Uruguay - Punta Del Este

    Spending an average of two nights in hostels is starting to take its toll. I find myself waking up confused on where I am sometimes because we switch locations so rapidly. I miss my bed back home, especially when I lay awake listening to the random person snoring or being constantly woken up by people as they get home late from partying or people waking up early talking to each other as they pack their bags to leave. Having just lived 3 years in a house mostly by myself, it has been very challenging to live amongst strangers in mixed dorms of 6-12 people. A comfortable bed, a restful nights sleep and a clean bathroom have become treasures on my journey . . . seldom do I get the combination of all three. Okay, enough whining for now.
    Off to Uruguay and a popular beach town called Punta Del Este for our last tropical beach experience for a couple months. A catamaran takes us from Buenos Aires to Colonia in Uruguay where we catch a 5 hour bus ride to Punta Del Este. Driving into town I am shocked at how upscale Punta Del Este is. It is like the Miami Beach of South America. We arrive around sunset and catch our bearings at a restaurant close to the bus station.
    Every new Country we visit means that we have to get used to a new currency. Uruguay is particularly difficult to get used because you get 20 pesos for $1 US. Punta Del Este is expensive, so things seem ridiculously over-priced until you do the math, then they become just over-priced. I am still waiting on visiting Countries where the US dollar is very valuable. So far, Argentina is the best with the currency exchanging at 4 to 1, but things are still pricey (dinner on average $15-20, hostel on average $20/night). I hear Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador are the Countries where the US dollar has the highest value.
    We arrive after sundown at our hostel and sit down to plan out our trip to Patagonia. We are disappointed to find out that we have to fly out in two days in order to get a good deal on airfare. So, we have roughly two days in Uruguay and then it’s off to Patagonia. The best time to visit Patagonia is January to February, I am anxious to get down there so we don’t run into bad weather.
     We meet up with some Chilean’s from Santiago who invite us to go with them to an Island. We stock up on food and water and take a ferry across to a small Island where lot’s of people go to hang out on the beach for the day. The rules aren’t the same as in the US, so jet ski’s, boats and yachts are scattered just off the shore, swimming distance from the beach. I watch the families lounging on their very extravagant yachts and daydream of one day owning or being good friends with someone who owns a yacht.
    Back on the mainland, Paul and I spot a rotating restaurant 20 stories high looking over the town and pop in for a beer and some snacks. During the high times (no pun intended) our conversations are very optimistic with talks of the ambitions we have for our trip and reminiscing on the good times already had. During the times of unrest, long travel days, getting ripped off or just a plain bad mood conversations tend to be less optimistic with talks of ending the trip early or no talking at all . . . silence. Having been friends with Pablo for so long, I never have to worry about jeopardizing our friendship with an argument or a bout of silence while working things out in my head.
    Everywhere we go, people seem to want to stay out late and party. The time of when the night gets started keeps getting later and later. In Uruguay, some of the nightclubs don’t open until 2am. I have thrown in the towel on going out for a while. I don’t understand how staying up until the sun rises doesn’t take its toll on other traveler’s. The lack of sleep carry’s over days at a time for me, I am content on playing some cards or dominoes and falling asleep at a reasonable hour so I can wake up to enjoy a full day of activities.
    We spend our last day in Uruguay at the beach. The wind is very extreme, but the water is surprisingly warm. The Atlantic has been good to me on this trip, I will say goodbye to it in Ushuaia where both the Pacific and Atlantic converge and where I break away to the Andes for some trekking.