DAY 130-145 Updated!!

I know blogs are supposed to be consistent and mine has been everything but, but now it is updated and better late than never as Socrates said. Check it out if you interested!

~Craig

Day 145

     Today we woke up to rain that showed no sign of letting up and the weather forecast was calling for rain showers all day. I was so bummed, it was my last day in Punta Del Este and I still hadn’t been to the most famous beach of all, Bikini Beach. I changed back to my original hostel, The Trip, since my bus the next morning is at 8:45 and The Trip is the closest hostel to the station.

     By about 2:30 though the rain let up. I was with this girl Laura who is from Australia but also living in Buenos Aires. She is traveling alone as am I, so we both kind of merged with Kitty and her English friends to make a 5 person group that pretty much went everywhere together. However the English were no where to be found today so Laura and I convinced four NYU students to stay in Punta Del Este with us for one more night that way we could all go to Bikini together. Surprisingly they agreed although I don’t think they put any thought into how they are going to get to Colonia for the ferry to Buenos Aires tomorrow since all busses are fully booked. Oh well, that’s what tomorrow is for!

     We spent what was left of the day at Bikini with a couple Brazilians also in our hostel. Even though we arrived near 4 in the afternoon we were early as most people don’t even get to Bikini till 5 and stay till a few hours after sunset before going back and getting ready for the clubs.

     For dinner I ate with the NYU kids at this restaurant that had parrots and tucans and some other wild birds. I love how cool Tucans look:

     That night was another night spent in Puerto. I really wanted to go to the Carnival celebration that night but it wasn’t possible. The celebration was the best in all Uruguay with 30,000 people in 5 blocks all in costume celebrating carnival. The hostels were shuttling everyone there but it was two hours away and we were told we wouldn’t return to maybe 10pm the following day which sadly wasn’t an option with our bus for the ferry leaving at 8:45 AM so Puerto it was.

     I met up with two Argentines that I had met the night before at the same club Moby Dick and we spent the whole night dancing together. No idea where any of my friends went but we were all on the same bus the next morning.

     I left the club at about 7:30 to go check out of my hostel and make it to the bus stop. I detoured by the hand on the beach which is one of the famous landmarks I hadn’t visited yet.

     Then it was to the hostel where I walked in at 8 and told the astonished staff that I was checking out and that my sheets didn’t need to be changed since I hadn’t slept in them.

     Made it to the bus with plenty of time to spare… but I was the only one. All my friends slept through it or something and weren’t there. That means they definitely are missing the ferry that afternoon as well since that was the only bus that could get to Colonia in time for it. I guess it is just another adventure for them, just an adventure I wouldn’t want to share with them.

Day 144

     Really low key day. Two nights spent in Punta Del Este, two to go so today was the halftime show mainly spent lounging about between the hammocks at the hostel and the beach a 3 minute walk away.

     That night I went out with everyone from the other hostel where the English Crew was staying. That hostel had a bar and there was a big group from NYU celebrating a birthday so I joined that crew and we all went out to Puerto again. I managed to make friends and avoid the $20 cover charge entrance. It’s funny, this city is filled with the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and whenever I were to ask where a group was from they always answer Buenos Aires. Apparently I need a venue change in Buenos Aires.

     Another night spent dancing until sun up and then I had to take the shuttle back to my hostel in La Barra. The shuttle was packed and I had to laugh when I looked around right as the bus left the station at Punta Del Este and over 90% of the bus had already fallen asleep.

     Here are a few sunrise pictures I took of sunrise from my hostel in La Barra:

     That first picture is of a bridge you have to take to get between Punta Del Este and La Barra and the bus drivers tend to speed up for it making it roller-coaster esq

Day 143

     Had to wake up substantially earlier than I desired to switch hostels since The Trip where I was staying only had room Friday. I changed to a small hostel outside of Punta Del Este to an area called La Barra where the best beaches are. It was difficult to find hostels as most are full even though almost all hostels are charging over $40 a night with quite a few over $50.

     Kitty had two friends arrive from England today so I got to meet them. They are two quite pretentious English boys but they are still fun to hang out for short bits of time and we spent the day lounging, playing beach soccer, and swimming on one of the beaches in downtown Punta Del Este.

     Almost forgot we found a sushi spot right by the hostel that is actually amazingly cheap for Punta Del Este. I went there late last night as well making this night two of sushi.

     That night the big party was Flower Power. We took a bus from where Kitty and the English kids were staying out to just past my hostel to a club on the beach. It was a great time with everyone dressed in late 60’s/70’s costumes and the music matching that era as well. It was a massive party with a pool in the center of the dance floor. I obviously don’t know what it was like to live back then but I felt as if I had been transported there for the entirety of the night. We were all still dancing as the sun rose over the ocean and the beach. Everyone else tried to hitchhike back to their hostel but I managed to score a ride all the way back to my front door from the party.

     This is the only good picture that turned out and its of the magician/bubble man/snake tamer.

Day 142

     The morning came way to early today. I know I just spent the last two weeks waking up close to 7 everyday but in BA it just seems so unnatural, as the city is headed towards bed at that time. There were definitely a group of people coming back into the hostel as Kitty and I checkout out.

     A 3 hour ferry and 4 hour bus ride and we had arrived at Punta Del Este, the number one destination in Uruguay. The city is very touristic and one of the most expensive places I have been but the beaches are fantastic and the I have never seen as many beautiful people.

      After dinner at McDonalds (the cheapest food option where a burger still costs $10) we hung out at the hostel with everyone for many hours until it was time to go out. At about 2:30 or 3 a reggae band showed up and put on a concert for an hour at the hostel and then come about 4:30 we all left to go to the Puerto where all the good clubs are.

Day 141

     I didn’t do a whole lot today. Kitty has decided she is going to be accompanying me to Punta Del Este, Uruguay this weekend so the two of us went to the Ferry Terminal to buy our ferry and bus tickets for tomorrow. We got some of the last tickets and thus are taking the 9:45 ferry meaning we have to be at the terminal tomorrow morning at 7:45AM.

     That night Sam had an asado at the ol pad. It was really small and low key and basically just the guys but really fun regardless. Sam has a new housemate from Peru who has rented out the house for the next 7 years and is renovating the whole house and garden. He has only been there for 2 weeks apparently but already the place is coming together really well.

I also got to meet the new dog Mac. Chicito the other lab is still with Fernando who owns the house and was Sam's first room mate but Mac is just as cool. (That's Joe in the picture as well)

As the asado winded down so did I, knowing how soon the next morning was going to come.