Into the open arms of paradise

This past Wednesday night, Abby and I left for our first trip out of Buenos Aires. At 23:59 (11:59 PM) our ferry took off from the station in Buenos Aires and delivered us (in just over 3 hours), across the Rio la Plata to Colonia, on the banks of Uruguay. From there we took a 2 hour bus ride to Montevideo where we bought our bus ticket (for approx. $15 US) to Punta del Diablo and then sat for a couple hours waiting for our bus to depart at 8:40 AM (Uruguay is one hour later than Argentina). At 8:40 we boarded our bus (Cynsa busline), which smelled very strongly of incense and had certainly seen better days, and headed north through the countryside of Uruguay to our final destination.

Before I go further, I want to mention a couple things that stood out up to this point. First, the beautiful ferry facility on the Buenos Aires side was greatly contrasted with the bleak, rickety conditions on the Uruguayan side. Upon docking (which took a very long time!), we walked a far distance through thinly covered ramps that allowed the wind to whip at you as you file through like ants in a line. Customs consisted of a folding table where you had to unzip your bag for review (literally a 2 second pat through) and then we arrived at the loading zone, which was basically a free-for-all of people boarding various buses. Signs overhead stated different destinations but it appeared that the correct buses were not in their designated loading zones. Luckily, we made it onto a bus headed for Montevideo and departed, on a dark, smooth ride (the seats tip back at least twice as far as we were used to) through the countryside.

Upon arrival in Montevideo, the first thing that caught my attention was the lack of trash and debris littering the streets. The bus station was literally void of any trash. What a vast contrast to BsAs! I immediately got the impression that the Uruguayan's did not have much, but what they did have, they took care of. This idea was both relaxed and confirmed throughout the trip. The architecture in Montevideo was bland and understated, in various shades of white, tan and gray. The people living here were primarily light skinned with light brown hair. Their clothing was tidy, but not memorable.

After surveying my surroundings and taking in the city, I spent most of the 5 hour journey to Punta del Diablo napping. But while awake, I did notice that the landscape reminded me of what I think Africa would look like. Grass and low shrubs, speckled with tall, thin palm trees. A straight line of trees diagonally cutting across a field of greens and browns. In addition, we entered some small towns along the way, where our large bus precariously squeezed through tiny roads (reversing at at least one point to make a corner) to drop people off and pick others up. The only other thing that marked this trip was our frustration at the woman behind us who was texting throughout the entire journey. Every time she received a message, her phone would loudly signal its arrival.

In this manner we made our way to Punta del Diablo (the Devil's Point) at 13:00 (1 PM), a tiny town on the coast of Uruguay, where surfing and relaxing is a way of life. Before we left, Abby was in contact with the hostel (El Diablo Tranquilo) we would be staying at, who said they would try to send someone to meet the bus, but gave us some directions with a follow this, left here, right there sorta feel, just in case. Luckily someone did meet us, because the roads were packed dirt in some places and sand and grass paths in others. But the view along the roads and paths were beautiful. The ocean extended out as far as the eye could see to our right, only punctuated by the rocky points that probably give Punta del Diablo its name. To our left were the huts and small structures the locals called home. Some were drab and warn down, with white plastic lawn furniture at the tiny kitchen tables, while others were brightly painted yet modest dwellings with beautiful gardens.

Our hostel was a deep red building with a thatched roof, large windows and a comfy looking hammock out front. We checked in and were given keys to “Suite 1.” We ascended the stairs to our castle, a small, sparsely furnished room (double bed, 3 very small night stands and a fire place) with a deck we shared with Suite 2. The only color in the room was the fire place, which was painted deep green. Everything else was stark white. We dropped our bags, washed our faces and headed into the town center (back to where the bus stop was located) for lunch!

Lunch was sadly mediocre, even in our state of intense hunger, but provided enough nourishment for us to make the trek back home and pass out for a couple hours. When we woke up it was dark and we agreed that it was time to grab some dinner. We headed down to the El Diablo Tranquilo restaurant, the only spot for late night food an drinks in town. I had a local beer and the Plata del Dia, which was nandu (ostrich) wok sauteed with vegetables on a bed of rice. I would characterize ostrich meat as gamey and unpredictable. Some pieces were tender, while others were extremely difficult to chew. Overall, the meal was a success. We relaxed for a while, chatted with a couple other travelers (who happened to come in on the same bus as us – Frances and Adam) and then headed back to our room to crash for the night (lights went out at 3 AM).

Thus ended our first night in Uruguayan paradise.