Uruguay Blog (Day 1)
Our exploratory trip to Uruguay was a great success in the unanimous opinion of all 13 of us. Of course there were some surprises and we will make some changes for future trips, but we all found Uruguay a lovely, unspoiled country to visit. The crime rate is very low, the people are extremely friendly and the food is excellent. We are very pleased with this new horseback riding destination which has the added merit of being comparatively inexpensive.
Day 1 - Most of us arrived in Montevideo the day before and spent a very comfortable night at the Radisson Hotel in the center of town. We ate an excellent dinner in the restaurant on the 25th floor of the hotel with a fabulous view of the city and the coastline. After breakfast in the morning we boarded our bus to take us on the two hours drive to El Ceibo Estancia through charming, countryside with green pastures everywhere and thousands of black angus cows grazing happily.
At El Ceibo we were greeted warmly by Carmen, Joselo and their staff. We were shown our comfortable rooms and treated to a marvelous asado which consisted of many cuts of beef and lamb cooked over glowing coals as well as fresh vegetables, fruit, salad and delicious deserts. Most of us agreed that the Uruguayan Tanat wines went well with the meal. After lunch and a little rest we went out for a ride around the estancia to check out the horses which proved sturdy and obedient. We were back in time for cocktails and another excellent meal. In no time we were feeling very much at home at this most hospitable estancia which we had completely to ourselves and we went to bed relaxed and happy for a good sleep that night.