Atlantida and Punta del Este

My friend invited me to go visit him at his aunt's house in Atlántida, which is almost like a seaside suburb in the forests... sounds strange, but that is the best way to describe it. All around you could see trees lining the houses and the streets, all the way up to the pristine beaches. I spoke with his aunt about the music education system in Uruguay and she was surprised at how good my Spanish was. Finally, some positive reinforcement! As my friend and I roamed the beaches, we talked about Uruguayan politics, where on many occasions American capitalism was brought under fire... We had our disagreements, and without getting into any detail, I got to learn about some basic Uruguayan political views and perception of the United States. I always thought the term yanqui was a sign of endearment, but apparently it is supposed to be pejorative. Without letting any of this spoil the natural beauty of the area, we proceeded to visit all of the major views.

From Atlántida, I went by myself to visit Punta del Este, which is considered to be the rich people's playground of Latin America. In the summer it is supposed to packed with tourists and vacationers from all over the world - paying approximately $12,000 USD for 2 months to stay at private resort-style houses. I had time enough to touch all of the major tourist attractions in this now vacant tourist town. I went to Brava Beach which had the famous giant concrete hand reaching out of the sand. When I asked an immigration officer where certain things were, he was chill enough to give me a quick tour of the city (as he did not have that much work in the down season). For lunch I had yet another chivito - this time with Punta prices...