Country #79: Montevideo: the last port of call

Sightseeing made simple.

Original jewelry by Cristina Schroeder

The Solis Theater, opened in 1856.

The final port of call and in all likelihood the subject of the last post of 2008 was country #79, Uruguay. More specifically, we stopped in the capital city, Montevideo. Like Valparaiso, this was once an important port city that lost its prominence once the Panama Canal was completed and trade ships could bypass it altogether. As a result, the once impressive Art Deco, colonial and neoclassical buildings have fallen into disrepair and the streets, at least on this Saturday afternoon, appeared eerily quiet. The only signs of life were a result of having two cruise ships in port, both the tourists they off-loaded and the multitude of police officers assigned to protect them. Some wise soul at the Montevideo tourism office came up a walking tour brochure, which a battalion of representatives cheerily handed out at the port, and also calculated every possible way in which a cruise ship passenger could wander off of the carefully designed trail. You could walk in any direction and there would be a bored cop ready to offer guidance, or as in my case accompany you, in the event you wander into one of the rougher neighborhoods. The walking tour, when properly followed, goes past two major squares, an outdoor market, an indoor market, plenty of once grand buildings and lots of shuttered businesses. It makes for a pleasant stroll, but the truth is there is nothing too noteworthy to see. Throughout the trail, we encountered friends we had met aboard the ship and were happy to join them for a drink or two, listening all the while to the street performers that frequented the tourist areas . Yet, the overwhelming heat was a sure reminder that our days of penguin sightings were over and it was time to mentally prepare for the end of the cruise, which would be the following day in Buenos Aires.

Seeing as there was not much to do or see here, neither for us, the indie traveller nor for the shore excursion folks, I am going to be generous and call this one a draw, leaving the final tally at NCL 2, Indie Traveller 4. Knowing what I know now, I would strongly recommend that anyone going on a cruise put in some time doing research about their destinations. Going on independent excursions not only saved a boatload of money (no pun intended), but in the majority of instances, led to a much more enjoyable, more personalized experience. The ship's scare tactics are nothing more than that. All the guides we encountered were extremely mindful of our schedules and usually even had back-up plans in place to ensure that we got back to the ship with plenty of time to spare. Plus, there is the good feeling that comes from contributing directly to the pocketbooks of the local people as opposed to that of a big corporation. That you can't put a price on.