Unemployed & Unimpeded: Punta del Este, Uruguay

This is what we had been waiting for. A week before Shanta flew out to her cousin's bachelorette party, we wanted a few days to sit on a beach, have some beers, eat good food and relax. As if this trip wasn't relaxing enough. Punta del Este is the resort city where Argentine and Uruguayans flock to in the summer months to escape the city heat. The beaches are packed, the clubs are in full swing and the prices rise steadily with the temperature. To get there from Iguazu, we took a bus to the border town of Salto. From there, it takes only five hours to cross the entire country to the capital of Montevideo and another two up the coast to Punta del Este. We found a great hotel right on the water and immediately got to work on some drinks and beach time.

The beach outside our hotel

A look down the beach

An impromptu mass

90% of our day was this

Main avenida

Los dedos

Best sushi we've ever had (salmon skin)

The punta looks like a southern California suburb

Adding some light to the point

South American sea lion, a very nasty looking guy

Amazing calamari

Hanging out on the other side of the point

Isla Gorriti, about 30 minutes offshore from Punta

New day, same schedule

Walking back to the boats on Isla Gorriti

A classic

Casapueblo is an art museum and hotel a few minutes from Punta

Perfect view of the ocean

Looking down towards their pool deck

Squeezing the last of the sun

We took off after almost a week and headed back towards Buenos Aires for Shanta's flight. We made a final stop in Uruguay in a small town called Colonia. It's an hour ferry ride from Buenos Aires and is a popular destination for Argentines to pull out USD at ATMs. The town is very quiet with tree-lined cobblestone streets and cafes on every corner. We only had one night here but we wish we could have spent more.