Uruguay
Part 2
To see what we got up to the first time we visited Uruguay, click here...
This time, we crossed back from Argentina at Fray Bentos and drove across to the east coast, working our way up several small towns and beaches.
Jan 2023
Palmar
We stayed a night in a free municipal campsite in Palmar, right on the lake. Although there were quite a few other campers, it was such a peaceful and quiet night. The lake was bright green with bright sulphur-blue sediment on the shoreline. We have no idea why but it was definitely not a lake to have a dip in. As we were getting back from a short walk, a kid came over with an armadillo in his hands that he'd caught in the bush!
It was hard to adjust to the prices in Uruguay after Argentina. We stocked up on cupboard stuff and tinned food before we crossed the border, but even a few vegetables from the supermarket were £10, which is quite significant when we had set a target of £30 a day to try and catch up on our budget. We have struggled to understand the economics of Uruguay - people don't have massive salaries and supermarkets and prices in restaurants can be more than in London!
It's also strange to be in such a comparatively small country. We set off from Palmar near the border and covered most of the country in less than 5 hours to reach Punta del Este on the east coast.
In front of the lake at Palmar
In front of the lake at Palmar
Sulphur-blue deposits on the shore
Our camp spot in Palmar
Our brief meeting with a wild armadillo!
Punta del Este
Punta del Este is described as 'The Monaco of South America' and is the playground of the rich. We had been warned by our Uruguayan friends that it can get up to 45° there in January and can be super packed as it's the summer holidays. The town has a population of 9,000 but 250,000 descend on it in 2 months. While we were there, it was a very pleasant 25°C, with a cool sea breeze, meaning we could comfortably sleep with the doors shut, and as we were there mid-week, it wasn't too busy at all.
We had three very peaceful nights on the beachfront, and although the crowds descended on the beaches during the day, we had beautiful sunsets to ourselves, and the car parks were empty at night. No loud music, no dogs barking, just a gentle breeze and the sound of the waves. We spent a day walking around the town, checking out the sea lions at the port, everyone's fancy yachts, the 'Dedos' of Uruguay (a giant hand statue designed by a Chilean artist), and the fancy coffee shops, bars, and shops. We also made use of the free gym equipment and free beach showers that were dotted along the road.
Fancy cars in Punta del Este
Boutiques in Punta del Este
The fish market in Punta del Este
A sleeping lion
The 'Dedos' of Uruguay
Punta del Este harbour
Our camp spot at the beach
Putting the work in
Packed beaches
Sunsets to ourselves
Sunsets to ourselves
La Barra
The next day, we drove up the coast through La Barra, an upscale town with fancy clothes shops and cafes, and on to Jose Ignacio, dubbed the 'Chicest town in South America'. We concur with this claim. It has a lovely lighthouse on the peninsula and the rest of the town is filled with clothes shops with no price tags, and if they did, they may as well say, "You can't afford this". Weirdly, there are loads of thatched-roof houses which look a bit out of place next to a beach but are quite pleasing. We also spotted the only other 'GB' reg we've seen so far, but sadly no one was around to interrogate.
La Paloma
We carried on up the coast to the small town of La Paloma, which was a bit more lively. We grabbed churros from 'Dan's Churros', a very authentic place at the top of town where we could watch them get made.
We parked at the beach at the end of the town, which was a mistake. It was Saturday night, and apparently, no one in La Paloma likes to sleep. Cue loud music, motorbikes, and dirt buggies until 4 am, when we'd had enough and drove out of town. This town is full of hippies and there are a lot of fellow campervans so we parked next to one at a quiet bit of grass, after nearly entering a naval base by mistake, and got a few hours kip.
La Paloma
Street art in La Paloma
'Dan's Churros'
La Paloma lighthouse
Sunset
The next day was cloudy, and we welcomed some respite from the sun. We spent the morning doing jobs around the van and dropped a mountain of clothes off at the laundrette. We hunkered down in a cafe for a few hours to weather the storm, which was epic. Thunder was rumbling right on top of us, and the street flooded immediately, the torrential rain snapping the veranda in minutes and knocking the power out for the whole town. The work Em's Dad had done fixing a leak on our skylight before we had come was put to the test, but Pedro remained bone dry! Cheers, Geoff!
That night, the main road through La Paloma was pedestrianised and there was a big free event with circus acts, jugglers and performers in the street, a huge what we called, 'Espongo Roberto Rotondo Pantalones'/ SpongeBob Squarepants bouncy castle, so we treated ourselves to a pizza and joined in the fun.
After the storm, the sun was in full force again, waking us up at 28° at 8 am. There is a hole in the ozone layer above Uruguay, and everyone stays in the shade until about 4 pm when it isn't so extreme. We had wanted to buy a sun parasol, but they were all £60 in Punta del Este. We bought one for £10 in La Paloma, but we were to find out there was a reason it was so cheap.
