Uruguay and Wellness

Uruguay...the first time I went was to visit one of my oldest and closest friends who had moved there to live on a working farm with her family. I'd heard all the comments about how it is a province of Argentina, even though the Uruguayans don't necessarily like to hear that. It's just a similar accent in Spanish and somewhat similar lifestyle - perhaps because the Argentines started going to the beach in Punta del Este a few decades ago and turned it into the go-to summer destination. Alas, I first went there during off season, so the images below are glimpses of what I saw. We managed to find one or two places still open in Jose Ignacio to explore the area for a day or two. When I think of Uruguay, I think of endless skies and sunsets, rustic, rural settings, horses, dogs and olive groves, similar to California. I think of green and hills and pastoral settings outside of Montevideo and Punta. Driving through the small towns and villages you still see quaint and charming buildings and dwellings. Visiting Colonia, across the river from Buenos Aires, is a stroll through an enchanting area of coffee shops and posadas to stay overnight or for the weekend and a treasure for visual arts lovers like myself. 

I helped my friend run an olive oil business for a while as we were focused on nutraceuticals. Uruguay is such a fascinating place and lots of wellness seekers like ourselves are to be found there. The land there is incredibly special, you see lots of cairns like in Ireland, a good many permaculture farms and off-grid lifestyles. You can find healers specializing in alternative energy therapies. The expat community is made up of a lot of people who were drawn here for these reasons - a healthy, uncontaminated and peaceful lifestyle. There's a reason why the Dalai Lama chose a rural setting in the country for a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of sorts. Nothing is flashy or bling, but rather very natural and in tune with the local environment. The landscape is gorgeous with horses everywhere and a population still very in tune with these animals. I saw this all with my own eyes and experienced all of it. That must be why I kept going back as it just drew me right in.