15 Jul 2023
Javier Jablonka is a native Uruguayan with Polish ancestry (hence the last name) who spent four university years in Australia (Macquarie U) and decided on a side career in guiding so he could continue to hone his already high-level English speaking skills. Giving him an edge is that he's a keen traveler, having already visited some 40+ countries (and he's only 33 years old!), so he's able to relate to the experiences and background culture of his varied clients.
He's used to doing private touring and prefers to leave the cruise ship crowd to his friends-competitors. He also prefers to do only Montevideo, again leaving Colonia, Punta del Este, etc. to others in the profession. He drives you in his own VW 6 seater Tiguan but he also offers his dad's BMW (see his tour title above - ha ha ha!) if that's the client's preference.
My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed Javier's company and informal chat, aside from the formal guide talk. Quite evidently from his discourse, he is very knowledgeable about Montevideo and Uruguay's history. And since he's travelled to every South American country, he is able to discourse on the relationships of Uruguay with these nations as well.
He has crafted a very high-quality tour of the capital city, which includes a two-hour walking tour of the old town (Ciudad Vieja), a visit to the Cerro, a drive to the former rich town of Prado with the old mansions (quintas), some of which had been preserved, and the very expansive Prado Park, with the massive statues (like the evocative Los Ultimos Charruas). Also included in Javier's version of Montevideo highlights was a drive (and some stops) along the 23 km Rambla riverwalk. Since it was a weekend, we missed going inside the Parliament building but at least Javier showed us pictures of what we would have seen inside. We drove through a few other neighborhoods, which hinted at the glory years of Montevideo when it sought to rival Buenos Aires as the 'capital of South America'.
Javier is very articulate, very friendly, quick to adjust to the situation, very quick to strike a connection with his guests, and feeds off their energy and enthusiasm. He sets a very high standard for Uruguay private touring!