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Summer has definitely arrived here in Uruguay.
Last week was the official launch of the summer season held in glitzy Punta del Este. I made a little video to share with you. I may have my issues with Punta in high season, but really the beaches are just outstanding. The sand is so powdery fine. The views are stunning. And for history buffs, did you know that Lord Nelson's favourite ship is sunk in the bay?
Are you one of the lucky people here for the season ? If so you’ll find these links helpful:
If you find the above info helpful, you’re going to totally love The Guru’Guay guide to Uruguay waaaay more. Much, much more info, all organised for you (and plenty of white space—great for jotting in the margins and easy on the eyes).
It makes a great holiday gift, along with the companion city guide to Montevideo in both paperback and audiobook. You can get to hear yours truly 🍻 They have almost 200 five-star reviews.
Here in Uruguay, the nation holds its breath as the FIFA World Cup begins. In the first round, Uruguay played South Korea on Thursday (a hard-fought 0-0 on both sides) and plays Portugal next Monday and Ghana on Friday.
Uruguay has such outstanding players for a nation of 3 million. You may know that I come from Wales, which is also a nation of 3 million. Wales has qualified twice to play in the World Cup whereas Uruguay has qualified fourteen times. The Welsh team has a few star players and is made up of players from the second, third, and even the fourth divisions (I love this). All of Uruguay’s players are world-class, most of them playing for big clubs in Europe. Despite its pint size population, Uruguay has one of the most successful national teams in footballing history.
You know the expression: it's a small world? In Spanish, the expression is: the world is a handkerchief (el mundo es un pañuelo). Pretty cute. After football, Uruguayans’ next favourite sport is finding their social connection to a compatriot. Two Uruguayans find themselves in a bar. They’ve never met. The first thing they will do is work out who they know in common.
So of course the most Uruguayan thing happened to me on the morning of Uruguay’s first World Cup game.
Martín is a colleague I probably touch base with not more than two or three times a year, and usually via message. Last week I spotted him at the summer season launch in Punta, but we were both chatting. By the time I was free, he’d disappeared. This week I sent him a belated greeting on WhatsApp. His response arrived accompanied by a selfie. There he was, sitting in a taxi heading to the Uruguay game in Qatar, dressed in a Uruguay shirt, the colours of the flag painted on his cheeks. “Eduardo also says hi,” he said, and there—in the selfie—sitting NEXT to Martín was my cousin, Eduardo 😱🤯🇺🇾
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