Punta
del Este was a tender port today. We met our guide Ximena at the port and off
we went to tour this lovely area. City, small town, art, wetlands, beaches, and
rocky points…. This tour had it all! The population of Punta del Este is 11,000
residents but during the summer months the population can grow to 700,000...A
popular resort/tourist town with hundreds of waterfront high rise buildings.
The city has a mix of colonial architecture contrasting with many beautiful
modern buildings. We toured the port area with its fish market and numerous
birds, sea lions looking for their breakfast. We went to the Lighthouse and the
adjacent Candelaria Church. The city has many beaches on the Atlantic Ocean and
we saw the Englishmen, Emir Beach with its shrine to the Candelaria Virgin,
Mansa and Brava beaches with the Hand sculpture. We left Punta del Este for the
chic seaside town of La Barra stopping at the Boca de la Barra and Maldonado
stream before crossing the Wavy Bridge. La Barra is known for its nautical
sports, fishing and three famous beaches; Montoya, Bikini and Manantiales.
Ximena took us to the Pablo Atchugarry Foundation exhibition dedicated to the
promotion of arts and culture in Punta del Este. From here we crossed the city
to Punta Bellena to the peninsula with views overlooking Punta del Este and the
Rio de la Plata. We drove into the Santorini styled Casa Pueblo hotel complex.
On our return to Punta del Este, we had Ximena drop us in the shopping area and
we made our way to the port area passing the Glorieta Gazebo via the seafront
boardwalk. This was my first time in Punta del Este and it was a very nice
visit to this beautiful area of Uruguay.
No comments:
Post a Comment