Blogs from East, Uruguay, South America - page 8

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

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeei igjen!!! No er vi i Rio de Janeiro og her kosar vi oss!! Superduper by!! Blir Buenos Aires skubba ned ifraa 2.plassen sin? (Fortsettelse foelgjer i neste reisebrev). Vi er litt forkjoela og har hatt litt daarlig vaer, men ellers er alt berre velstand. Vi fikk tidenes uvaer igaar. Det lyna nonstop (!! ja, virkelig nonstop!!) i fleire timar. Heilt sproett. Og veldig fascinerande. Pluss at det var ei god unnskyldning for aa ligge inne og pleie sjuka, ete vannmelon og sjaa paa ¨Soooony Entertaaainment Televisioo-ooooon¨. Fantastisk kanal, med den mest irriterande reklamejingelen nokon sinne. Nok om det. Vi har det altsaa berre bra, og skal fortelle meir om Rio i neste brev. Viss det blir noko neste brev daa. Om vi er like sloeve paa skrivefronten framover som vi har vore i det ... read more

My bus from Montevideo dropped me at Maldonado, which is about another 10 minutes away from Punta del Este, Uruguay's most famous beach resort, and also one of the best in South America apparently. In summer, and over Easter weekend, the place is thronging, but by the time I arrived on Easter Monday it was quiet as a mouse. Indeed, for the last 2 nights, I've been the only person staying in my hostel. This isn't going to be a long entry, as I haven't really done that much here. My days have always followed a similar pattern of wake up late, have breakfast then head to the beach, whereupon the rest of the day was spent swimming or reading. Very relaxing. I'm not sure I'd want to come here in high season, but right now ... read more

Piriapolis was a short 2 hour bus ride from Montevideo and promised to be a mystical adventure with much of its short history surrounding the ideals of a wealthy alchemist (Don Francisco Piria) who settled there and attempted to develop the seaside fishing village into a utopian city. Unfortunately for Chrissy and I, the lore of this small alchemy town with a kabbalah background seemed more like a sleepy village than a medieval resort. We did have our doubts though as the local HI (Hostelling International) resembled a former aselym rather than a hotel, but we toughed it out just the same. We spent the first evening walking the streets until the sunset over the Atlantic and then retired to the room excited for our journey to the Castillo de Piria in the morning. We woke ... read more

I hadn´t planned to go to Punta del Este, Uruguay´s version of Miami Beach; but as life unwinds and email conversations lead me down unexpected paths I found myself on a bus heading towards Servas hosts who did not speak English but were happy to have me visit their home. I was apprehensive, but when I met Daniela and Gabriel I could not have been made to feel more welcomed. Using a potpurri of Spanish, English, French words and creative body language and a trusty dictionary we were able to communicate. On the first evening we went out with an English teacher who volunteered to translate and answer any questions. By day two we were discussing philosophy and politics on our own. They are both artists from Argentina who moved here to set up their studio. ... read more