Why go to Colonia again, you ask? Because you, by that I mean myself, a Canadian, can only stay in Argentina for 90 days. If you overstay your visit you are in for a lengthy ‘interview’ and fine when you do decide to leave. It’s more or less a stream of revenue for Argentina, Buquebus and Uruguay.
I am really trying to be as much of a ‘local’ as I can so I got up early to catch the bus to the port. At 7:00am the bus was full of young people going home from the clubs in Palermo. I got to the Buquebus terminal in Puerto Madero at about 7:50 and tried to remember the process for getting on the boat ….. good grief which lineup? O.K. buy ticket, done, go to the other line/window to pay, done …. then I need a cup of tea …. great, but didn’t I get another piece of paper last time? OMG! I need a boarding pass …. that’s what everyone else has been standing in line for, duhhhh! Alright, boarding pass ‘check’, off to security then customs then straight to the boat. It is 8:47 and the ferry is supposed to leave at 8:45, hahaha …. this is Argentina! We do leave eventually …. I never did check the time, but when I got to Colonia and started to walk to the old town my phone said”11:05″, it’s a one hour crossing!
Colonia is quaint and enjoyable and there is the smell of wood smoke in the air. It was a beautiful, cool winter day and if you have to go anywhere to get your passport stamped, there could definitely be worse places.
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