The Beaches of Uruguay

January 12, 2007

Just got back from a short vacation to Punta del Este. This is a beautiful and unique peninsula just a short ferry ride and 4 hour bus ride from Buenos Aires. On the one side, you have beaches along the Rio del Plata (the widest river in the world, bordering both Uruguay and Argentina) and along the other side, just a 4 block walk, you have beaches along the Atlantic Ocean. The water was warm, the sand soft, and the sky a mixture of sun, fog, and clouds. An absolute pleasure really - to spend hours on the beach, body surfing, reading and relaxing. That is, until 5 hours later you realize that the UV rays were magnified by the fog and clouds which kept your body cool while frying your skin. That´s right, the three of us (Sterling, Sabrena and I) experienced the worst buns of our lives, and of course, the very first day which made for a challenging, creative beach vacation. We shifted our schedule, dogged the peak hours and jumped from shady patch to shady patch, but still managed to enjoy ourselves thoroughly. I won´t get into the details of our burn treatment, including our first trip to a hospital in BA, but we certainly learned our lesson.