Day 2: Exploring Solanas (Saturday, July 26, 2025)

We decided to make it a rest day at our resort. Since James tends to get up a bit later than I do, I often ventured out on my own in the mornings for some quiet exploration before he joined me. We spent the day exploring the grounds of Solanas, taking an extensive walk to figure out our new home for the next week, and enjoying the amenities. The area near the highway wasn't much to look at, just roundabouts and sparsely populated, dense forest. The highway itself mainly led to rough, coarse dirt roads. For lunch, we went to a restaurant called Lobo Suelto, where we tried the national dish of Uruguay, the chivito. A chivito is a massive sandwich traditionally made with a thin slice of beefsteak, mozzarella, ham, bacon, and a fried egg on a bun, often with other toppings like lettuce, tomato, and olives. James had a vegetarian version made with seitan, a popular meat substitute made from wheat gluten that has a dense, meaty texture. For dinner that evening, James cooked a simple but delicious meal of soup and grilled cheese with local wine back at the condo. The staff at Lobo Suelto was very kind and patient with our attempts to practice Spanish, and we ended up being gifted an appetizer for our meal from the staff. We also visited Tienda Inglesa, a popular market, to pick up some essential groceries for our trip since our condo has a kitchen and James had committed to cooking. While shopping, we discovered Tannat, a deeply colored red wine grape that is considered the national grape of Uruguay. James made a simple calculation for the exchange rate, figuring we could divide prices by 40 to get a rough idea in US dollars, and we realized that most prices were similar to what we'd find at home. We even bought some Lays potato chips, noting that the Uruguayan version had far fewer ingredients than the ones we buy in the States.

Day 3: A Deeper Look (Sunday, July 27, 2025)

Our plan for the day was to head to Montevideo to check out the Botanic Gardens and figure out how public charging for our electric car worked using the UTE Mueve app. The app is a free tool provided by Uruguay's state-owned electric company, UTE, to help EV drivers find charging stations and monitor their sessions. After waking up I attempted to charge the car at the local ANCAP station (our car was running at about a third of its charge). I located a charger, but it wouldn't connect. I initially assumed the charger was the problem, but we were wrong. This issue with our car would end up becoming the main focus of our day. The stress and worry about the car's charge consumed our day, leaving us with little time or mental space to appreciate the scenery around us, which was a disappointing and unexpected turn of events. After this initial failed attempt, I returned to Solanas and waited for James to wake up to explain the situation. We decided not to waste the whole day and instead drove to a public charger in the government circle area of Montevideo, where the charger again did not work. We tried another charger, with the same result. On our way back to the airport, we stopped at a shopping mall to eat some Sbarro. We then went to a charger in Carrasco, but still had similar problems. A kind Uruguayan woman tried to help us, and despite the communication barrier, we both came to the conclusion that it was time to return the car to the airport. The Europcar agent, the same friendly person who had helped us a few days before, explained that this was a common issue with that car and replaced it for us—with a Chinese BYD. By this point it was late in the day, so we drove back to Solanas with our new (and hopefully more reliable) vehicle.

Day 4: Mid-Week Discoveries (Monday, July 28, 2025) After a stressful day with the car, I was eager to get out and explore with the new BYD. I ventured out early, before James woke up, and drove to Punta del Este. The drive was a pleasure, and it was a relief to find that the new car charged smartly without any issues at a public station. While it charged, I took a walk around the old neighborhoods on the peninsula. The sea was rough and angry, but I enjoyed the invigorating walk while chatting with my dad on WhatsApp.

When James woke up, I drove him back into Punta del Este for a road tour of the area. We also visited the famous Casapueblo, the former home and studio of the Uruguayan artist Carlos Páez Vilaró, which is now a museum and hotel. The building itself is a spectacular "habitable sculpture" on a cliffside in Punta Ballena. We enjoyed the incredible views from the concrete estate. While Carlos Páez Vilaró was a mentee of Picasso—which is definitely not our style—and his work was a bit lewd at times, it was a memorable visit.

That evening, we returned to Tienda Inglesa to pick up some white wine. It was a cozy night in, and we enjoyed the wine along with some potato chips while watching a show on the Steam Deck.

Day 5: The Full Experience (Tuesday, July 29, 2025)

This day was a meaningful one, as it gave us a new perspective on Uruguayan life. It started with a successful charge for our new BYD at the ANCAP station in Solanas. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this wasn't just a gas station, but a local gathering point with a café where both tourists and locals came to socialize.

For lunch, we found a vegetarian restaurant called Amorcito, run by a very friendly Argentinian man. He told us he had first sold food from the street before finding his dream in Uruguay. We enjoyed delicious cheese-stuffed pasta, which we ended up taking back to Solanas to have with some leftover soup later that night. In the evening, we drove to the peninsula of Punta Ballena to watch the sunset, which truly lived up to its reputation as one of the most beautiful in all of South America. The way the light faded over the vast Atlantic Ocean was beautiful. We had dinner that evening at Pizza Nona in Maldonado, a popular local spot. Although the staff did not speak English, we were making headways with our usage of Spanish.

With a full battery, we made our way to Punta del Este to see the iconic "Manos" statue, a sculpture of five fingers emerging from the sand on Brava Beach. We learned that the statue, created by Chilean artist Mario Irarrázabal in 1982, is also known as "The Fingers" or "Monument to the Drowned" and was originally a warning to swimmers about the rough waves.

From there, we drove to a shopping area in Maldonado, a city we've tentatively decided would not be a bad place to emigrate to. We explored the stores to get a better understanding of what goods are available to locals, which was a fascinating look into everyday life. We also noticed something new to us: a man helping people park in a neighborhood. We later learned that most cities have these parking attendants who work for the state and accept tips for their service. It's a system that feels a little odd to us but seems to work well here.

