The Uruguayan Coast - Punta del Diablo

03 Mar 2015

3,870 - 3,930 km
Capo Polonio

The next stop was Punta del Diablo, more of a smaller coastal-fisherman town with an extensive amount of cabins to rent for its huge summer season. My idea was that we bought up to food supplies and spent the night a few km outside the town in camping area. Also, I had a friend that worked in a restaurant.  But what seem to be the norm, things did not turn out as planned, ... and this time definitely for the better!

When we arrived in the late afternoon, we did a loop down by the beach to see a bit of the small town, the fisherman boasts, the endless ocean, and the beautiful beaches. When we were back where we had started, we past a supermarket to buy the groceries. Closed! Ha!, alright lets go back to the town. Open, but we were recommended not to go camping, people were not sure its was actually open. (Im sure it is open!) While we were talking, one of the clients in the store offered to show us to his friends house, who was renting out cabins.

Alright, what to do ... time to make decisions (while everyone is watching and waiting!...poker face!!).

"Ok! Lets go and see about the cabin".

It was not a terrible idea! It was fairly priced and we had the cabin for ourselves with a kitchen and double bed. We found out later that we were just a few blocks away from the restaurant where my friend worked too, and we settled on meeting up the following day! I took the time to look over the bike, we cooked and enjoyed an evening just the two of us.

The next day we spent checking out the village and later drinking some mate down on the beach with the panoramic view of the Atlantic ocean, its waves, and the aroma of salt water. Later in the afternoon we met up with my friend Bibbo and his room mate Marcelo. 

Together we enjoyed the last hours of sun light on the beach with a few beers and lots of catching up from the time we lived together on a hostel in Montevideo (3 years earlier)!

We could not decline the invitation of dining at the restaurant where he worked. He co-owned the restaurant with a lovely French couple, who together shared all the work load. We felt right at home and after a delicious and elaborate plate, desert and and bottle of wine, we were offered a grapa locally produced! 

Fantastic!

The night continued after closing hour at their place just a few blocks away, and it was almost sun rise when we finally got back to our place! 

We were bound to stay another day!! 

On the afternoon when we hung out at their place in the porch with hammocks hung up all around, the son of Marcelo came back with some friends who had a pup they were trying to find a new owner for.

It did not take more than a few second before Kimba was named and adopted on the spot. 

A beautiful dog!

We spent more time with Marcelo and Bibbo and hung out at the restaurant. The following day the forecast was rain all day, so we spent yet another day in the beautiful Punta del Este. As it was definitely going to be the last night, we prepared an "Asado" (South American BBQ), masterly prepared by Marcelo himself!

We were not eager to leave after such fantastic days with amazing people! But Brasil was waiting!

Salud!

The Uruguayan Coast - Capo Polonio

02 Mar 2015
3,700 km - 3,870 km
Punta del Este

We had already had our time to enjoy and relax in Uruguay (with and without parents), now it was the hour of departure. I wanted to spend some time along the Uruguayan coast before  heading in to Brazil and toward world renown waterfalls of Iguazú. Capo Polonio was the day´s destination, the most special place in Uruguay.

I was a little bit nervous after having been out of the game for some time now. We adopted a slow pace to get the things prepped and loaded on the bike before departure. We thanked and bid farewell to our host and family friends before we cruised out of the parking lot, with 100% focus on balancing the tall bike! ... :S

We cruised by the coastal towns happy to be on wheels again, inhaling the fresh breeze from the ocean, leaving all the worries behind, with just the road ahead of us! We decided to ride more inland since we were unsure whether the ferries were running. The road was great, but we faced yet again the hilly landscape where we had to gear down to keep the speed up and after passing the highest point, accelerate again. It would not have been too bad if it were not for the strong headwind we battled against. 

When we arrived to refuel, I also had to sit down to eat, drink and recover! There was no doubt, I was exhausted! And a little concerned, we had only driven for some hundred kms. At the gas station the flags seemed like they were about to come off the pole, and we later witnessed a few trees blown to the ground.   

But it didn´t take us long before we were out on the coast again, and much less before we parked the bike and off-loaded the bike for the day.

Capo Polonio is a small..."village" would be exaggerating, more like a gathering of huts around a lighthouse. But, there are no running water, nor electricity (these days there are some available to restaurants in the summer). People get by with home-fixes, sun panels etc. Moreover, there are no roads leading there, so loaded all our stuff on a big 4x4 that took us through the forest and over the sand dunes.

A bumpy ride to say the least! 

