Thirty years ago, Punta del Diablo was a small fishing village where intrepid Uruguayans and other travellers would venture for a rugged beach “get away from it all” in the sand dunes by the sea. Today it is the destination location for youth. Tons of young people are here, camping or renting cabins together. There are venues all over where probably every Uruguayan band plays in January; including two large corral-like structures on the back end of town where DJ’s spin till the wee hours.
January is high season. We did not begin looking for a place here until early December, and by some miracle and Yvonne’s adept internet research skills, we landed ourselves an excellent cabin in the somewhat manicured suburbs near the dunes at the end of Playa Rivero. We love our little cabin; wrap around deck, doors and window that open all around to let in the cooling breezes, a parrilla on the deck (traditional wood burning Uruguayan BBQ; an essential part of every home all over Uruguay), and a very well equipped kitchen. Yvonne and I are the first guests in this brand new cabin. Though we have heard tales of sleeping with earplugs during January, we seem to thankfully be in some freakish zone of quiet.
The town is full of lots for sale and new constructions, from shacks to more luxurious accommodations. Many very cute, painted brightly, super surfer’s scene beach townie. Not knowing anything about the town’s codes or bylaws; it all seems very hap-hazard anarchistic. If we came back in a few years, or perhaps next week, the landscape would have changed.
We rented boogie boards and went out to Playa Rivero (the closest beach to us) for our maiden voyage. The weather here has been what one could call variable; high winds, extreme heat, cloudy, rainy, hazy, thunder-stormy. Our first day in the waves was windy and the surf on Playa Rivero was brutal. Very, very strong, relentless waves that left us breathless, wishing we had knee-pads and not staying too long. We discovered that surf on Playa Rivero is never gentle no matter what the weather. Yet, Playa Rivero is the most popular meeting place and by noon it is wall-to-wall beach umbrellas and chairs and volleyball and, well, not our favorite kind of beach.
Down our street in the other direction, a longer walk, over the dunes we discovered Playa Grande, a more deserted beach with a kinder, gentler surf and wide-open spaces. It is our preferred beach.
Before long we learned that the Atlantic is never gentle, when we floated out on our boards at Playa Grande and the waves turned us topsy-turvey, which brought the “guarda vida” (life guard) down from his observation shack to inform us that floating was not allowed ”always keep your feet on the sand”! OK we are being super cautious now! The guardavidas utilize flags of yellow and red (perhaps they have other colours too) to indicate no go zones and the strength of the surf. Tomorrow I will ask what they mean exactly so as to prevent further incidents.
The atmosphere of Punta del Diablo just makes me crave fish tacos and other Mexican delicacies, not a popular food group in Uruguay. But today we found Mamacitas, a restaurant that serves up tacos with guacamole and Tabasco for hot sauce. Delicious. We have also been testing empanadas from a number of locations and have determined that the women who deep-fry them fresh in their small stand in the artisans’ market win our taste test. Our store, plus bakery, a few blocks away, has almost everything we need. They are open 24 hours in high season, and it is often so packed that they close the gate to let people out before others can go in. The economy here is definitely geared to make hay while the sun shines in December, January and February, which makes us think that March and April or November would be lovely loners paradise.
For being all geared to tourism, the shocking news is that there is not a postcard to be found anywhere! I feel a road trip coming on. The sweet palapa (open concept) restaurant 30 meters from our house provides free WiFi and so we are not as off the grid as we thought we would be.
A small-motorized vehicle, kind of a wagon being pulled by a motorcycle, picked up our laundry today and will deliver it here tomorrow. Garbage pick-up (just throw it all in together) is everyday. After seeing those horrifying images posted recently by Kris K on facebook (http://chrisjordan.com/current_set2.php?id=11) I am dismayed by the over use of plastic everything; bags and bottles that inevitably find their way to the dunes and the sea and the beaches. The plastic bag ban needs to make its way here soon!
A charming, typically Uruguayan thing has been catching my eye here; people walk clutching in the crook of their arms (hugged tightly to their chest) tall metal thermoses full of hot water to add to their gourd full of yerba matte in their hand. This method leaves one hand free for carrying other things, smoking, talking on your cell phone, holding-hands, driving your 4X4 or ready for any eventuality. Is this learned behavior? I must collect some photos.
What we are reading:
R2
The Book Thief
The Queen of the South
Twilight (lame)
YP
The Devil in the White City
The Best Travel Writing 2008
Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?
The Girl with Braided Hair
The Gringo Trail
Until I Find You
The City of Falling Angels
1 comment:
How are the chivitos??? Did you feast on them already?
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