Roaming South America

Rocha: Nothing to See Here? Look A Little Deeper

September 24, 2026

Rocha, UY

Rocha, Uruguay has a population of around 27,000. It was founded in 1793. There is nothing special here, nothing to draw tourists, so it is a town you would pass through. If nothing else, you might stop for a meal. Rocha is a pleasant town, a few nice parks and decent plazas, a couple of grocery stores, half-a-dozen ATMs. Rocha never became a major industrial city, a huge port, or a fashionable tourist destination. It remains primarily a regional administrative, commercial and service center. It's generally quiet. But does it have anything for tourists to see? No. But it has something much more unusual: an exceptionally intact example of an ordinary Uruguayan provincial city whose historical urban fabric was never completely erased.

Rocha is not interesting because it contains a few old buildings. The town itself is an unusually intact historical urban landscape. Rocha was planned from the beginning.

Chuy: Shopping. Punta del Diablo: Beaches. That's About It.

September 20, 2026

My travels through Rocha Department took me to two towns that couldn't be much more different. Chuy sits directly on the Brazilian border and is primarily a place for shopping and crossing between countries. Punta del Diablo is a small fishing and beach town that becomes a major vacation destination during the summer. Neither one is particularly remarkable in itself, but both were interesting enough to deserve a closer look.

The Quiet Middle of Uruguay

September 13, 2026

Tacuarembó, UY

Tacuarembó, Uruguay, sits in the center of the country. The town was founded with the name "San Fructuoso", after Saint Fructuosus of Tarragona, in 1832. The town has a population of 60,000+ people (as of 2023). The town changed its name to "Tacuarembó" in 1912 when its status was changed from "town" to "city". The Rio (River) Tacuarembó is about 36 kilometers east of town. Running directly alongside the northern side of town is the Arroyo Tacuarembó Chico, a small stream.
This was my second visit to the city; my first was in 2023.
I wrote a blog about it; you can read it here.

Four small cities, all average cities

September 6, 2026

Posadas, AR and Concordia, AR -

Posadas sits alongside the Paraná River, which forms the border between Argentina and Paraguay. Like Encarnación across the river, Posadas has a beautiful riverfront that stretches the width of the city. Posadas has a population of around 325,000, so it's a medium-sized city, unlike Encarnación, which is a large town. I like Encarnación more. I stayed two nights this time and spent much of the full day with my friend from Encarnación. I visited Posadas in May 2023 and wrote a blog about it, you can read it here.

My South America Journey - A Brief Summary - Part 3

November 26, 2025

I’ve finally settled into Roldanillo, Colombia, where I’ll be for at least five months. Maybe longer, maybe not, residency is technically an option, but I doubt I’ll spend my days wrestling with immigration offices when I could be drinking coffee in the plaza. Besides, residency in Perú and Ecuador is easier than in Colombia. Before I get too comfortable, I want to rewind and share the trip that brought me here: a winding route through Peru, Ecuador, and into Colombia.