La Paloma by night
Espongo Roberto Rotondo Pantalones
Street performers
Nightlife in La Paloma
La Pedrera
We drove 15 minutes up the coast to La Pedrera, a village with nice houses, holiday homes, a beautiful beach, and a laid-back, hippie feel. If there was anywhere where a naked shower out the back of your van was acceptable, it was here. People walk around barefoot and topless.
We spent time on the beach holding on to sections of the umbrella so it didn't cave in and snap in half! We'd also treated ourselves to a set of wooden discs, like boules, that is a popular beach game here. The main street in La Pedrera is pedestrianised and filled with interesting clothes shops, cafes, and ice cream shops. We could spend both a fortune and a while here.
There was nowhere to park overnight in the village, so we drove a few minutes up the coast to Playa Santa Isabel and found a quiet spot at the end of a sandy track where there were few houses. The beach there was less accessible and there were no facilities so it attracted far fewer people. There was only a sand dune between us and the sea, so we fell asleep to the gentle sound of the waves.
Artisanal markets in La Pedrera
Food markets
Our pathetic umbrella
The ice cream shop in La Pedrera
Boutique shops in La Pedrera
Strolling through La Pedrera
Playa Santa Isabel - our backyard
It sounds very serene but for the last few nights we have been plagued with mosquitos inside the van, despite our best efforts with nets over the doors, and Em has slept with a fly swatter in her hand so often it's starting to become an extension of her. As we hide from them under a sheet, we end up with lines of bites along our ankles and across of necks. Every now and then, we have to clean our walls and ceiling to remove splatted mosquitos filled with our blood. It's all very glamorous.
On our way out of our parking spot at the beach one day, we were driving up the sand track towards the main road and there was a bit of tape across the road saying "PARE"/ "STOP". Just as we reached the tape, an enormous tree collapsed at the mercy of a JCB behind it, crushing an electrical wire and the plastic tape and missing our bonnet by an inch!
Yoga on Playa Santa Isabel
Playa Santa Isabel
Dinner on the beach
Sunsets on Playa Santa Isabel
Our near miss with a tree being felled
Ash trays for people to take to the beach
Topping up our cooking gas
Morning yoga
Playa del Desplayado
Playa del Desplayado
Cabo Polonio
We finally dragged ourselves away from La Pedrera and a short drive up the coast to the Cabo Polonio National Park. There are no roads to Cabo Polonio so we parked at the car park and caught a big open-top truck down the sand track to Cabo Polonio. There's a truck every half an hour that carries 42 passengers.
People who live in Cabo Polonio have a certain number of permits to drive back to the main road per week. The settlement has a population of 95, and people are outnumbered by sea lions, by a lot. The community refuses modern infrastructure so there is no electricity or running water. There are very simple houses that use solar or wind power, and collect water from a well. It has a very laid-back feel and people are understandably big into conservation and recycling. As soon as we got off the truck, Justin went to put a plastic bottle in the bin and a man intercepted it asking if he could have it instead.
We went to see the sea lions that sun themselves on the rocks at the coast and enjoyed empanadas, iced coffee, and a delicious fish curry, all of which had to be chosen carefully as we only had a certain amount of cash, and there were obviously no card machines.
The truck to Cabo Polonio
Cabo Polonio beach
Walking to the lighthouse
Sea lions
Basking in the sun
Hiding from the sun
Cheese and olive empanadas, iced coffee
Our favourite resident of the coffee shop
Cabo Polonio lighthouse
Solar-powered charge points
Fish curry
Barra de Valizas
We drove a little further up the coast to Barra de Valizas, a very hippie little town. At night, it was pedestrianised and crafty jewellery and clothes stalls lined the street. Clothes from market stalls (and people selling stuff out of the back of a bus) are still expensive - £50 for a shirt, and since we were out of cash, we resisted the tie-dye charms.
Aguas Dulces
Another short drive up the coast further East brought us to Aguas Dulces, a small beach village where we had our first hot shower for a while courtesy of Rocha state department. We don't know why the Uruguyan government provide free toilets and showers at most beachside places but today we're taking full advantage. Our shower pump has broken so while we wait for a new one to arrive via our friend who will visit next month, we've just been having cold rinses.
Punta del Diablo
Our last stop in Uruguay was another old fishing town, with a beautiful white beach, cafes, and restaurants. We only spent one day here but luckily, the forecasted storm had never materialised so we enjoyed a day on the beach and treated ourselves to a pulled pork arepa for lunch. We drove out to Laguna Negra to watch the sunset from our roof and saw a skunk, skunking around on the side of the road. Like most of the towns on the east coast, it came alive at night with the main street pedestrianised and lined with artisanal markets. There was a live band playing on a makeshift stage in front of the beach. The kind of band that has no music and just improvises incredible solos that riff on for minutes.
Tomorrow, we head to Chuy to cross the border into Brazil. Half the town speaks Spanish and pays in Uruguayan pesos and the other half speaks Portuguese and pays in Brazilian real!
Playa del Rivero
Pulled pork Arepas
'Sheep'
On our roof at Laguna Negra
"Pedestrianised"
Artisanal markets
Torta Frita (65p!)
