December 16: What Yer Gonna Do in Uruguay?
I hadn’t planned to visit Uruguay on this winter’s adventure, or to be riding someone else’s bike for that matter. But with Adventure Baby still in limbo, I decided to head by ferry across the Rio de la Plata to Colonia del Sacramento and take my chances with a rental bike in the charming little river front town.
After sitting on the only motorcycle available to rent at the shop across from the ferry terminal and finding that I almost couldn’t touch the ground, I initially decided to rent a scooter. But after puttering a few blocks down the road on the rather heavy, clunky machine, I realized I’d rather channel my inner ballerina and stretch to reach the ground with the tips of my toes on the new, bright red DR200 than ride another block on anything else.
With my backpack strapped to my shoulders and my tank bag wrapped around my waist, I made my way on the shiny red machine under the arched branches of the beautiful, towering eucalyptus trees lining the Avenida Artigas and then increased speed along the Rambla de las Americas, following the large body of water formed by the Parana and Uruguay rivers.
Flowering vegetation along the sides of the road framed picturesque views of the silvery green river waters and white sandy beaches. Stopping briefly to walk in the soft silty surface, I hopped back on the bike with all my jacket and pants vents open, letting the air wafting off the water cool me down in the relatively humid afternoon.
Before boarding the ferry back to Buenos Aires, I strolled through the cobblestone streets of Old Town, checking out wares for sale, engaging in friendly conversations with others congregated outside restaurants, and picking up some juicy asado-style ribs and homemade chimichurri sauce to take back to the terminal for dinner.
It wasn’t how I had anticipated finally traveling by motorcycle in South America. But less than six years after learning to ride up my own driveway and having just turned sixty, I’m happy to say that I have now ridden by bike on all six rideable continents. What a great day!
