Departamento de Maldonado

Our first stop in Uruguay was Punta Del Este with a population that grows during the summer (now) from 10,000 to 450,000. Uruguay overall has a population of 3.5 million with 2 million in Montevideo (we will be there in a few days after visiting Buenos Aires, yes Argentina is that close). Uruguay is a strong stable economic center and therefore many Argentinians come here to visit or live (large migration here since covid).

I went on a fun bike tour all around and in and out the neighborhoods of Punta Del Este, “the Hamptons or St Tropez of South America”. It is a great seaside city on the Atlantic with rich and famous, culture and excitement (we could live here). We cycled through the beach areas, the city, hotels, and resorts as well as expensive residential areas.

At its widest, it was only 5 blocks wide and from the “corner of the 4 seas” (literally a 4 way street corner, we could see water in all directions (because of the way the peninsula hooks around). The first stop after cycling from the port along the piers and fishing areas was the famous Punta Salinas lighthouse that helps ships to navigate the Atlantic from the River Plate. It’s at the end of the peninsula, built by Tomas Libarena, 150’ high (147 steps) and made of imported Italian volcanic ash and French glass (see photos). It is located at the southernmost point of Uruguay, where the waters from the Rio de la Plata and the Atlantic Ocean meet. See in the photo the location/marker where the river ends and the ocean begins and the color of the water changes too. This is the widest river in the world (from Punta Del Este, Uruguay to Punta Rasa, Argentina) and 140 miles.

Next stop after riding through beach communities with high rise buildings/condos with great views was Playa Brava beach. This is where the famous La Mano giant sculpture by artist Mario Irarrázabal, is located. It is of a hand, with just fingertips emerging from the sand (see photos). What is its meaning? So interesting, most think it’s simply a warning about drowning in these tough waters and others say the hand is emerging out of the sand, representing humans joining nature or possibly taking over nature. You decide. A similar statue by the same artist of a giant arm buried is at the National Harbor in Maryland.

We then rode through the neighborhoods of Beverly Hills and San Rafael (really their names) and saw the beauty and interesting designs of the homes here before going through the business and tourist areas for a very diverse ride before riding back to the pier.Lue lisää