U is for Uruguary

We’re up to the letter “U” in this April’s A-Z challenge as I explore places on my bucket list.  There are a number of places that I could go.  In Africa, there’s Uganda.  During the 70s, this was a dangerous country, especially if you got on the wrong side of the military ruler, king and whatever other title he bestowed upon himself (See the movie, "The Last King of Scotland").  Thankfully,  Idi Amin has been gone for decades and spent his last years of his life in secluded exile in Saudi Arabia.  Today, Uganda could be an interesting place to travel but there are other U's.  In the Middle East there is the United Arab Emirates but alternative realities in the desert don’t impress me.  I've been to Las Vegas.   I could go to the Ukraine and it has some interest, but not enough to make my list.  There’s also Uzbekistan, an exotic sounding place that experienced some of the worst environmental disasters during the Soviet Union days.  The arid land is even more arid as the Soviets pushed them to grow more and more cotton, sucking up all the water and leaving the Aral Sea (once the fourth largest inland body of water in the world) to be a large muddy hole.  And while I wouldn’t mind taking the train through Uzbekistan, it’s not making my list.  Other countries on the “U” list include the United Kingdom and the United States, but I’ve been there..  That leaves me one last country to explore: Uruguay. 

 

I love the name, Uruguay.  It’s one of the smallest countries in South America, wedged between Argentina and Brazil.  It’s also a country known for its stability, the lack of corruption, a large middle class and some nice beaches.  My time in Uruguay would be spent resting on beaches and exploring Montevideo, the capital. 

 

I am going to be traveling and at a conference this week, so my post may be a little shorter and my visiting somewhat limited.