Difference between revisions of "Uruguay"

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|capital = [[Montevideo]]
 
|capital = [[Montevideo]]
 
|pop = 3,477,779
 
|pop = 3,477,779
|currency = Uruguayan peso (UYU)
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|currency = Uruguayan peso ($)
|hitch = <rating country='uy' />
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|BW = UY
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|TR = Uruguay
 
}}
 
}}
'''Uruguay''' is a country in [[South America]].  
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The '''Oriental Republic of Uruguay''' is a country in [[South America]].
  
More than half of Uruguay's population is concentrated in the capital of [[Montevideo]], meaning a very low population density in the country's interior. In the Uruguayan countryside you will doubtlessly encounter some of the most laid back, friendly folks you could imagine. Humble, generous and curious about anyone passing through, it is the people rather than the geography that make travel memorable in this overlooked corner of the continent. A stable, democratic country with low levels of corruption, high levels of education, and the noticeable absence of the class division, Uruguay is often called the Switzerland of South America. Check it out. The tranquility of the countryside and the openness of the people will leave an impression on any traveler.
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More than half of Uruguay's population is concentrated in the capital of [[Montevideo]], meaning a very low population density in the country's interior. In the Uruguayan countryside you will doubtlessly encounter some of the most laid back, friendly folks you could imagine. Humble, generous and curious about anyone passing through, it is the people rather than the geography that make travel memorable in this overlooked corner of the continent. The tranquility of the countryside and the openness of the people will leave an impression on any traveler. Uruguay is a relatively small country, so traveling from the top Northern city to [[Montevideo]] would not take much time. From [[Rivera]] (a border town with [[Brazil]]) to Montevideo it is about 520 km.
  
Uruguay is a relatively small country, so travelling from the top Northern City to Montevideo would not take much time. From Rivera (a border town with Brazil) to Montevideo is only 520 km.
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Even the [http://www.elpais.com.uy/informacion/hombre-hacia-dedo-nadie-paraba.html president is picking up hitchhikers] in this country (January 2015).
  
As far as hitchhiking/vagabond traveling go, Uruguay's a pretty easy place to hang out. Probably about 1 in 4 cars will give you a lift (outside of Montevideo). Unfortunately there are many stretches of desolate (but pretty) highway where you'll be lucky to see 4 cars pass in an hour. Expect long waits. The coast, from [[Chuy]] to [[Colonia De Sacramento]], is more trafficked and therefore an easier place to get a lift. The beaches aren't stunning but there are some cool towns, sand dunes, and even sea lions to be seen. Whether arriving to or departing from Montevideo, expect to use public transportation to get you into/out of town.
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==Hitchhiking==
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Regarding hitchhiking and vagabonding, Uruguay's a pretty easy place to hang out. Many Uruguayan locals have hitchhiked through their country, and have had great experiences and good rides. Probably about 1 in 4 cars will give you a lift (outside of Montevideo). There are many stretches of desolate (but pretty) highway where you'll be lucky to see 4 cars pass in an hour. Expect long waits. Next to that, in the countryside much traffic just goes to the next farm or ranch, thus local traffic is prevalent and short rides more likely than somebody travelling longer distances. The coast, from [[Chuy]] to [[Colonia del Sacramento]], is more trafficked and therefore an easier place to get a lift. Along the Interbalnearia some cool towns, sand dunes, and even sea lions can be seen.  
  
Many Uruguayan locals have hitchhiked through their country, and have had great experiences and good rides.
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{{Cities Uruguay}}
 
 
'''Chuy''': Right after passport control you can get a ride in about 5 minutes, unfortunately rides will be short most of the time, so try to get to Uruguay early in the morning, otherwise you will be stuck on Punta del diablo or even worst Castillo.
 
 
 
 
 
''''''Montevideo''' to Colonia and Gualeguaychu.''' Catch the Santiago Vazquez bus in downtown Montevideo Vazquez and Mercedes(not sure of the bus number though, you should ask) When you get to Santiago Vazquez cross the bridge and start hitching after the toll. If going to Gualeguaychu get off in the 2 and start hitching there. However it's strongly recommended to go to Colonia. If you're going from Colonia to Gualeguaychu hitch on the 21. Even if you will see the ugliest towns in the country and you'll get cider instead of water people are super nice.
 
