Greetings, all

20Questions · Member

Greetings, all

Brian · Veteran Member

Hey 20Qs... Thanks for following us. We're hoping that this forum grows to be a good source for both seekers and givers. We've only been here for about 5 months now, so we are by far not the experts...

What we had planned to do upon arriving here was to stay in Montevideo for the first 6 months, during that time travel and look at the different small towns until we found a place we liked, then bounce out of the city to someplace quieter. Because we have another baby on the way, we've decided to stay in Montevideo until our baby is born, then continue on with our journey.

From the info we found online, Pocitos (in Montevideo) seemed like it would be a good fit... so when we got here, that's where we looked and ended up getting a place. I'm glad we ended up here in Pocitos. We are right on the boarder of Punta Carretas. I play music, sing and rock the stereo quite loud and we live in an apartment. The cool thing about the majority of buildings here (apartments and houses) is, they are mostly made of concrete and cinder block. We've only lived in our place, but we can't hear a thing from our next-door neighbors... The only thing we hear from the people above us is the "click clock" of high-heels every once in a while when they throw parties (but we don't hear the party)... The only place sound escapes our apartment is through the sliding glass doors and regular doors for coming in and out of our place.

The one disappointing thing about Pocitos is the beach. It looks like they recently imported a lot of fresh sand which is nice... but the amount of trash that washes up on the beach is gross (it tends to collect at the west end of the beach). No worries though, the water to the east cleans up dramatically and turns into the beautiful blue Atlantic and the beaches turn pristine.

The best part about our location is that we are within a 5 block radius of anything we could want or need. I hope this helps...

20Questions · Member

Thanks, Brian. Sounds nice in many ways. We all look forward to you folks' finding a better location for your needs. I guess anywhere actually in Mvd is going to be beyond the budget of many. I read somewhere of some cheap, basic, but perfectly OK locations just west of the city but have lost track if it.

Brian · Veteran Member

Montevideo is not cheap. Montevideo is a lot less expensive than Southern California... I would compare the prices to the middle class areas of Kansas City MO. The cool thing is, pretty much most places outside of Montevideo get less expensive, to a lot less expensive...

20Questions · Member

Maybe Salto is the promised land. Quotes with comments from my last "EXPATiations" email roundup:

http://www.liveandinvestoverseas.com/uruguaybudget.html
`If city living is more your style, I’d recommend Salto. Located about 300 miles upriver from Montevideo , Salto is like a mini version of the capital city. Just about every major store that has a branch in Montevideo has one in Salto as well. What Salto doesn’t have is Montevideo ’s crime, property prices, or tax rates. You’ll notice a markedly lower cost of living.
`While Salto may be “self-contained”, it’s not convenient to the international airport, which is a seven-hour bus ride away.'
($83/mo for property taxes??????????)

SALTO IS OPPOSITE A MUCH LARGE ARGENTINE CITY THAN PAYSANDU, beautiful Concordia (15% agricultural!).
Salto Hostel in Salto, Uruguay - Find Cheap Hostels and Rooms at ...
http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Salto-Hostel/Salto/36384
`In Salto, you can also enjoy its beautiful coast, small beaches and ... River/harbour/lake nearby. Main attractions nearby. Swimming pool at or near hostel ...'
Wonder how small those beaches are. Gotta have beaches, preferably not too crowded.......

Another great summary
http://www.happy-nomads.com/uruguay/
`In general Uruguayans are very friendly and relaxed: the servants are also very helpful and friendly and in traffic people are very kind and patient, even in a big city like Montevideo. In Colonia they are just amazing. As soon as you put one foot on the road, all cars in the surrounding stop and drivers start gesturing that you can go. A strange experience. The frequency and the way many people say "Muy bien" makes you happy right away.'

-- Edited by 20Questions on Tuesday 6th of October 2009 07:16:02 AM

Brian · Veteran Member

We haven't made it to Salt yet. We do plan on checking in out though. I am going to have to wholeheartedly disagree with the person who quoted that "in traffic people are very kind and patient, even in a big city like Montevideo."

While that may be true outside of Montevideo, here's our blog about driving in Uruguay