Uruguay
Campo
March 2023 • The Uruguayan countryside (campo) has good roads but minimal bus service and no passenger trains, so you need a car to go deep into it. At first the vibe is Minnesota because people drive glacially slow. Then it becomes Texas because of the big sky and sprawling ranchland. And just when you've settled on the word “indistinct” to describe it all, along comes Fiesta de la Patria Gaucha—part rodeo, part state fair, part cultural heritage celebration. Tacuarembó is the country's self-proclaimed Capital of Traditionalism and host of the annual event. Hotels book up months in advance, so the only hope of getting a decent room is a last-minute cancellation. It was 100 degrees and I poured sweat the entire time, but what a sight for jaundiced eyes. Nowhere near indistinct.
