punta del este.

the second day in punta at first glance was to be dreary, cool, & rainy. but, as we breakfasted in the lovely glassed in common room at the hostel, the day began to brighten. with the prospect of rain a faint memory, phil & i headed down to the beach for a walk along the surf. the river side of the peninsula is very calm & jelly fish infested, whereas the ocean side has impressive tides & little sign of jellies. punta del este is a known surfing spot & the waves on the ocean side were telling of that. with a walk along the beach under our belts i decided to get my bathing suit on and brave the chilly waters. phil & i split up, he wasn't interested in swimming just yet, and i had a luxurious play in the refreshing cool waters. we met back at the hostel for a delightful lunch of bread, cheese, and salad & then lazed some of the afternoon away on the hammocks.

finally convinced of the merits of swimming, phil & i took a jaunt down the beach again. the tide was much stronger now so we got ourselves quite the workout. you had to be vigilant or you could end up pulled into more dangerous waters. even though more work, it was an exhilarating recess in the waves. back at the hostel i decided to rent a bike & explore the punta a little further. an australian friend of mine, whom we'd met at the hostel, decided to join me. we had a lovely ride all over the peninsula & were privy to an unbelievable sunset. i got an opportunity to see most of the area & by the time we headed back it was already dark.

phil & i made dinner & had since decided to hang out at the hostel & perhaps make our way to this outdoor rave at a farm about 20k from the punta. a pick-up time of midnight turned into 3:30 in the morning and by the time the van arrived phil & i were thoroughly engrossed in partying it up with the people at our hostel & decided not to spend the money to go to a party we were uncertain would even be our style. a decision that was all for the best because we made some new friends, exchanged tips, & got email addresses left and right for future contacts. pleasantly tired from a long day of swimming, biking & socializing, bed beckoned.

the sea swept miranda.