The sunset was the most memorable part of the trip. It was a sacred time for my husband, and the view was lovely. We noticed that it's a local custom to sip mate and chat while the sun sets, and while it was a popular spot, it wasn't crowded. We later learned that the sunset is also part of a daily ritual known as "The Ceremony" at the nearby Casapueblo. The ceremony, also called La Ceremonia del Sol, was created by the artist Carlos Páez Vilaró. Every afternoon, as the sun begins to dip below the horizon, a recording of the Carlos’ voice recites a poem to bid farewell to the sun.

Day 6: One Last Hurrah (Wednesday, July 30, 2025)

We drove into Montevideo for one last look around. We started the day with a delicious vegetarian Indian lunch at Namaste on Bv. Gral. Artigas. James had a curry that was a clear winner, while I opted for ramen. With our bellies full, we successfully charged the car at the government circle station—a huge relief after our previous struggles. The "circle" itself was a memorable sight—a large roundabout, reminiscent of a full-size Mario Kart track, with the impressive Legislative Palace, the seat of the Uruguayan government, at its center. This building, a National Historic Monument, was a great backdrop for our visit. We were again assisted by the kind parking attendants, who seemed to be everywhere. With a full battery, we headed to the Botanic Gardens, which we had planned to visit earlier. James took a ton of pictures of the native and foreign trees for his Master Gardener friends. The gardens were a beautiful, serene space where people gathered with their loved ones, and the atmosphere was very peaceful. While there, I was approached by a group of high schoolers working on a school project. They interviewed me about their constitution, a document they take great pride in as a protection for all citizens. We had read that education is taken very seriously in Uruguay and that they had fought through two dictatorships—one left-wing and one right-wing—to win their freedoms of and from religion. This conversation gave me an incredible appreciation for the Uruguayan people and their history.

After the gardens, we decided to drive along La Rambla, the famous coastal promenade. The views of the water were lovely, but the traffic was very busy, and we encountered some very trying sections where people were parked illegally".

We were both taken aback by how clean Montevideo and Punta del Este was. Everything seemed well taken care of and although there was graffiti and signs of wear and tear, it was still cleaner than what we were used to back home. There seemed to be decent public transit and well-maintained infrastructure, which made the city feel very livable. It was easy to imagine living here and ending a day with a leisurely stroll down La Rambla—the famous coastal promenade that stretches for miles along the Rio de la Plata. It would be a perfect way to unwind, chatting with friends and sipping mate as the sun goes down.

Day 7: Exploring Lussich and Pizza Nona (Thursday, July 31, 2025)

After another lunch and Amorcito in Maldonado and a visit to the mall, we spent the day hiking at the Lussich Arboretum, a large forest reserve that offers beautiful scenery and many picturesque overlooks. Our preconceived notion of Uruguay as a flat country was definitely proven wrong here; it's certainly not as flat as West Tennessee. We took a lot of photos, including some of local hummingbirds, which reminded me of my mother, who collects hummingbird trinkets in my grandmother's honor. She would have loved this hike and the views.

For our dinner , we headed back to Pizza Nona in Maldonado for a second time. It was a perfect, low-key evening to relax and enjoy some of the local cuisine. It was here that a local man approached us and, with an incredibly friendly gesture, seemed to want to send us off with embraces. It was a powerful moment that reinforced our feeling that the Uruguayan people are genuinely kind and welcoming to visitors.

Day 8: Final Thoughts and Departure (Friday, August 1, 2025)

After successfully charging the BYD that morning, we began the difficult process of cleaning up and packing, knowing that our time in Uruguay was coming to an end. It was hard to leave Solanas; despite a stiff, "mortuary slab" bed, Uruguay no longer felt foreign or strange.

After checking out at 10 am, we drove into Montevideo for a final visit. We headed to the Museo de la Memoria, a museum that serves as a powerful reminder of the civic-military dictatorship that ruled Uruguay from 1973 to 1985. The museum is dedicated to the victims of this period of "state-sanctioned terrorism," where the government systematically used violence, torture, and forced disappearances to suppress political opposition. We hoped to pay our respects and reflect on this history, but found the area crowded and were unable to find parking, so we had to move on.

We took in the last sights of the city as we drove, and eventually found ourselves at the same mall we'd visited before for our final meal. We embraced a taste of America by having Burger King for lunch. Afterward, we returned to the hotel and started to contemplate getting some rest, as we had to be up at 3 am for our flight home and a long travel day. The feeling of dread about leaving was real. At the hotel, the manager told us we would have a breakfast waiting before we went to the Airport. Despite some loud children in the hallway, I was able to get a couple of hours sleep while dozing to a movie.

Our Return Journey (Saturday, August 2, 2025) We departed from Montevideo's Carrasco International Airport (MVD) and began our long trip back home, filled with incredible memories. Our return journey was not without its challenges. The flight from MVD to GRU in São Paulo was quite turbulent, and we were worried about a short, 30-minute connection time. We were rushed from gate to security to an elevator and then to a bus to the airplane, with people shouting "James? Bogotá?" in heavy Brazilian accents, trying to get us to our connecting flight. We made it, and the rest of our flights to BOG and finally to ATL were uneventful. When we finally reached Atlanta, tired and late, we ended up on a three-hour tour bus of the airport trying to get from the international terminal to the rental car center. Once there, they charged us for the $300 intercity fee again. I reluctantly paid after our travel agent assured me they would repay me with a check. On our long drive back to Memphis, I stopped several times while James dozed next to me, and I was so relieved to see the "Welcome to Tennessee" sign and the familiar beginnings of Lamar Avenue. We eventually made it home to our corner house, tired but glad to be back.