2008 is here already, did 2007 fly by or what? Well, as I write this I'm now back in the USA, Dallas specifically... so, at long last, my final blog entry of the "Great South America Adventure of 2007" (sniff, sniff, boo hoo)...Picking up after Peru and Bolivia (plus a few weeks of staying put in Buenos Aires), the 2007 adventure drew to an end with a final stop off at the oh-so-posh Uruguayan beach resort of Punta del Este during my final week down south.
PDE is where the rich, famous, and celebrity types of South America, Europe, and (increasingly) North America, go to frolic and otherwise be generally obnoxious in the summer months of the southern hemisphere. So of course I had to go check it out before leaving... especially since it's only a few hours away from Buenos Aires.The "usual trip" requires a one hour ferry ride across the Rio de la Plata plus a 4 hour bus ride along the coast of Uruguay to get to PDE, although you could also choose to mix in some days in Colonia and/or Montevideo if the urge struck you. But once you arrive, a giant hand arises out of the sand on the beach to greet you.
Actually, it's a sculpture by the Chilean scuptor Mario Irarrázabal, who also created some similar stuff in Puerto Natales and the Atacama desert, both in Chile. Alas, I didn't photograph the one in Puerto Natales last September... it was about this size although the one in the desert is supposed to be huge, from the photos I've seen. But this version of the sculpture in PDE, imaginatively titled "Hand on the Beach", is a favorite of the tourists to climb on, take photos on, etc. Next to Casapueblo, it's an icon of Punta del Este.
Punta del Este is situated on a peninsula where the Rio de la Plata (a river that starts way up in Paraguay) "officially" ends and the Atlantic Ocean begins. Although it's pretty much all ocean since there are sea lions, whales (in season), etc, all over the place. But the advantage is that you can get a nice photo of the sun rising and setting over the ocean on the same day... while only walking about 5 blocks apart to do it. The photo on the right is a sunset with a storm blowing in that never quite managed to bring any rain.
Half an hour away down the beach by bus (or 3 hrs by bike) is an incredible structure called Casapueblo, by the Uruguayan artist Carlos Páez Vilaró who was far too influenced by Pablo Picasso, in my opinion. If you like all that post-modern cubist junk, you'll think his artwork is wonderful. However, if you think a talented 2nd grade art student could produce it, then we are in complete agreement. Anyway, Casapueblo itself is very impressive -- it's a combo hotel, restaurant, art gallery, AND the home of the artist.
I like how the description in my guidebook put it, saying it's "so blindingly white that you need sunglasses just to approach it"... very true. The setting is pretty spectacular too -- the entire thing sits on a cliff at the end of a small peninsula, sprawling down about nine stories to the Atlantic Ocean below, according to my very unscientific calculations. Besides the blinding whiteness, the most obvious thing about it is that there are no 90-degree angles or "sharp corners" in the construction of it.
Originally the building was a lot smaller, existing as only the actual house of the artist plus a gallery to display and sell his work. But due to the popularity of the place, over the years it's also been expanded to include a hotel, restaurant, bar, etc.Supposedly the design/construction was inspired by the nests of the "mud oven" bird (my best English translation of the bird's name) which are all over the area. In the photo on the left you can see one of the birds standing on it's nest, built on top of a pool house or some kind of building by the pool, anyway. Their nests were on top of all the phone poles along the highways too, I noticed.
Well, somehow this review of Punta del Este has become a major demo of Casapueblo, but it was one of the highlights of the trip. These are a fraction of the photos I took while having a late afternoon lunch there but it was really something different to see. Wherever you move around the property, the view and feel of the place continually changes. Anyway, the hotel rates start at $80 - $120 USD (depending on the low/high season) in case you want to stay there. The suites are MUUUUCCCH pricier.
Besides blowing an afternoon at Casapueblo, PDE also has a lot of beach life but I was there at the very start of the tourist season so the water was still cold. Actually, it's a lot like a California beach (cold!) and not like the Florida beaches which I prefer soooooo much more... for all I know, maybe the water doesn't warm up much more? There are also a lot of casinos if you want to make the casino owners richer, with the off chance that you might win a stack of cash. I passed on the gambling, of course... right now oil futures (and options!) are too much of a sure thing.Finally, it was time to return to Buenos Aires with just three more days to go until the final departure to the USA. After spending some time in Albuquerque (it was delightful, thanks for asking) I'm now back in Dallas so the party is over... for now. Thanks for tuning in to the blog over the past year!
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