Insured in Argentina.

We are now in Argentina fully insured. But first I hear you demand "what about Colonia del Sacramento?" Since you ask, yes, it was magnificent! A beautiful old walled city; part of it built by the Portuguese, part by the Spanish and now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Yet another highlight of Uruguay.

We parked for two nights within 500 metres of the old town centre beside the craft market and the stadium at S34.467982 W57.846875. A good place to park by the sea, with water and toilets.

And did I mention the cars? Throughout Uruguay we have seen lots of old cars. Not just "old bangers" but "vintage" cars that would be collector's items in Europe. Some of them seem to be registered and in use, others are just parked on the street, often in front of restaurants and some in scrap yards! There are also a fair number of odd cars in use, electric cars, three wheelers etc. Judy's favorite car (bottom right) was actually an open-sided car set up as an outside "booth" by the El Drugstore restaurant across from the cathedral. Having dessert and coffee in it was a fun experience. Make a reservation and try the chocolate orange crepes!

And just in case you missed it, we really liked Colonia del Sacramento.

We had intended to cross from Uruguay to Argentina at Fray Bentos (yes, where the meat pies and corned-beef came from). However the border is currently (December 2006) closed by Argentinian protestors who are objecting to Uruguayan plans to build a pulp mill.

So we had to drive north to Paysandu. You can not cross into Argentina without third-party vehicle insurance. We were told that you can not buy Argentinian insurance for a non-Uruguay vehicle anywhere in Uruguay! Luckily this turned out to be untrue.

You can buy "Green Card" third-party insurance, valid in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay, from the Porto Seguro insurance company in Paysandu at 1255 Leandro Gomez (S32.318500 W58.080477). The insurance is sold in units of 15 days for $75.00 USA. The person to talk to is Mr. Ignacio Acosta. Phone: 072 348551. Email: iacosta(at)portoseguro.com.uy.