Buenos Aires to the pretty Colonia del Sacramento was all you needed. Others labelled it boring and uninteresting. One person raved about its beaches and laid-back lifestyle. These reports only made us curious and, as I think any traveller should, we decided to find out for ourselves. This meant a big day of travel. From Iguazu, we jumped back on the bus for 17 hours back to Buenos Aires (first-class of course) which was followed by a one hour ferry ride across the Rio de la Plata. Warning: this post's a big one!

Our first stop was Colonia del Sacramento in southwestern Uruguay. At first glimpse, you can see why the 'Barrio Historico' of this sleepy little town is UNESCO heritage listed. We spent ages wandering the cobblestone streets, enjoying the colonial vibe and colourful buildings covered with creeping bougainvillea. While pleasurable, our wandering was also purposeful. Having not booked a hostel, we were trying to find one. For those who aren't in the habit of booking online in advance, this would be the place to do so. Furthermore, having arrived during the high season we soon realised we'd be paying a little extra. After many aimless turns we found two hostels, the first was booked out so we settled for the second. The rest of our afternoon and evening was spent eating and relaxing. We especially enjoyed dining al fresco at a little restaurant called 'El Drugstore' (random), where I had a delicious warm seafood salad (and copious amounts of sangria). Unfortunately, as there were three of us, we were unable to dine in the vintage car that sat outside - pimped out as a romantic dinner setting for two - but we happily settled for the table near the chilled out music guy and his drums.

Next on the itinerary was Punta del Diablo on Uruguay's east coast. Time restraints meant we had to toss up whether to go here or Punta del Este - a more expensive resort town, apparently resembling Australia's Gold Coast. This description made the decision easy. Diablo turned out to be our highlight. Another sleepy town, this time with a fishing focus and a touch of hippy, it is obviously a favourite holiday spot for Argentines and Uruguayans alike. We booked our hostel this time, a little one called El Diablo Tranquilo which was again a little over the budget but, being smack bang on the beach, was well worth it.  Bec and I learned our lesson when we attempted exercise, consisting of a walk to a more secluded beach, Playa Grande, and a wander through the nearby Santa Teresa National Park. After a wrong turn, our one hour walk became three, resulting in an impressive exercise pants tan line and a painful neck burn. At this point we decided relaxing on the beach was more our scene. And that's just what we did.

By far the best experience in Diablo was horseriding. Through the hostel we booked a three hour ride with Fabien, a local painter whose horses are 'my family'. Surprise, surprise, my horse had a mind of its own, but we got to like each other. Fabien took us on the beach and through the National Park, after which we stopped for biscuits and red wine and chatted about our lives outside of travel. Maybe it was the red wine, but my horseriding confidence increased ten fold, so much so that on our return, I galloped alone the Playa Grande shoreline, just like the movies! Very romantic. In short, for lovers of horses, good wine and nice company, this is a must.

Reluctantly, we said goodbye to Punta del Diablo and headed south to rough it in Cabo Polonio for a night. This place is only accessible by 4x4 jeeps (unless you want to walk 7km through sand dunes, not an option for us with our packs), and has no electricity or hot water. What it does have are stunning beaches and a sizable community of noisy sealions, a nice change from local stray dogs. A walk around town, a nice cold helado (icecream) and a trip to the lighthouse to see the sealions occupied us for the afternoon. This was followed by a walk on the beach where we examined various animals -  sealions, sea turtles, jellyfish - that had washed up on the shore. Not a pretty sight was two women hacking away at a dead sea turtle in a conquest for its shell. Some people will do anything. Like any tourist, a few sunset 'Funky Squad' shadow poses on the sand dunes were in order, after which we strolled, aided by moonlight and candles lighting shops and restaurants, to find a local haunt for dinner.

I said this would be a long post, and that was just the highlights. Uruguay went far beyond our expectations and I'd love to go back sometime. We did however have to get back to the big smoke to farewell Jules. As per our typical experience with public transport, this was not without incident. Lack of announcements (well that's what I'm putting it down to) meant we missed our ferry back to Buenos Aires which had Jules - who had a 12pm flight the next day - in a sweat. On the upside, those friendly laid-back Uruguayans had us on the late ferry and back in Buenos Aires at 'Desnivel' (our favourite steakhouse), before we could say 'where's my backpack?', which, having been loaded on the earlier ferry, was thankfully waiting when we arrived.

 The prize at the end? A bien jugosa Desnivel steak.