PUNTA DEL ESTE, URUGUAY

Punta del Este was about a 5 hour trip from Colonia. There is no direct route from Colonia, so we took a 2 1/2 hour bus ride from Colonia to Montevideo where we got a second bus from Montevideo to Punta. It comes complete with a gorgeous lighthouse, a good-sized artisan fair, a wooden pedestrian bridge overlooking western beaches (great for sunset!!), and beautiful beaches all around.

Punta is a resort town where the wealthy Argentine population retreats to fancy beach houses. The population of the city is only slightly over 7000, but there are over 150,000 tourists here per year.

It's pretty obvious to see that we're here during the off season, which is kind of nice -- makes it pretty relaxing, and we don't have to stress about reserving busses and hostels far in advance. There are still plenty of fun little shops open and, of course, la mano en la playa at Brava Beach is always here to see. Monumento al Ahogado (monument to the drowned), constucted in 1982, is a sculpture of five fingers partially submerged in sand. It is supposed to represent a hand “drowning” as a warning to swimmers, as the waters further north had rougher waves which were better for surfing, while the other way, waters were more suited for swimming.