A live band
General reflections
We very much enjoyed the beach-bum, natural way of living along the east coast. No alarms, no emails, no stress, your body soft and limber, melted by the sun. We would wake up whenever it got too hot in the van, have breakfast and a coffee then walk down a short track over the dune to the beach. We would do yoga in the morning sun, run along the flat cool portion of sand where the surf breaks, lounge around reading or playing discs, heading back to the van to make lunch whenever we were hungry. We would wander aimlessly around the town eating sorbet and browsing the shops. We would take bowls of homemade dinner and a cold beer down to the beach and have vibrant purple and orange sunsets to ourselves. Justin has played a lot of guitar in the back of the van, and we've both been learning lots more Spanish (helpful as we're about to cross into Brazil for a month where they speak Portuguese!) Time meant nothing to us and it's such a luxury to have. It's also been the perfect temperature (25-30°C with a sea breeze).
Right at the other end of the extreme, Em's sister is currently completely off-grid in -40°C Outer-Mongolia camel trekking across the Gobi Desert for two weeks! Her dad figured out we are almost as far away as is physically possible!
We found Uruguay to be very civilised and just quite easy to be in. There are free water taps, loads of places for wild camping, actually clean portaloos in most beach towns, and very welcoming people. At the start of the path down to Playa Santa Isabel, there are ash trays made of recycled cans hanging from a homemade sign and people take one to the beach if they smoke, and return it, tipping the cigarette butts into a bottle that someone comes and collects, to keep the beach clean. Just all very organised and respectable!
Marajuana is legal here and you'd think you'd see people smoking it everywhere but we haven't noticed it any more than in the UK (where it's not legal). While you're driving you might get the odd whiff of it if the wind is blowing the right way.
We were also pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to refill our Argentinian gas bottle here. We had found a place on our favourite app, iOverlander, and rocked up thinking it would be complicated or not possible. He weighed our bottle, went into the back, and filled it up using an adapter. We only paid for what he put in, which was 6kg, and cost £14! That meant we had used 6kg of gas, cooking and showering in 2 months. This should definitely last us the rest of our time in Uruguay, our time in Brazil and Paraguay until we're back in Argentina to refill it again. Win.
Justin is constantly trying to improve our bed, and every few days, he will say, "I've had an idea." to the point where he's come up his own catchphrase "Trust in the Just". To be fair to him, most of his ideas do work. The latest is 'Long Bed Mk. 3' as we try to extend our bed so we can both lay straight lengthways rather than widthways across the van. Somehow, we have misplaced our saw. How do you lose a saw? Anyway, he managed to snap a plank of wood, so we had a wedge that could be put underneath the clamp to make it more sturdy. Before, sometimes, when we turned over in the night, the whole contraption would collapse. This is much better.
We've started velcroing the mosquito net around the bed so even if some mosquitos sneak in, we're safe in our cocoon and they can't get too close to our ears to wake us up with their whining.
We also feel the need to tell the world about a strange child-like habit we seem to have developed, whereby we name inanimate objects, mainly Ken. Introducing Ken Brown - our portable fan, and Big Yellow Ken - our duvet (he rarely gets to be used as a duvet as it's always boiling overnight!). See below.
Ken Brown
'Big Yellow Ken'
People we've met on the coast in Uruguay:
A Czech lady in an Austrian van sleeping in the same beach car park as us. Just her and her black labrador. She has been travelling for 2 years and her van has been travelling South America, getting passed from tourist to tourist for the last 10 years! She was working in a cafe in Punta del Este for the summer waiting to sell her van.
A British lady who came up to us outside an ATM having recognised the GB number plate. She has lived in La Paloma with her Uruguyan husband for 10 years, but they met in Germany.
A Uruguyan man who came to say hello while we were parked outside the supermarket in La Paloma. He lives in Spain and has a Ford Transit camper back home! He said we are very welcome in Uruguay.
An old Uruguyan man who came running out of his house to ask where we were from as we were doing a 3-point-turn. He beckoned his very attractive daughter out of the house to come say hello. At first we thought he said she was his wife and we were very confused. She is an English teacher. They welcomed us to La Pedrera.
A Turkish traveller who came over one morning to ask us if we had a filter for coffee. After he left, we realised he'd been stood next to a bag of Em's sh*t outside the door. And we didn't have any coffee filters.
Wildlife we've "met":
An armadillo
Brazilian guinea pigs
Capybara
Monk parakeets
Crested caracaras
Southern lapwing
Glittering-bellied emerald hummingbird
Sea lions
Great egret
Fork-tailed flycatcher
Maguari/Wood Stork
Scarlet-headed Blackbird
Magnificent Frigatebird (juvenile)
Skunk
If you've made it to the end of this particularly long blog post then congratulations, you have been rewarded with an exclusive Haiku, written by Justin Schall. Enjoy...
Defined by it's coast
Pricey boutiques and sand dunes
In hippie beach towns
Take a look at the rest of our photos
Check out our first visit to Uruguay