Only a few days after Rachel's arrival in Buenos Aires, we took off once again for the shores of Uruguay, which is quickly becoming my FAVORITE destination in all of South America... The Buquebus ferry service from Argentina to the Uruguayan coast leaves a bit to be desired, but upon arriving, Uruguay is so beautiful, friendly, and quiet in comparison to brash, deafening BA, it makes the journey well worthwhile.
When I mentioned that we might be heading back to Uruguay, our gorgeous friend Tamara offered to put us up at her family's farm in Maldonado, Uruguay... just a few short miles inland from Sara's place in Punta Del Este. Tamara told me a few times that the farm is "very simple" and that she "rescued it" from complete dilapidation... I was under the impression it would be just a place to stay, nothing really special, which does not at all accurately describe the amazingly beautiful scene at La Masia!
Each of the buildings that make up the living quarters are about 100 years old, perfectly furnished and restored... In total, there is enough room to sleep 20 or more guests without much effort... The grounds are immaculately landscaped with lovely traditional brick patios, flowering jasmine, giant bougainvillea, palm trees, and a big swimming pool... The grounds are absolutely massive and contain a working citrus farm, with 1000's of orange and lemon trees spread across the back of the estate. I've never really seen anything like it....
We arrived late on Wednesday night, and the very remote location and pitch blackness made finding the place a bit of an event, but once we found it, we were in backwater paradise! We stocked up on groceries with the help of Tamara's fun and hospitable groundskeepers Carlos and Sarita (who live on the property in a detached house) and we settled in to our large and comfy rooms... I haven't slept so well in weeks: the quiet nights, clean air, and fresh sheets made for perfect sleeping. We spent our time either lazing around the farm or walking around down at the beach; we also spent one afternoon in Punta del Este with Serita brousing around the local craft markets... Our last night on the farm, Serita and Carlos came over to the main house with their son for a big barbecue; we had a lovely evening despite our terrible Spanish (Paul is getting so great with the language; I almost wish we had more time here for him to continue to improve!).
It was truly hard to leave such a tranquil environment and I am already looking forward to our next visit to La Masia! We are forever indebted to Tamara and her family for not only being so gracious and kind to us, but for giving us the opportunity to spend a few days in such a peaceful and beautiful setting. More soon! xxx Jason
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