South America-Uruguay

[Jonathan G]

I know that 99% of the planet won't make it to Uruguay anytime soon, but I thought I would write up some general information so that the group could see what goes on elsewhere. Besides, it's summer here, and despite COVID, the living's pretty easy. Uruguay never had it as bad as other countries in South America.

Uruguay has lots of nice beaches, and since population density isn't high, there are lots of quiet spots. While some quiet spots may be in parks, not all beach areas have lifeguards or any other facilities. The one time I went to a very quiet spot on the Atlantic coast with a friend and I wore a thong, only one other couple came along during the course of the day and never said anything. Skinzwear unlined, incase you were wondering.

Beach culture here is relaxed and although some beach towns are a "scene" many are not. The country is pretty homogenous, and people are creatures of habit, so they'll tend to go the same spots every year, with the same people and do the same things.

Swimsuits styles don't vary much. Most men tend to wear shorts but not knee-length shorts. Very few slip/bikini/speedo styles and zero thongs or anything that shows any male butt. Women also tend to be a bit more conservative, but that's relative to Brazil and Argentina, where thongs are very common and even the tops tend to be very small-but still omninpresent. No topless here. I'd say about 1 in four women wear thong bottoms. Older women do wear bikinis here. Like most of Latin America, it's OK for woment to have hips and a butt.

There are two designated nude beaches. Everyone knows about them but it seems nobody ever goes?

I've worn bikinis (Manstore) to the beach here. Uruguayans are pretty good about live and let live, so it's not a problem. The few people that asked me were surprised I was American. The few who asked were middle-aged women. I don't know what that means.

If the group wants more info, I can provide it. I can also write more posts about other places to go, my observations, and whether I recommmend going there. Let me know in the comments.