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It had been over three months since we had felt sand between our toes and could cool off by dipping into the sea, and so we decided it was time to once again hit the beach. Now that we were in Uruguay, we knew that there were plenty of places we could go up the coast, and that the weather would still be fairly warm wherever we went, however the place that we really liked the sound of was Punta Del Diablo (Devils Point) We were drawn to this South American beach town for several reasons really; the promise of a laid back surfer town, no high-rise hotels, no ‘Mega clubs’ and a fantastic beach to boot. Plus, in case we needed persuading any more, our friends Troy and Kylie also happened to be visiting here at the same time as us, and so, really, it was a no brainer, we were heading to Diablo

Troy and Kylie had actually arrived before us, and had managed to get a cool little Cabana close to both the town and the beach with room for all four of us that had its own little kitchen and BBQ. This proved to be perfect, as we were happy to eat in most nights and save some money, plus it would give us a chance to try out our BBQ skills on our very own grill just like the locals do…. This was going to be awesome!

We were dropped off by the shuttle bus in the middle of town, and immediately made our way towards the Cabana that Troy and Kylie had been renting for the past few nights. On arrival, we were welcomed in and were treated to a few beers and a nice home-made Picada (meats, cheese, crackers, olives etc.). As usual Troy and Kylie were prepared! So, after having a nice lunch and a bit of a catch up, the conversation quickly turned to the weather. We couldn’t quite work out what was going on as Donna and I had arrived in the pissing rain with great big storm clouds following us about whilst Troy and Kylie looked positively burnt! It turned out that our arrival had brought the rain that morning, as the previous days weather boasted nothing but clear skies and all day sunshine…typical! The forecast also predicted much of the same for the next day or two, however I rarely believe the weather man, and so was positive that after this one off rainy day, the sunshine would win out and return the very next day.

That evening, once the rain let up, we all decided to go for a bit of a wander around town. Troy and Kylie were pointing out the various shops, bars and restaurants for us, and after the tour we decided to grab a bite to eat at a nice looking restaurant close to the beach. The food here was nice enough, however it was on the expensive side, and from that moment, we knew that the kitchen and BBQ back at the cabana were going to see some action over the next few days

After a great sleep that night, I turned over, drew the curtain back, certain of seeing sunshine, and was shocked with the site I saw before me. Rain, I was a broken man…. I really thought the weather would improve. It seemed however that the weatherman had finally got a win, and correctly predicted a miserable day in paradise!

Luckily, we all got along really well as the next two days were spent hanging out in the Cabana chatting, reading and cooking together, whilst sinking the obligatory few litres of Uruguayan beer. There are certainly worse situations to be in, and we actually had a great time despite the crappy weather. On the evening of the second day of rain, we had dashed out to the supermarket and bought ourselves a full joint of Lomo (fillet steak) for a mere £7, along with some Chorizo, and decided to give the BBQ an airing by cooking the meat the traditional way. Troy had been taking notes on how to do this when he and Kylie were invited over to Alejandro’s next door the evening before we arrived, and was certain that he could whip up a top class Asado like the locals. So, whilst the girls whipped up some awesome salad in-doors Troy and I acted like proper blokes and made some fire! This was proving a little tricky since the fire wood we had bought was damp, however, after Alejandro’s nephew came across and gave us a few pointers, and after a small loan of dry firewood, we were off and running, and cooking like the locals….sort of! My role as supervisor was extremely important and although it sometimes looked like I was simply doing nothing and drinking whilst Troy did all the work, I feel the outcome would have been a disaster for sure!

The result…. A really tasty meal, washed down with several beers resulting in more stupid photos and a great evening had by all!

The next day was Troy and Kylies last, and as if by magic, the sun decided to reappear! We spent the day chilling on the beach, catching some rays, swimming in the sea and taking it easy. Later in the day, we decided to go for one last walk around town as Kylie wanted to buy some souvenirs and Donna and I needed some cash from the one cash machine in Punta Del Diablo, and so off we went. Once we found the cash machine, we were both shocked and amused to hear that it only worked for 3 months of the year, and as it was the end of the season, it was now closed for the next 9 months….? This was a strange one to us even by South American standards!

That evening, we said our Goodbyes to Troy and Kylie and waved them off on their bus back to BA. It was to be the last time we were going to see these guys for a good while, however we have no doubt that we will be keeping in touch with them, and look forward to catching up with them in NZ.

Luckily for us, our last couple of days in Diablo were filled with perfect sunshine, and Donna and I spent the time wisely by hanging out on the beach, eating well in the cabana and watching some stunning sunsets in this fantastic little town. This little rest back on the beach was exactly what we had hoped for, and since we were heading into Patagonia in the south of Argentina next where the weather was due to be cold, and where we would be doing a fair amount of trekking, we happily soaked up every ray of sun we could and said goodbye to sea which would again elude us for at least another month or so……

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