  
 
== Sleeping out ==
 
== Sleeping out ==
Montevideo is the only city in the country where it's not recommended to sleep on the street. In the rest of the country, you can sleep rough without a care. Football stadiums are recommended. Scale a wall, watch out for night shift workers, and cozy up in a press box. Pretty luxurious. And you can shower at just about any service station for a dollar or two.THERE IS NO SHOWERS IN THE SERVICE STATIONS.MATTER OF FACT THE GAS STATIONS WON´T LET YOU USED THE BATHROOMS.THE COPS CAN BE A PISS IN THE  CITY.IN PUNTA DEL ESTE THE COPS STOP ME SIX TIMES IN TWO WEEEKS PERIOD.BUT ITS A GREAT DUMPSTER DIVING PLACE .MCDONLDS DUMP UP TO 40 TO 60 HAMBURGERS A NIGHT.SWEET .YOU CAN CAMP OUTSIDE THE CITY CENTER ON THE BEACH BUT WATCH FOR GROUPS OF KIDS AND STREET FOLKS.IN THE SUMMER IT GETS PRETTY PACK AND THE THE PRICES JUMP UP A 100 PERCENT.HITCHIKING IS NOT FAST.IN THE SUMMER TIME LOTS OF CARS WITH THE WHOLE FAMILY BUT VERY FEW WILL STOP FOR YOU.I WALK MOST OF THE TIME ,PEOPLE DON´T CARE FOR HITCHIKER MUCH HERE.MAYBE BECAUSE THE CRIME RATE IS SLOWLY GOING UP,OR IT SUMMER OR A FULL MOON GOOD LUCK
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Montevideo is the only city in the country where it's not recommended to sleep on the street, in the rest of the country you can sleep rough without a care. In the countryside, when camping out or walking through fields, be aware of (toxic) snakes. Football stadiums are recommended. Another option in the countryside is to do a visit to the local police office. They most likely might be bored and in many cases invite you for dinner and to sleep in the station, or to put your tent nearby.
  
== Food ==
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== Personal Experience ==
Don't forget to try alfajores, a cookie-ish delicacy. Opt for homemade ones or the brand Punta Ballena. And to maximize your experience, you'll need to drink a lot of mate. For Uruguayans, yerba mate is practically a religion. Everyone carries a thermos and a mate gourd pretty much everywhere they go. "Me convidas con un mate?" is a good way to start a conversation and make a new friend. If you really wanna make friends here, point out that Uruguay advanced further in the World Cup than its two football powerhouse neighbors. And of course, Forlan is better than Messi.
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''There is very few traffic on the Uruguayan highways, hence the fact that the entire country only has 3.5 million inhabitants. We could not hitch a single ride on that day, and so we called it a night after it started getting dark. The next day we walked and hitched, and walked and hitched...until a truck picked us up, and took us all the way to Montevideo. Which was some 490 kilometers from where we were standing. Hitchhiking in Uruguay is definitely better then Argentina.'' -- (Tony Tung)
  
Chivitos is also an excellent choice in Uruguayan food. More a fast food, Chivitos is huge flattened Sandwich, that consists of 3 to 4 kinds of Vegetables with a huge piece of meat. In towns, the Chivitos will cost around 65-80 Uruguayan Pesos, and in Montevideo or more Touristic Cities, it can range from 90 to 140 Pesos.
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''Traffic can be very low at times, as described above. Hitchhiking around the Ciudad de la Costa east of (next to) Montevideo seems to be very difficult, several times failed in hitchhiking between Carrasco airport and Atlantida. All other roads are fine, just be aware that anywhere outside of the cities traffic gets rare fastly, mostly locals driving to the next estancia. When waiting to get a straight ride to a next, bigger city, e.g. between Melo and Tacuarembo, one can wait ages. Hopping between estancias works fine, but even seemingly short-distance trips in the countryside can take their time. Notable, though, is that [[night hitchhiking]] works pretty awesome so far, from Paysandu to Montevideo it was no problem at all, and also from Rocha to Maldonado once it took me less than a couple of minutes to score a ride (given that traffic exists at that time of day). --[[User:Platschi|Platschi]] ([[User talk:Platschi|talk]]) 22:34, 21 December 2013 (CET)
  
Like in Argentina, Uruguay is also known for their traditional Barbecues. Specially in towns like Rivera or Tacuarembó, Barbecues starts from 6 pm and meanwhile everybody drinks, sings and dance until the meat is done, which will be already 10 pm. Expect to eat huge amounts of meat, specially in towns. One of their favorites is probably the Sausage that has cheese inside it. A delicious treat !
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Here is a short analyze of hitchhiking in Uruguay from [[User:Korn|Korn]] on [https://warmroads.de/en/hitchhiking-in-8-uruguay/ - warmroads].
 
 
Again, like in Argentina, the Dulce de Leche is very widely known.
 
