I spent 5 days on the coast line of Uruguay in Punta del Este and Montevideo, and was supposed to spend a day in Colonia but alas it was not possible (due to transit concerns). Punta del Este is another modern city that just happened to have the famous Clipper yacht race there! Thousands of people there to witness the yachts take off for their next voyage meant the city was busy. Street stalls were plenty, shopping streets had “sales” (though I’m sure the original prices were marked up for such an occasion) and tours everywhere were running double time. First I checked out “the hand". It is a concrete installation dedicated to the drowning – I don’t think any particular event, just that the waters on the beach it sits on are very rough, so I assume it’s a warning to those who swim in it. The tips of 4 fingers and a thumb coming out of the sand are between 5.4 and 10ft. I also got to make some friends with sea lions! The fishermen alongside the marina throw their fish scraps into the waters to the expecting sea life. The sea lions would even stretch upward out of the water to be the first to catch the fish. These huge animals are adorable, but kind of scary too. The city is on a point, and it is surrounded by beaches, so I made sure not to miss an ocean sunset (which was stunning) before I left.
Another day, another city. First day in Montevideo Checking out Plaza Independencia. It is an important square that has the “Gateway Citadel" (the last remaining part of a wall, torn down in 1828, that surrounded the old town), a monument to country hero in the centre and surrounded by colourful gardens, and both modern and classic buildings. It was here I saw a larger influence of the European colonies compared to the previous places.
The next day walking around the city catching sights of different varieties including the “Montevideo” sign before it was time to move onto Colonia (which I didn’t get to visit in the end). So, next up the Argentina!
Will have to go back and finish what I missed one day, until then....

The gateway...right in the middle of the road