Rocha

We lucked into a friend's house in Valizas for the last half of Tourism Week here in Uruguay. 

We'd had a great time in La Paloma, but Valizas is way up into Rocha, the department (or county, sort of) that holds all the really good beaches.

The farthest town in Rocha, before Brazil, is Chuy a border town that's know for duty free shops and deep discounts. A kind of SA Tijuana. I haven't been that far yet.

We have made it to Punta del Diablo which is nearly as far and awesome. This blog's cover shot is from there. We checked out the old fortress  of  'Santa Teresa'. Built by the Portuguese, taken by the Spanish and eventually dealt to whomever the waring powers favored during the land divides of the mid 19th century, it ended being abandoned and covered over by sand. Check the link for more.

This groovy street sign even had a map.

But Valizas has always held a special charm for us. We've been coming here since I was brought to Uruguay in 1995 and for Janine, uh, I probably shouldn't say when she started coming, but it was a long, long time ago.

It's very quaint and decidedly unpolished. Homes range from really decent places that would be nice anywhere, to cute little get-a-ways like the one here. 

There are a few ramshackle dwellings to round things out.





However, one of our first orders of business (after the direct path to the ocean) was a trip to the Dunes. This unmistakable landmark is what's unique about this part of Uruguay.

These huge sand dunes front the ocean and are accessible by foot, but it's no stroll in the park. You'll feel it by the time you reach the top.

While walking up, I was imagining those guys reaching the top of Everest. You can see your companions, but with the wind you can't really hear anything and the blowing sand seemed like snow. 

It was very cool, but all that sand killed the camera so these were the last shots I have from this trip.

 

On the way we spotted this likely sick Sea Turtle. The sea animal rescue squad was on their way, we were told. Something like 35 had come ashore for reasons unknown.

These guys were ready for the trek, but by weeks end they will have walked enough. 

Later in the week  we walked the shore to Cabo Polonio: just 4 hours! Cabo is my favorite beach here, accessible only by four wheel drive trucks, it's a rare place. I wouldn't venture there in January though;  apparently it's special to a lot of jet-setters too.

Climbing.

So off we went to climb the dunes. 

They feel a lot bigger than they look here.

Yes, it was surreal.

Vincent had his pal Manuel and Luca brought Santiago, whom you may recognize from our La Paloma vacations. 

They were wild, but mostly well behaved. Throwing water balloons around town at night and running home for cover when they got caught, things like that. 

Hey, we asked for it.

Up at the top the view was spectacular and the back slope was very steep. The kids tried to sand board, but that was a tall order for these inexperienced sand surfers. Plenty of fun sliding around though.

The back slope was serious.

So they had to jump. They had to.

I wish I could show some of that walk to Cabo Polonio. I've been asked about a million times how many kilometers it was, so I'll have to find that out. It was a lot, just ask my barking dogs.

I am still tired from this trip, but in the best way.

Today is Luca's first day, back for his second year of High School. This 6:00 am is gonna take some getting used to.

Later.

Las Toscas

The beaches, which here means the Atlantic Ocean, don't really start until Piriopolis.
Montevideo is at the mouth of the Rio de La Plata, a large bay I guess, that separates us from Buenos Aires. This means the city has essentially river beaches, although sometimes it's hard to tell. The vast expanse (nothing visable across the way), the sandy beaches with sometimes decent waves all add to the effect. If you can't make it any farther, it's not a bad way to pass the day. The water ranges from brownish on bad days, to greenish when the currents bring new and slightly salty water to freshen things up.
All along the coast, heading east to the Atlantic are small towns where people have been summering for years. My friend has a family home in Las Toscas, which is quite close to Atlantida, maybe the largest of this type. There are plenty of year round residents, but during the summer these towns fill up with folks trying to escape the heat.
I'm not sure if I've been in January before, but it was a little on the crowded side. The water, somewhat half-way in between salt and fresh water, is an even better imitator than those city beaches. Beautiful sand, some dunes, waves; it's a pretty reasonable facsimile.
We've been taking what chances we have to get to some water. Vincent spent two weeks with a friend and family in La Paloma. Luca is still in Colonia with friends. Janine will likely go with Vincent to Valizas Friday. In the absence of a solid rental for all of us, this will have to do. Not bad, not bad at all.