hit the road.

absolutely refreshed & with a full day alone in b.a. at my fingertips i decided to explore a neighborhood that has been likened to the plateau in montreal called palermo. i wended the day away walking from park to park - taking a reading break here and there. there are parks everywhere & i lucked out with a gorgeous, sunny day. i traipsed my way through the botanical gardens & neighborhoods both delightful & delapidated. after over six hours of walking, my feet were about to turn their backs on me, so i headed back to the hostel. i afforded myself a quiet evening relaxing in the courtyard in the middle of the old converted mansion & met some interesting people from england, new zealand, and canada. i was relishing my time alone so i kept the socializing to a minimum & buried my head in my epic book - a welcome moment of calm after all of the movement.

the solitary miranda.

un dia de viajando.

our last day in uruguay was a practice in patience. we had three legs for the journey back from punta del este to b.a. the first two legs were unremarkable with a bus from the punta to montevideo then from montevideo to colonia. with a few hours to spare and a few hundred uruguayan pesos to rid ourselves of, we decided on a splurge for food (there isn´t much else to spend your money on in colonia). we found ourselves a great little bistro (for which we were clearly underdressed) & i had myself a wonderful caprese pasta. (nothing too much to gloat about yet dad, at this point in the trip; an entire entry on cuisine will soon be dedicated to you.) the rest of our time was spent wandering my beloved cobble stone streets, checking out all the funky restaurants, and wasting time. the last leg of the trip, the ferry back to argentina, sat docked, with everyone on it for almost two hours. the one redeeming part of this experience was the sunset we were privy to from our position on the water - what a view. we finally made it back to b.a. exhausted from over 14 hours of travel.

phil´s mom had arrived in b.a. a few days before and greeted us at the apartment on our return. with the small quarters, i chose to stay in a hostel in b.a. for the two nights we were stopping over so phil & his mom could have some q.t. and i my independence. weary & waning, i made it to the hostel just in time to crash. i had one of the best sleeps of my trip yet that night.

the back in b.a. miranda.

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.

a familiar feeling destination.

with less than a great love for montevideo, phil and i decided to take leave of the city sooner rather than later. we breakfasted like kings, packed our things, & made our way to the bus station. fret not mother, we decided on public transportation to our next destination, punta del este. punta del este is another peninsula but it runs north/south with the western shore on the rio de la plata and the eastern shore on the atlantic ocean. as lonely planet posits, the 'punta' checklist is: "skimpy bikini (men and women), designer sunglasses (imitations will be sniggered at), dancing shoes. bring plenty of: cash, attitude, all-night party stamina." lonely planet was not far off the mark. what a change of scene from montevideo to punta. i felt as though i had been transported to miami beach.

we got into punta in the late afternoon & easily found our hostel. it had a gorgeous view of the beach & hammocks out on the patio for our enjoyment - it had a great aura to it. we got ourselves situated (our room had a view of the water too) & decided to walk down & around the punta (the point). it was a beautiful area and the rocky views off the end of the point were breathtaking. we even saw some dozing sea lions along the way.

with prices so exorbitant, we decided to save our cash & make our own food for the two nights there. we obviously were not the only ones in our hostel with that idea and found a shockingly young, english speaking community at our hostel. we met a few fellow canadians & americans as well as some australians, swedes, & dutch folks. our first night in punta was rather tame & we just hung out on the beach & took to our beds relatively early hoping for sunny weather.

the beach bum miranda.

montevideo.

we woke to a lovely spread of fruits, breads, coffee, and tea at our hostel on our first morning. usually free breakfasts are not nearly as elaborate so we took advantage of the generous & fulfilling meal. thus commenced our first day in the capital city of uruguay. it was quite evident on our first day in montevideo that the poverty was much more visible in this city than in buenos aires. in an area called "ciudad vieja" (the old city), dilapidated mansions had been transformed into slum housing and there was waste all over the streets. as phil had been told, montevideo is like b.a. ten years ago, still recovering from financial crises & the overwhelming poor population. an important reminder of the fortunate lives we lead.

montevideo is a peninsula that runs east/west with the rio de plata running on the southern shore and the bahia de montevideo along the north. i was not as taken with montevideo as with b.a. so our exploration on the first day lacked fervor. we wandered through famous plazas & open air markets but did not feel the need to run ourselves haggard finding the sights listed in my lonely planet. phil & i took leave of each other for part of the afternoon just to get some time alone and relax. i found myself a lovely outdoor patio, got myself a cafe con leche & delved deeper into the cheesey epic novel i am currently reading. we rendez vous-ed back at our hostel, a converted old mansion, & headed down to the water. it is a beautifully situated city & phil & i spent the rest of the afternoon sitting down by the water reading in a series of lovely parks.

our money was worth even more in uruguay than argentina so we decided to find ourselves a nice restaurant & get a fancy meal for under $10 US. unfortunately, we chose poorly. for all intents & purposes the restaurant we set out sights on seemed perfect for a big plate of pasta, it even smelled heavenly as we walked in the door. we were sorely disappointed when we got our meals - our pasta was overdone to the point of paste, my primavera appeared to contain a bag of defrosted veggies & a dash of bad white wine, & i just about had to force myself to eat some of it just to get the sustenance. the meal left much to be desired to say the least. discouraged and with a bad taste in our mouths (literally), we made our way back to our hostel, read for awhile, & hit the hay.

the underwhelmed miranda.

adendum.

after reading my post re: hitch hiking through uruguay, i felt i really hadn't done phil and myself justice in the comedic factor of it all. looking back, it was hilariously absurd and at points i just could not stop myself from laughing uncontrollably at the predicament that we had put ourselves in. at one point we were exhausted, bodies aching and laid out in a pasture, taking turns at the side of the road pleading with our eyes to each motorist that flew by. it was just priceless. thinking we might not get another ride at the rate we were going, we had made the decision to try and walk the 20k to the next city (rosario); what a pair we made. as you can see in the previous post, we were, thank sweet mother, picked up and driven to rosario.

we have since averred that we employed the wrong tactic & walking into the middle of nowhere was probably not the most judicious decision. but, we've come up with an excellent way to justify it all - we were training for our real trek in patagonia - yes, all part of a master plan. so, in reality, brilliance was at work that day & our bodies are stronger for it. disillusionment is bliss. here are some pictures so you can laugh along with us...

the humored miranda.

adventures in the countryside.

we spent the next morning in colonia & then attempted (mom, avert your eyes) to hitchhike to montevideo, the capital of uruguay (a distance of 180 kilometers). optimistic & energized, we hit the road with our packs in tow. after walking for about 8 kilometers, spirits waning, we were finally picked up. unfortunately, the driver was only going along our way for 15 kilometers but at that point we took anything we could get. we were dropped off in the middle of farm country with nothing for miles on either side. thankfully, we had thought ahead and had snacks & water to keep us going. we walked another 4 kilometers, stopping here and there for breaks, rethinking our initial plan to make it to montevideo; at this rate it would take us days. in the midst of another stint of walking, as i was losing hope again, we were picked up. not wanting to take any more chances with our poor hitchhiking luck, we decided to ride with this kind citizen to his destination, a small city called rosario & bus the rest of the way to montevideo.

we got into montevideo at around nine o´clock in the evening & found the youth hostel pretty easily. after such a physically & mentally taxing day, i showered, read, & passed right out.

the physically fit miranda.