 
 
'''VEGETERIANS''' can find pasta about anywhere for 5 dollars in restaurants, otherwise eat lots of fruits.
 
 
 
== Personal Experience ==
 
There is very few traffic on the Uruguayan Highways, hence the fact that the entire country only has 3.5 million inhabitants. We could not hitch a single ride on that day, and so we called it a night after it started getting dark. The next day we walked and hitched, and walked and hitched...until a truck picked us up, and took us all the way to Montevideo. Which was some 490 kilometers from where we were standing. Hitchhiking in Uruguay is definitely better then Argentina. (Tony Tung)
 
  
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==Other Links==
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{{nomadwiki}}
 
[[Category:South America]]
 
[[Category:South America]]
 
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[[Category:Uruguay|*]]
 
[[de:Uruguay]]
 
[[de:Uruguay]]
 
[[es:Uruguay]]
 
[[es:Uruguay]]
 
[[fr:Uruguay]]
 
[[fr:Uruguay]]

Revision as of 04:59, 5 October 2017

Flag of Uruguay Uruguay
Information
Language: Spanish
Capital: Montevideo
Population: 3,477,779
Currency: Uruguayan peso ($)
Hitchability:
Meet fellow hitchhikers on Trustroots or BeWelcome
<map lat='-32.6' lng='-55.5' zoom='6' view='0' height='300'/>

The Oriental Republic of Uruguay is a country in South America.

More than half of Uruguay's population is concentrated in the capital of Montevideo, meaning a very low population density in the country's interior. In the Uruguayan countryside you will doubtlessly encounter some of the most laid back, friendly folks you could imagine. Humble, generous and curious about anyone passing through, it is the people rather than the geography that make travel memorable in this overlooked corner of the continent. The tranquility of the countryside and the openness of the people will leave an impression on any traveler. Uruguay is a relatively small country, so traveling from the top Northern city to Montevideo would not take much time. From Rivera (a border town with Brazil) to Montevideo it is about 520 km.

Even the president is picking up hitchhikers in this country (January 2015).

Hitchhiking

Regarding hitchhiking and vagabonding, Uruguay's a pretty easy place to hang out. Many Uruguayan locals have hitchhiked through their country, and have had great experiences and good rides. Probably about 1 in 4 cars will give you a lift (outside of Montevideo). There are many stretches of desolate (but pretty) highway where you'll be lucky to see 4 cars pass in an hour. Expect long waits. Next to that, in the countryside much traffic just goes to the next farm or ranch, thus local traffic is prevalent and short rides more likely than somebody travelling longer distances. The coast, from Chuy to Colonia del Sacramento, is more trafficked and therefore an easier place to get a lift. Along the Interbalnearia some cool towns, sand dunes, and even sea lions can be seen.

Flag of Uruguay Cities in Uruguay

Sleeping out

Montevideo is the only city in the country where it's not recommended to sleep on the street, in the rest of the country you can sleep rough without a care. In the countryside, when camping out or walking through fields, be aware of (toxic) snakes. Football stadiums are recommended. Another option in the countryside is to do a visit to the local police office. They most likely might be bored and in many cases invite you for dinner and to sleep in the station, or to put your tent nearby.

Personal Experience

There is very few traffic on the Uruguayan highways, hence the fact that the entire country only has 3.5 million inhabitants. We could not hitch a single ride on that day, and so we called it a night after it started getting dark. The next day we walked and hitched, and walked and hitched...until a truck picked us up, and took us all the way to Montevideo. Which was some 490 kilometers from where we were standing. Hitchhiking in Uruguay is definitely better then Argentina. -- (Tony Tung)

Traffic can be very low at times, as described above. Hitchhiking around the Ciudad de la Costa east of (next to) Montevideo seems to be very difficult, several times failed in hitchhiking between Carrasco airport and Atlantida. All other roads are fine, just be aware that anywhere outside of the cities traffic gets rare fastly, mostly locals driving to the next estancia. When waiting to get a straight ride to a next, bigger city, e.g. between Melo and Tacuarembo, one can wait ages. Hopping between estancias works fine, but even seemingly short-distance trips in the countryside can take their time. Notable, though, is that night hitchhiking works pretty awesome so far, from Paysandu to Montevideo it was no problem at all, and also from Rocha to Maldonado once it took me less than a couple of minutes to score a ride (given that traffic exists at that time of day). --Platschi (talk) 22:34, 21 December 2013 (CET)

Here is a short analyze of hitchhiking in Uruguay from Korn on - warmroads.

Other Links

Check Nomadwiki for info on accommodation, showers etc. or Trashwiki for dumpsters...and share your wisdom :)