We set foot on a new country today, Uruguay.
Uruguay is the second smallest country in South America and has a population of 3.4 million. Because of their free education, they have an amazing literacy rate of 98%! Since 9% are poor and 65% are middle class, it is a very stable country. I really liked Uruguay.
Beef is their number one export and pulp (for paper) is another main export. Originally there were no trees in Uruguay. The trees they use for pulp are an eucalyptus imported from Australia.
Uruguay focused on renewable energy after the 2008’s oil price spike and now wind power accounts for a significant percent of the energy Uruguay uses. Uruguay used to import energy and after they started using wind power they can export energy.
My excursion today was to a UNESCO World Heritage Site- Colonia Del Sacramento. I loved the 2+ hour drive to the site because the country side felt familiar and reminded me of a combination of the farms & fields around Turlock and the rolling countryside between Minneapolis and Fargo.
The number of folks on the tour was 12 rather than the usual 25-30. This meant we could take longer at each stop because there were less people to wait for.
This evening they had a tango show in the on-board lounge- I loved it and will need to figure out a way to see more when I”m home.
