A Year in Uruguay

Salto de Penitente is a 60 meter cascade in the rocky hills east of Minas. The falls are about 20 kilometers off of Ruta 8 on a good dirt road. The drive is quite scenic and the falls are nice. There's a restaurant overlooking the falls and a short trail down to the base. They offer horseback riding and camping (although perhaps not in the winter). There's a "panoramic" short-cut returning to the highway with great views on a rougher, but still passable dirt road. It made a very pleasant afternoon.

Admission: 10 pesos.

Labels: interior, Lavalleja, Uruguay

The ñandú [South American ostrich] may be my favorite animal in Uruguay. I've seen them many times driving through the countryside and it's always a treat. Last weekend at the Estancia los Morteros I stood quietly beside a fence and a pair of them came within 50 feet of me. Very cool!









Related posts:
Ñandú is good to eat;
Their eggs are huge.
In Patagonia we saw their smaller relatives, the choique

Labels: interior, Lavalleja, nature, rural, Uruguay

Once a year at the Estancia Los Morteros they make their own chorizo. Usually it's a mid-Winter activity (June or July) but the pigs had been troublesome this year so they decided to move the process to the weekend we visited. It was interesting to see and a good reminder that meat doesn't ultimately come from the supermarket.

None of the pig was wasted; most of it became chorizo, but the legs were salted to make ham and we ate delicious spareribs for dinner. A couple of big pots simmered on the fire for head cheese. The skins cured on the shed roof and the dogs ate the scraps. The chorizo, cooked slowly over embers, was great.


If you don't follow the dictum, "people who love sausage and respect the law should never watch either being made," you may like this video:

Labels: food and drink, interior, Lavalleja, rural, seasons, Uruguay, video

We had a great weekend with friends at their estancia in Lavalleja. It's in a beautiful part of the country, several miles from the nearest paved road. The land was planted in eucalyptus six years ago and now looks like a forest. Livestock graze under the trees. A dozen dogs and horses help manage the cows and sheep. A few pigs, chicken and ducks round out the animal life.

We got to watch chorizo being made-- from pig to parrilla. We ate tangerines straight from the tree to accompany fresh pork and cordero. The kids had a great time catching frogs in the pond and minnows in the creek and they were unhappy when they found the critters couldn't return to Montevideo as pets. The star-filled night sky was impressive.

We were all a bit sad when we had to return to the city. Now we have several loads of muddy clothes to wash.

See a photo album from the estancia

Labels: interior, Lavalleja, rural, Uruguay

Salus is the dominant brand of mineral water in Uruguay. The source is a spring in the hills outside of Minas, about 130 kilometers from Montevideo. The company has created a park around the source with gardens, nature trails, and a nice playground. Admission is free. We enjoyed a pleasant couple of hours there yesterday afternoon.

At the spring, they have a puma statue spouting water to feed a little pool. Plastic cups are provided for the visitors to drink from the lion's mouth. The plant itself is just across a courtyard with the bottling equipment visible through big glass windows.

The Patricia brewery is also on the grounds of the park.

Labels: interior, Lavalleja, Uruguay