Blogs from Cabo Polonio, East, Uruguay, South America

I didn't know very much about Uruguay before we arrived here a couple of days ago. The country has a funny name. Its capital is Montevideo. There's lots of cows there. And that's just about it - truthfully! I don't think it's just me, though. With the exception of Uruguayans and perhaps of porteños across the River Plate, it seems that Uruguay is well below most people's radar. Our guide to Argentina "also includes Uruguay" - the country reduced almost to a footnote. If I were Uruguay I'd be a bit annoyed. Most visitors to the region, it would seem, leave this little country - little by South American standards, of course, since it's a fair bit larger than England and Wales combined - off their itineraries. Reason enough for us to pay a visit, then! ... read more

Fabled Cabo Polonia was as magical as my South American friends had foretold. I'd come for the summer solstice--the longest, lightest day of the year, which this year coincided with a lunar eclipse, and a bright, light night thanks to the full moon. I love extremes when all possibilities are exposed, and the veil between worlds is thinnest. Cabo was perfect--isolated by the Atlantic and by tall, shifting sand dunes, there were no roads into the town, and thus no cars. No electricity to mask the parade of stars in the heavens or to run noisy machines. Founded in the 70s by hippies and fishers, the town was filled with colorful, dreadlocked characters, hand-built homes with murals, painted banners and creative touches, and almost completely surrounded by water. I was born on an island (Coronado Island ... read more

I made it out of Cabo Polonio. Finally. After saying that I would probably only stay for one night in this tiny fishing village on the coast of Uruguay I left after three nights. I could have stayed for much longer. There is magic in this place. In the sand dunes and stucco walls and tin rooves of the huts where 70 locals live year ´round. Magic in the plants that have evolved over thousands of years to be able to grow in such salinated soil and are specific to the area. Plenty of magic in the picturesque lighthouse and the ¨bar¨ that had concrete with the bottoms of class bottles sticking up serving as a floor and flowering vines laced together serving as a roof so that you could still see the moonlight through the ... read more

What a concept! In a dune ecosystem do not build roads, but do build a hippie commune/tourist site with limited access. On the side of the road there is a place to hire a jeep to take you into Cabo Palonio ($120 uruguay dollars). The ride is an adventure in itself when you hit the bumps. The village is unique. It seems to be a collection of hippies and rustic shacks and cottages decorated in colourful way. The absolute best spot is the lounge chair on the deck of the last restaurant along the beach.... read more

Der Nachtbus nach Montevideo war wie immer eine recht bequeme, aber kuehle Angelegenheit. Wie wir erst spaeter merkten, hatten wir ziemlich Glueck, dass wir ueberhaupt ueber die Grenze kamen. Argentinier und Uruguayos liegen sich schon seit laengerem wegen dem geplanten Bau einer Papierfabrik in den Haaren: Das Problem ist (wenn wir das alles so richtig verstanden haben...), dass die Fabrik einer spanischen Firma urspruenglich in Argentinien haette gebaut werden sollen, die Umweltauflagen, der Unternehmung dann dort aber zu streng waren. So haben sie dann halt mit Uruguay verhandelt und duerfen die Fabrik jetzt ein paar Kilometer weiter flussaufwaerts in Uruguay bauen. Die Verschmutzung des Flusses bleibt aber natuerlich die gleiche und deswegen protestieren seither argentinische Umweltschuetzer, indem sie die Grenzuebergaenge blockieren. Da diese Woche mit dem Bau der Fabrik begonnen we... read more