Uruguay In Four Parts - Cuz I Said That's How Many It Needed - Parte Uno - Uruguay As A Whole

So I'm doing a review/my thoughts on Uruguay in four equal installments (we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all installments were created equal):

1. Uruguay - an overall review and my thoughts on what they're doing right or wrong as a country
2. Montevideo - thoughts on the capital city
3. Colonia - one word: chivitos
4. Punta del Este - best beaches in South America (so far)

You are now experiencing Part One. Enjoy.

Why I wanted to visit Uruguay

I decided I wanted to visit Uruguay when I was planning this trip over this summer of 2013 for several reasons. First, I wanted to visit all the countries that make up the more of less "horn" of South America, which is Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil, and sort of Chile, but whatever. I very much enjoy south South America as I find that the further north I get, the more dangerous it is.* Second, it's very easy to get to Uruguay (Montevideo or Colonia or really a lot of places in Uruguay since Uruguay is a small country), so there's a convenience factor. Seriously. You can take a ferry from BA to Colonia in 1 hour. Or to Montevideo in not much more time, maybe 2 hours. It's, like, right there. And it'll cost you less than $100 USD for a 1-way trip. Really, it became a no-brainer. Visit Uruguay. It's right there. Get a feel for the country and get that stamp on that passport. Third, well, I want to experience as much of the world as I can. So why not? (Yes, this statement is similar to #2 but it's not the same). And I forgot all my other reasons for wanting to visit Uruguay.

A little background on Uruguay

Uruguay is a "tiny" (big in spirit and heart) country in South America bordered by Argentina to the east, Brazil to the sort of north and west and the Atlantic Ocean. It is also tiny in population, having maybe only 3 million people. It's cute, with great places like Montevideo (its capital city), Colonia, Punta del Este, Punta del Diablo, and, well, other places? They speak Spanish and their accent is similar to/the same as Argentina's, that is, they make the double L (ll) sound like a "shuh"**, not the "yuh" sound found in Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Chile, and parts of the United States***, just to name a few places.

Now, some specifics...

What Uruguay is doing right

First, a disclaimer: To this point in my blog, when I am not in Argentina, you will see me make a lot of comparisons to Argentina, just like I made comparisons of Argentina/South America to India, as before this trip, India was my only prolonged time outside the country. It is only natural.

• Trade - Uruguay is doing trade alright, well, at least better than Argentina. They don't seem to have as many tariffs on their goods, meaning they can import more goods and provide a wider selection of goods for their people. This is a good thing. More sales = more sales tax, if they have a sales tax. I'm not sure if they do. And if they did like Argentina and had companies make their own versions of those goods, those goods would suck, or at least not be as good as if they imported said goods from real companies. So, good job Uruguay.
• Cars - piggybacking off of the trade topic, I saw nicer cars. I assume it's because a) it's easier import good cars, or at least cars people like and want to buy and b) Uruguayans have the money for it. And Uruguayans have a good sense of style. About the money, as always, one of my economic indicators for an area/city/country is the cars because they are so widely seen, so having seen some good cars in Uruguay, seems like their doing alright.
• FOOD - OMG THE CHIVITO. Have I written about the chivito yet? Oh yeah, I have, in my blog post On Why Spencer Burness Is The Greatest Human Being Ever. But yeah, over fries or "al pan" (in sandwich form, put seared steak, ham, egg, cheese, and an assortment of spices, sauces, and lettuce and tomato. Dee-lish. But Uruguayans have other good food like...well, they share a lot of the same food as in Argentina, so you'll find parillas (lots of meat), alfajores, milanesas (not as good as "El Club de la Milanesa" milanesas, but they're only human). One great thing you'll find in Montevideo is an abundance of hamburger/hot dog stands and they do hamburgers right. Same great bread as the chivitos in Colonia and they will load it up with spices and sauces and for you, and mozzarella, bacon, and ham if you pay extra. I mean, it's almost a damn chivito again. And the hotdogs aren't bad either! I did find sangria to be more popular in Uruguay than in Argentina. Wine, baby. What up.
• Marijuana - from what I can tell, Marijuana is decriminalized in Uruguay. You can "consume" it, but I'm not sure the laws around producing (growing)/packaging/distributing/selling it. I assume it's legal to sell (and, in the same way, consume) in small amounts cuz you gotta buy it from somewhere, right? I heard that even soon the state, the government of Uruguay, is going to take over producing and selling (so they can tax it) marijuana. Smart. Very smart. Good job, guys. Way to be progressive.****
• Weather - I was there during the spring so I did have great weather in Uruguay, so there's that. I heart they've got some nasty winters, though. So maybe winter there sucks. And with little else to do...
• Beaches - Uruguay got some great beaches. In Montevideo and Punta del Este you can go lay out and enjoy it. Lots of people are out walking/running/biking along the beach (I mean, LOTS of people in Montevideo. It's incredible.).
• Um, other stuff - I'm sure Uruguay is doing other stuff right. So yeah. Maybe I'll come back and update later if I think of more.

What Uruguay is doing wrong

• Population - you can always question the wisdom of "we need more people". More people means more resources get consumed, etc. I get that. But Uruguay could do with more. Really not because they only have 3 million, but because the ones that are there are leaving (or so I've heard). So, that's not going to bode well for you in the future.
• And, you know, probably other stuff. Can't think of more right now. I've written a lot.

My final verdict: lookit, I think Uruguay is cute. And I'd totally support it's application to become part of the US as the 51st state.

*Feel free to argue with me on that

**This is not the only difference in dialect, but it's one of the biggest

***That's not a racist joke, I'm just dickin around

****I mean, hey, it's getting legal in parts of the US, right?