Punta del Diablo
Arriving in Uruguay 
and more specifically Punta del Diablo was a nice relief as it was a very laid back and tranquil place which seemed like a surfers paradise with the majority of the people dressed like hippies and most of the people seemed like smily happy people. It was almost like a festival vibe and there were stalls and a permanent wooden market place down by the sea where they sold all sorts from colourful clothes to necklaces to art work. Shopping for souvenirs however was not our primary concern as we still hadn’t booked a hostel and by the looks of things online there weren’t a great deal of options in this small town with a population of just 700. We found a map of the town and headed for the one hostel on it called Hostel Del Diablo (Hostel of the Devil) hoping this wouldn’t be quite as an ominous a place as its namesake would suggest, we headed there and were pleased to find that it was a splendid wooden building with wooden stairs, thatched roofs, lounge areas inside and out and a lovely sea view from pretty much everywhere. The fact that the owner was a German who spoke fluent English as well as all the rest of the staff was a bonus although this was a hindrance on me being able to practice my Spanish. They did only have dorms left and so we ended up in a 6 bed dorm which was empty when we got there but later we were joined by a Chilean couple who were extremely nice people and even came over and shook hands and exchanged kisses when we first met. I was pleased with the room and the hostel in general; it even had a swimming pool! The hostel itself was an impressive building just as all the buildings were in this fun and vibrant little fishing town. The majority of the buildings were of similar design almost tepee like in appearance with long steep sided roofs, many of them thatched or corrugated and many painted in bright colours allowing for a beautiful array of coloured walls set against the backdrop of deep blue sea and light blue sky. It really was like a party town and after lunch, a good long swim and a long lazy session of sunbathing by Lee and I we headed back to the hostel to get ready for dinner. After some delicious fruits of the sea spaghetti, we walked around and there were all sorts of things going on from a man dressed up in brightly coloured clothes waving a ribbon and blowing a whistle to a woman doing acrobatics using just two poles two hold herself upside down. Many of the bars and restaurants were lively and had live music and the whole place was vibrant with life but having had such little sleep on the coach from the night before we all decided it was about time we went to bed so we returned to the hostal and caught up with some well needed sleep. I chatted to a nice Canadian girl for a while whilst uploading some pictures who highly recommended Bolivia as an excellent country to visit one of her main reasons being the cheapness of the place which is always an incentive. She also recommended doing Maccu Picchu but doing it the proper way where you actually do the trek and save money rather than going in hotels etc. I then met her dorm mate a nice Swedish girl who i chatted to for a little while who recommended a place in Argentina near Buenos Aires where they have a festival every weekend although Ive forgotten the name of the place already but Im sure if it’s a place worth going then we’ll hear about it again.
and more specifically Punta del Diablo was a nice relief as it was a very laid back and tranquil place which seemed like a surfers paradise with the majority of the people dressed like hippies and most of the people seemed like smily happy people. It was almost like a festival vibe and there were stalls and a permanent wooden market place down by the sea where they sold all sorts from colourful clothes to necklaces to art work. Shopping for souvenirs however was not our primary concern as we still hadn’t booked a hostel and by the looks of things online there weren’t a great deal of options in this small town with a population of just 700. We found a map of the town and headed for the one hostel on it called Hostel Del Diablo (Hostel of the Devil) hoping this wouldn’t be quite as an ominous a place as its namesake would suggest, we headed there and were pleased to find that it was a splendid wooden building with wooden stairs, thatched roofs, lounge areas inside and out and a lovely sea view from pretty much everywhere. The fact that the owner was a German who spoke fluent English as well as all the rest of the staff was a bonus although this was a hindrance on me being able to practice my Spanish. They did only have dorms left and so we ended up in a 6 bed dorm which was empty when we got there but later we were joined by a Chilean couple who were extremely nice people and even came over and shook hands and exchanged kisses when we first met. I was pleased with the room and the hostel in general; it even had a swimming pool! The hostel itself was an impressive building just as all the buildings were in this fun and vibrant little fishing town. The majority of the buildings were of similar design almost tepee like in appearance with long steep sided roofs, many of them thatched or corrugated and many painted in bright colours allowing for a beautiful array of coloured walls set against the backdrop of deep blue sea and light blue sky. It really was like a party town and after lunch, a good long swim and a long lazy session of sunbathing by Lee and I we headed back to the hostel to get ready for dinner. After some delicious fruits of the sea spaghetti, we walked around and there were all sorts of things going on from a man dressed up in brightly coloured clothes waving a ribbon and blowing a whistle to a woman doing acrobatics using just two poles two hold herself upside down. Many of the bars and restaurants were lively and had live music and the whole place was vibrant with life but having had such little sleep on the coach from the night before we all decided it was about time we went to bed so we returned to the hostal and caught up with some well needed sleep. I chatted to a nice Canadian girl for a while whilst uploading some pictures who highly recommended Bolivia as an excellent country to visit one of her main reasons being the cheapness of the place which is always an incentive. She also recommended doing Maccu Picchu but doing it the proper way where you actually do the trek and save money rather than going in hotels etc. I then met her dorm mate a nice Swedish girl who i chatted to for a little while who recommended a place in Argentina near Buenos Aires where they have a festival every weekend although Ive forgotten the name of the place already but Im sure if it’s a place worth going then we’ll hear about it again.
The next morning we got up fairly early and had breakfast and we decided that since our bus wasn’t until 5.20 in the afternoon that we’d go to the beach again. This was enjoyable but after a while we’d had enough sun, sea and sand and headed for lunch. Lee and I then went for a walk around own and into the outskirts which Lee found boring but I just wanted to see some more of their peculiar yet captivating architecture and perhaps some of the local flora and fauna although disappointingly no snakes or any other creatures for that matter jumped out on me on this occasion.
So it was time to leave this great little town, I had definitely enjoyed our short stay here and even said to t he guys that one day I’d like to return perhaps. Let’s hope I have the same feeling for our next destination in Uruguay, Punta del Este.
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