Chocolaterapia

When it comes to spas and massages, I am an addict. I take advantage of every opportunity to receive a cheap and much needed massage. In fact, after carrying my overly heavy backpack for the last year, I have some shoulder issues. The masseuse in Buenos Aires even told me that I need to take some anti-inflammatory medicine to reduce the swelling in my right shoulder. Every month, I try to dump something from my backpack, but to no use since I think it still weighs the same.

When I learned that Salto on the North West side of Uruguay comes complete with an abundance of thermal springs, I had to journey out there. However, these springs did not turn out to be similar to the ones I had experienced in Guatemala and Nicaragua; surrounded by a beautiful setting. Instead, tourists flooded the thermal spas and my view was often of overhanging bellies wading around in concrete enclosed pools than of any nature. Yes, the water was warm, some pools even quite hot, but the ambiance just didn't create the relaxing scene I had hoped to encounter.

To get away from the overcrowded pools swimming with bacteria, I took advantage of a chocolaterapia. For $40, a woman exfoliated me with chocolate liquid containing specks of chocolate bits. Then I showered. Next she covered me in chocolate, wrapped me in saran wrap, and I fell asleep for 30 minutes while the chocolate did whatever it was suppose to do to my skin, I think nourish and replenish it with minerals. Then I showered again. Finally, the woman rubbed some rose cream and asked me not to shower for at least 20 minutes to let the cream soak in. I can't say that it was the most enjoyable experience, but my skin did feel hydrated afterwards. I have plans to hit more thermal spas before this trip is over.

Beach Ghost Towns

Laid back beach life without a worry in mind. That best sums up Cabo Polonio. With Winter approaching, the beach towns of Uruguay are free from tourists, much to my solitary enjoyment. A neighborly dog and I walked the long and empty beach strand in Cabo Polonio, a beach so remote, I had to take a 4WD truck for 30 minutes over sand dunes to reach it. Life could not be more simple amongst the residents in this hippy village without electricity.

A local dog kept me company and served as my protector from any other dogs that should cross our path along the deserted beach. I admired the waves as they crashed forward along the sand. I gladly sipped mate, the tea of choice, with a local I met while trying to buy fish to cook. I played cards and practiced my Spanish under candlelight with a Quebec Canadian. And I fell asleep listening to the waves crash from my bedroom window at Cabo Hostel that sat directly in front of the water. Simple and relaxing.



However, I needed internet, and so I traveled farther East to Punta del Diablo, a surfer haven with gorgeous beaches as well. I met the 20 something American owner of the hostel, El Diablo Tranquilo. 4 years ago, he came to Punta del Diablo with his family and fell in love with the place. After traveling for a year, he decided to follow a dream and build a hostel. He wrote the business plan, raised the money and built an incredible hostel and bar and now he has the coolest place on the beach. People like him and others I have met during my travels continuously inspire me to always take the risk and pursue the dream.

Only Bikini on the Beach

After all the stories I heard of Punta del Este, I expected to see models and movie stars gracing the sand in their barely visible bikinis with the overly buff men ogling at them. Instead, I might have been the only bikini on Bikini Beach and even that was well hidden under layers of warm clothing. Arriving in Autumn at Punta del Este ensures a tranquil, chilly, and bikini free experience. Good thing, I don't like cold water anyway.

My couple days of rest and relaxation involved living large at a 5 star hotel casino resort in an executive suite. I finally cashed in all my Hilton Honor points to stay at the Conrad. After over 11 months of slumming it in bunk bed dorms, I relished in the luxury that I would never personally pay for on my own. I took advantage of the spa and all the free fruit next to the jacuzzi, free breakfast buffet, sunset and ocean views and the chance to lay horizontal on a king size bed.


The most famous signature of Punta besides all the bikinis is the hand emerging from the sand on the beach. I, of course, took my gratuitous photo next to it in another picture.

While wandering around the port, I made friends with the sunbathing fur seals (or are they sea lions?) waiting for the local fisherman to throw them more fish remains



On what ended up becoming a rainy day, I visited Casapueblo, the villa of Uruguay artist, Carlos Paez Vilaro. While hiking the mile up to his house, I tried to hitchhike along the way as the rain nearly washed me over. Sadly, the Uruguayans don't seem to be as keen on the idea of picking up strangers as the people of Bolivia. I arrived drenched. I dried up while listening to Carlos speak in one of his films in the most poetic terms about his passion for the people of Africa and desire to paint them. I left wanting to have the same talent at expressing myself in words as he does.

After reading a flyer to see a dolphin fetus, I jumped on a bus to hit the most extensive, quirky and highly entertaining sea museum I have ever visited, Museo del Mar. I learned how Punta del Este became the place to be after a local finally built the first bar to accommodate a socialite and her friends frequent gatherings in the 1930s. And if you didn't know already, the male octopus is an amazing lover because he caresses his mate seductively until she glows signaling that he can then put his sperm packet inside her. Interestingly, the original regulations of beach rules include that single men can not be within 100 ft of women in the sea. The museum continues with one unusual item or fact after another.

Architectural Delight

A simple walk around the Old Town of Montevideo reveals the richness of architectural wonder that awaits the passing tourist. Architectural Digest could do a whole series on the European influence on styles. I never did find an architecture tour to join. Instead I meandered the streets with my neck tilted upward checking every so often to make sure I wasn't going to get hit by a car.



Montevideo is Uruguay's capital which hosts a snazzy nightlife I never did check out, the hub bub of their business district and beach side restaurants. When not admiring the exterior architecture, I popped into numerous museums, toured the inner realms of these fabulous palaces and even watched a ballet in the refurbished Teatro Solis that cost $20M USD to rennovate.

Little Sister to Buenos Aires

Some cities reach out and embrace you while others seduce you slowly until you become enchanted and mesmerized by their beauty and charm. Colonia is just that type of city with its cobblestoned roads, historical ruins and romanticism that blows in from the Rio de la Plata. Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay sits opposite Buenos Aires on the Rio de la Plata and originally provided a strategic smuggling point to Buenos Aires for Portugal in the late 1600's. Now, it remains a Unesco World Heritage Site.

While in Colonia, I met up with Lucas who I had met in Nicaragua. He is currently researching Uruguay for Lonely Planet and I decided to tag along for a few days. We strolled the streets together, him with his paper and pen jotting down various notes, and me with my camera taking photos like the good Japanese in me. We peered into every museum in the city with our museum pass and discovered new cafes and restaurants, although some we ate at definitely will not go in the book. At one point, we rented a buggy and sped down the highway along with the regular cars all the while trying not to get rundown.

There is more to Uruguay than I thought originally since it is often overshadowed by its big brother neighbor and I continue to enjoy exploring it.