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Well, here I continue, skirting the Uruguayan Coast and sleeping in a new bed every night. I loved Colonia and stayed there longer than I thought I would and then a few days ago I took a very comfortable bus a couple of hours down the road to the capital city of Montevideo. It was nice there and I was traveling with a really wonderful girl, Eva, from Frankfurt and we spoke Spanish the time and explored the city together. I also traveled with two guys from Spain who I will no doubt run into again along our route. Montevideo had a lovely oceanside walking path (Rambla) but I just wasn't enchanted by the city so I left the next day for Punta del Este, a resort community that is the place to be in the summer but is much quieter in the off season. Yesterday I arrived, to quite the little adventure.
I had checked online to find a good hostel and so I took a taxi to one that was highly rated with loads of comments on how welcoming the owner is. It turned out to be a home in a nice neighbourhood on the edge of the
centre and a man named Rodriguo who looked like a bit older version of a California surfer beach bum greeted me super warmly and asked if I wanted to come with him to a birthday party up the coast a bit. Off we headed in a Land Rover that was on its last legs and required a push to get started - me, Rodriguo, Agustin the baby of a bit less than two years and nearly the chocolate lab, Hush, but he was tricked into staying home at the last minute.
It was a bumpy ride out to Jose Ignacio, along the beautiful coast of Uruguay. We had to make a pit stop so Rodriguo could buy some marijuana, which is decriminalized here so that you can have 50 grams for personal use without it being illegal. That law, and the one that allows casinos, attracts tourism from Argentina where the law is more strict. I also read that in Uruguay everything is very secular such that Easter week, or Holy week, is called Tourism Week here and Christmas is Family Day. Interesting. Anyway, we continued along and stopped a couple of times so that I could take some
photos. We eventually got out to a beautiful home on the beach and I spent the evening with these two late-thirties couples and a bouncing toddler with golden curls enjoying the Uruguayan hospitality. It was lovely - walking along the beach, singing Happy Birthday, eating dulce de leche cake, playing with Augustin, learning a dice game that is a bit like poker and eventually pushing the truck again to get going and coming back. I was their only guest, it being the low season, so it was really like I was in someone's home - a nice break once in a while after the hosteling lifestyle.
I also found out last night that Mary-Dan is coming down here to join me in a couple of weeks so there is lots to be planned for that! Super exciting. Now I'm continuing on my journey - bussing along the coast and tonight staying in a tiny fishing village that is inaccessable except for by 4 x 4, which come out to meet the buses that stop some seven kilometers away. In a few days I'll cross the border with Brazil and head up that coastline before crossing over to the Iguassu
Falls. At least that's the plan right at the moment - anything could change. I love getting the comments I've been getting on here - I promise I'm stayng safe and having a great time! I hope everyone reading is also having a wonderful Spring, or perhaps Fall if you're in this hemisphere. Chao chao - besos!
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Madre
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the beach party lifestyle
I loved your description of the way you happened upon an opportunity to spend an evening with some locals. How better to understand a culture? I hope everyone reading this realizes they can read and comment on all of your entries! Wow - MD making an appearance - you must be stoked! Everyone's going to want to go to Uruguay now. Love, Mom