TRAVEL DIARY: URUGUAY

Uruguay has so many amazing areas to explore. The capital, Montevideo, has to be one of the most underrated cities in South America. The food was excellent, locals were friendly, and the city felt so honest and authentic--nothing about it seemed to be the least bit touristy. La Rambla is set between the beach and the city's perimeter. Walking along it, there's a view of the city's modern highrises alongside scruffy apartment buildings to one side. To the other, locals are sun bathing, working out or drinking mate--a drink even more essential to a Uruguayan than iced coffee is to a New Yorker. Along the eastern coast of the country, there is the ever popular Punta Del Este. I have often heard it compared to the Hamptons of South America, and perhaps the residential areas are, but to me the central parts of the city and it's beaches felt more like an uber-chic Miami. High season is Uruguay's summer--December to February--when many Uruguayans, Argentinians and Brazilians spend time in summer homes in the area.

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