Some days ago this article was brought to my attention: Five Things You Need To Know About Uruguay . While the writer assures the reader that he "loves" Uruguay, he's still pretty snarky in his comments about this great country. I took the time to write down some facts whereas he took the time to make some assumptions. I don't care how well researched an assumption is, it's still an assumption if you haven't lived in the place yourself.

You'll have to go to the article itself to compare what he said with what I've said, but if you want to know the truth, it's good to get some reality sprinkled in...I think!

I thought this picture would be a nice addition to my blog post. This is the sun setting at Punta Ballena just up the road from where we live. The hill is called Pan de Azucar. That was quite a beautiful night. Carrying on now.

His first point about the difficulty in opening a bank account is not Uruguay's fault. It's because of the Patriot Act. Yes, the Patriot Act follows you where ever you may roam. I'm just thankful that it is possible to open an account with the BROU. It should also be pointed out that once you gain a permanent resident visa, more possibilities open up for banking. It's just that when you come here, legally as nothing more than a tourist, and try to open an account with only a passport and cash, it can be tricky. But Uruguay is also great in that regard. You can come here with only a passport, as a tourist, and buy property, a car, open a business, you name it! They are unlike many countries that way. And the truth about the OECD's banking blacklist on Uruguay was for reasons other than the stability of Uruguay's banking institutions. But that's another story.

Point two, on the weather, is correct. But it's well into autumn here right now and the days are in the 60's with lows in the 50's. The sun is shining and it's gorgeous out. It never snows here, there's no ice, either. I can take winters like that over Nebraska any time! :) The grass also grows year round, so it's never that the growing season stops, it just slows.

Point three is just there to confuse people. That is often said about it being like the 50s, but it's not true at all. I even know of people that moved here believing that only to be greatly disappointed because it's incorrect. The people are boundlessly friendly, people put family first and enjoy getting together. People come before materialistic pursuits, but that does not make it a time warp by any means. People are very laid back and we've found we love that aspect of life here. The same thing was said about New Zealand back in the 90's when I lived there for a few months and that was untrue, too.

Point four about Punta del Este only proves that the writer has never been to a town in rural Iowa! I'm from rural Nebraska and I can assure you that Punta del Este is not as sleepy in the off season months as the writer would have you believe. There's an Apple store just down the road from us, a huge shopping mall, a great eco-tourism farm open all year, lots of restaurants, open market
on Sunday, art galleries, you name it! I think we will find we love Punta in all the months except the high season when the tourists descend upon us in droves. :) The only difference in the high season is that scores of small restaurants open, more hotels open (right now they're stacked up on the point with all the lights off, it's strange) and more summertime activities on the water start up. But it's not as if we're living in a ghost town by any means. Lots of people live here all year. It's a thriving city.

Point five I partially agree with. Yes, the food and wine are cheaper (and FANTASTIC!), clothes are actually comparable. If you come here thinking everything will be cheaper, that's not going to happen. Electronics and cars are definitely overpriced. But clothes are not that bad, I've found, after strolling through the mall with my calculator. The cheapest new cars here are imports from China, but you can get a brand new car for about $12,000. The resell value on cars is also very good. We're going to look at a 1980 Fiat for $2900 tomorrow. It's funny. A little Fiat that costs over half of what our large pickup cost in the US, but it's just the difference in life here.

As for the writer's advice to buy and register a car in another country and then just drive it here to save money, I wouldn't recommend that. You can do it, if you really want to, but if you're pulled over and your registration is in one country while your residence is in Uruguay, the police have the right to confiscate your car on the spot and impound it until you pay the proper tax. I for one prefer tranquility. I wouldn't want to live in fear hoping not to ever get pulled over just so I could save some money. It could very well cost you more in the end.

I would also like to comment on the income tax/VAT tax situation here. The income tax was only introduced two years ago and is very low. It was started as a way to slightly lower the VAT here so people with lower incomes would not have an income tax and could still benefit from goods being slightly cheaper. But there is no income tax for people earning their income from outside the US. In order to obtain a permanent resident visa here, you must either prove you have a job here, prove you have income from outside the country (the most used method), buy property for at least $100,000 or invest $100,000 in a bank here, or start a business.

Uruguay is also very, very safe. He mentioned clean, which is true, but the safety here is another nice aspect. Having things stolen is about the worst you can expect. There is very little in the way of rapes, murders, or kidnappings. I was unsure about that when we first got here. I kept all the doors locked all the time. I was uneasy about taking my dogs out at night. But now I understand. If you come across groups of teens you would want to avoid, even in the US, here they are friendly and kind. It's a different world, this planet Uruguay. :)

I've said my peace and counted to ten.