Friday, January 31 - Punta Del Este, Uruguay

 We were late getting out of Buenos Aires last night because of shipping traffic and a very narrow channel that we had to sail.  We were stuck behind a couple of container ships for a while.  This is a tender port and we arrived about 90 minutes late, but the captain requested local tender boats which hold more people than the ship's tenders so we were able to get all of the tours off.  He said he would stay late if necessary to get some of the longer tours back in time.

Our tour was Highlights and the Classic Car Museum.  Once again, we were very impressed with Uruguay.  Punta Del Este is a lovely beach town on a sort of peninsula so there is the River Plate on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other.  The beaches on the river are calm, but the ocean beaches are a bit wilder.  Both are beautiful.  There are dozens of large condo/apartment buildings, especially along the beaches.  We're told that the latest census in 2011 showed a permanent population of under 10,000.  Again, since this is a resort town, most of the lovely condos are only occupied a month or two a year.  

The marina had many lovely yachts.

This church was prettier on the outside than in.

An example of a more middle-class condo building

This is a combination art museum and hotel.

Condos along the beach

Some of the more upscale condos.  According to Airbnb, you can rent a 2-bedroom unit for as low as $1,060 per week in April

An interesting hotel

A sculpture of "the butterfly of life"

A famous sculpture that depicts a hand (one finger is off to the side) either coming out of the sand indicating life, or sinking into the sand signifying death.  Which it is depends on the viewer.

We saw lots of the area from the very rich parts of the city, to the more modest neighborhoods, to the rural areas with olive trees, etc.  Then it was off to the Classic Car Museum.

An Indian motorcycle from 1928.  Michael's dad raced them in his youth.

A Morris Minor similar to the one owned by my aunt's partner

A Fiat very much like the one we owned when we lived in Singapore.

An Austin Healy a few years older than the one Michael owned for a while.

Built the year Michael was born.

An interesting bridge that is sort of like a roller coaster.

Homes in the suburbs.

Our impression of Uruguay is that it is very orderly, clean, and comfortable.  The people are friendly and we felt safe everywhere.  

Roger wasn't at Trivia again and the 4 of us only managed 6/15.  It was a particularly hard game and the top score was only 10, so we didn't feel too bad.

The specialty restaurants aren't full - probably because the passenger load is light - so we were offered dinner at Prime 7 tonight.  At the tables near to us were John and Rocket and Terry Bishop and his wife, Julie.  It did seem to fill up later.