When you make the shore, you can see the lighthouse surrounded by small white "huts"! It is a good feeling to be by the ocean, in such a small town, living just from the very basics we otherwise take for granted, and praise what we have given up! ...silence, simplicity, and peace!

I still recognized part of the staff after almost three years, although I guess I did not make much of an impression! hehe After having checked in to our hostel we strolled around, breathing in the harmonious atmosphere. I was stoked to be back! It has always been very special to be here!

Only about 30-40 people live here all year around. The summer season is huge, when thousands of people come to enjoy this retreat. But since there are only so many accommodations, the majority has to leave in the evening. I prefer the off season when its more quiet.

At night we went out to one of the bars where they had live music under a brightly shining full moon. It was something very special, and although we wanted to stay until the end, we finally gave in to our fatigue that had caught up with us and we left looking for our beds at the hostel!





The next day we ate breakfast that we had bought the previous day at the antique grocery store; cheese, fruits and bread. Out of the front door we saw the lighthouse, which was the first goal of the day, and we I also wanted to walk around the small "sheds" among the loose animals before leaving this paradise. - The lighthouse was a must, and allowed us to see a panoramic view of ..."everything"!






On the way back...

Watch out for The attack of the ducks! ...! They wanted nothing bad, just curious!

You can also watch sea lions from close up. There should be some in the background!! :D

And when we were ready to leave, we waited for the 4x4 to come and get us! Btw, does not look like much luggage for two? Right?!!

It is a place to chill out, enjoy the isolation from the outside world ...!

El Viejo Lobo, until next time! Stay true and stay open when I come back!

Vacation with the parents

I was told that I had to plan a two week trip for my parents around where I had been over the last three year. It would be their first time in South America, and also the only time I would see them over two years. Previously, they had only known of my adventures from over skype, but now they wanted to get to know a little more about the last three years of my life: How do we do that in two weeks...?

We naturally started in Punta del Este, Uruguay where our family´s friends live. Once we had arrived, we spent a few days getting some beach time, tour around the area, and a Uruguayan Asado (BBQ)!!

Our next destination was Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay where I spent my first year in South America. We squeezed in as much as possible in one day, a tour around Pocitos where I lived, a cruise along the beautiful beach walk and lunch in Old Town. We had a terrific day!

Towards the evening we returned the rent car at the airport where our flight to Santiago, Chile also awaited us!

Santiago was the second big city I lived in just before I set out on my motorbike adventures. It is a beautiful, safe, and easy-to-get-around city. The back side is the exhaust that gets stuck in the valley trapping the smog in the city and actually prevents you from even seeing the Andes right on the boarder of the city (which you notice in the picture).

The city has really nice parks, monuments and museums easily accessible. We spend a few days cruising around the city. My friend Nelson acted our private guide and explained all we wanted to know.

Santiago is very progressive and does remind more of a western Europe city rather than Latin American. In the picture below we see the huge shopping mall, or as some like to call it "The Evil Tower of Sauron".

The next destination was Valparaiso, a city like no other, I was excited to show them this splendour of art, color and ungoverned city expansion. To follow in my footstepts as I first started my motorbike trip, we took the more exciting road up into the mountains...

And with an A-Team performance we were able to navigate the small roads through to the other side!

We spend a few days in Valparaiso, a place unlike anything you will ever see. It is an important harbour, but it is for the unmatched architecture and street art that attracts people as well as painters!



To fully get an appreciation for the unique relation between the city and its flourishing art form, we did a graffiti art tour with Valpo Street Art, which with great knowledge told us all about its history, development, and where it is in the present day. Captivating! (And highly recommended!)

At one point during the day we overhead a few gentlemen talking about a downhill race on mountain bikes through the city. The route they were planning sounded insane! But I guess that goes also goes far as to describe the riders! Watch the videos below!

And: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvKqAGT94s0

The city expansion has grown to cover the nearby hills in the most elaborate and creative manner imaginable. 

 One of the more prolific artists, which style you find in and around all of Valpo, was delegated the privilige to spray-paint these pieces impressively covering the side of a tall resident building! One is to be made from each season!

On the way back after dinner out

Once back in Santiago, we returned to Uruguay where we spent the last few days together; beach, sun, and each others company.

When my parents left, I was eager to spend some time in Montevideo with Caro to see my friends and enjoy the Uruguayan Murgas (part of the Uruguayan carnival) which lasts all through February!

 A few days later were we getting ready for the next phase of our trip on the motorbike. We were heading for the waterfalls of Iguazú. But first a few days on the Uruguayan coast!

Stay tuned!