They were right. Punta del Diablo is the most stunning coastal area of Uruguay. The pristine beauty
of this place is unreal.
Caught a 7 am bus out of Montevideo and slept the entire 4
hour ride. Except for halfway through at another pick-up station when a young
boy shook my leg because I was all sprawled out in his seat. Took a breakfast
break to eat the PB&J I packed. As long as you always carry around the
ingredients for this classic sandwich, you will never ever go hungry. When you
are out of money and the only ATM in town is broken, you’ll be sooo glad you
have this in your backpack!
Ran into Jonathan at the bus stop and he looked a bit dazed
and confused. He’d been up all night partying. Hadn’t slept since noon
yesterday, he said, but was very excited to have saved the $$ on a room. Jonathan
pointed me in the direction of town and said the hostels were about a 3 km walk
down the road. Ordinarily, this wouldn’t be a problem. But remember, I don’t
pack light, so this is a lot of work for me! About 2 km into my hike, I spotted
a cute roadside oasis with vibrant flags and a brightly colored food
truck/trailer displaying a tantalizing and affordable menu. I was tired,
hungry, and about to have a heat stroke, so I stopped to have some refreshments
and ask for directions. The young couple who ran the place were the cutest ever
– Hannah from Germany and Victor from Italy. Their space was really inviting. There
were pillows, bean bags, and tapestries everywhere. I ordered the veggie burger
and a fresh juice, all for just 250 pesos ($10), which is a steal compared to
Punta del Este’s ridiculous prices. The handmade burger, consisting of beat
root and carrots, was beyond delicious – Hannah made it herself! The tasty
patty was served on a huge whole wheat bun with lettuce & tomato. On the
side were French fries made from a freshly cut potato and a beautiful salad
topped with sesame and flax seeds. Hannah blended me an orange/mango/banana
juice topped with coconut. I could eat here every day!!! And who knows… maybe I
just will. They have only been open for 2 weeks, and the poor things are
exhausted. They say they get no sleep because they are up until 3 am and have
to be back to open for breakfast at 7 am. “We pay attention to every detail,”
Victory explained. It shows. I gave them a 50 peso tip and told them to keep up
the good work! They rented me a bike, which I mounted – me and my 3 backpacks –
and careened up and down the roads for way too long in the roasting sun trying
to find my hostel (rookie mistake… didn’t write down the address!)
After checking into “Diablo Tranquil” (which I hope it is
and not a party hostel), I took Hannah’s recommendation and biked about a mile
down the rode to another more secluded beach, Playa Grande. The thing that I
love most about this area is that its coastline is unmarred by the silhouettes
of high-rise hotels. There are no tourist trap restaurants. Like I said before,
it is pristine. I spent hours lying on the beach and playing in the waves. Using
all the words in my memory bank from Spanish 101, I struck up a “conversation”
with a pretty, middle-aged topless Uruguayan woman. Sabina had a short brown
pixie cut, oversized Jackie-O’esque red rimmed sunglasses, and bilateral nipple
piercings. She offered me a hand-rolled cigarillo. I had to suck it down fast
so it wouldn’t burn out…. Made me sooooo dizzy! It was really nice to be on
that beach with no crowds and no noise. Wanted to stay longer, but I was
already turning into a lobster.
Explored the village on my bike. It’s all dirt roads, and
the bike is a beach cruiser with no gears. So riding up any incline whatsoever
is a challenge! But I saw the neatest little wooden jewel box huts with
thatched roofs everywhere… teal, magenta, blue, yellow. I came across a funky
house with a cartoon clown face on it. Kept looking for this yoga/meditation/massage
place Victor told me about but didn’t see it anywhere. I’ll keep looking
manana. Manana is the word around here. Anytime you ask anyone to do something,
they say “manana, manana”. Everything is “manana”. There is no concept of time.
I’m sitting here on one of the big white couches in the
lobby, nursing my stinging sunburn and talking with some of the staff.
Apparently DJ Fernando is spinning at a sister hostel on the beach tonight. “Is
he any good?” I asked. “He is sheeeet!” they tell me, laughing. His transitions
are terrible. But he is a local and everyone loves him. There is a lot of good
food around here too – some of the best in the country – since international
chefs like to set camp here in the summer. I want to check out this French
place where they whip up items such as freshly caught fish and neopolitan crème
brulee. Also, there is an awesome Italian place down the street where they make
all their own pastas and sauces from scratch. Too bad I only have 3 days
here!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment