Map of World - Click a place Brad's been

April 2017 - Punta del Este, Uruguay - Fancy

April in Punta del Este. Fancy because it's where all the Rich and Famous of Argentina and Uruguay hang out in the summer.  A small quaint city close to the beach and a much better price in the off season made my decision to delay my return to Buenos Aires for 1 more month an easy one.

Punta del Este is a resort city that sits on a southeast point of Uruguay, but in April it's simply a nice little town.  Let's have a look.

Without my steel horse I had a lot to carry down two flights of stairs to a taxi, then most of it went under the bus and in the trunk of another taxi to my new apartment for the month at Torre Antares.

Recommendation: Fuego Urbano for their lunch menu for only $5.50 usd Monday to Friday!  See Other Stuff for photos of their food.

Uruguay Tourist Discount - Anyone who's not Uruguayan gets 18% off your restaurant bill.  I felt bad for the Uruguayans, but still used the government discount.

I'm good for about 4 blocks then this horse breaks down

A famous cross of MVD near the
main bus terminal.

Oh man, standing tickets sold in route

Look at this place, coming in to Punta del Este

Proper Punta seen as the
Peninsula at the end

Isla Gorriti in the distance, I need a sail boat!

I made it. Perfect place for 1 guy.



Apartment at Roosevelt parada 14, Torre Antares

Not bad



Started doing Mini-triathlons based on "Kids of Steel" wikipedia page.  
First Day - Swim 100m, Bike 5km, Run 800 m.  
Last Day - Swim 600 m, Bike 9 km, Run 1.4 km.  

Tried to do a Mini Monday, Wednesday and Friday for 3 weeks until I couldn't handle the cold of the pool anymore.  The first swims took 2 lengths to warm up and the last days it took about 8 lengths to kinda warm up.  The pool was about 10 to14 C and the cold water shower rinse actually felt hot after all my lengths.  I felt great too!

Start in the pool, change to bike
and run gear.  Forget putting socks
on with frozen hands.

Feeling like a machine after my swim

A quick length of the chilly pool

2 laps in, warming up now



Nice enough bike, but with a broken display so I simply
guessed at my speed x time to get distance.

Running to the Supermarket

Some days of rain = no Mini
  
Took a bus to the Marina to see if I could get on a sailboat.  Although I didn't have any luck it was a good afternoon out.  Pushed my feet and knee limit with a 5 km walk back to Torre Antares.

The Port of Punta del Este

Real nice spot

Real nice Cat!

This Cat is about 5 feet longer than I will be buying

Cool surprise at the pier 

Zoolander!

Walking back along the beach

Not sure the boat owners are anywhere
to be found.  I didn't find them.

Great Promenade.

Big Fancy Conrad Hotel and Casino








































































Walking back from the Marina, one of the main spot of Punta del Este for bars and boats.


A few Sundays I made my way to the Farmers and other things Market (only on Sundays).  A 3 km walk / run each way.  The return after a kraft of wine and a filling bbq lunch carrying an extra 6 to 8 kgs of produce and fish was definitely more entertaining, especially with the "Shit Bomber".

Lyons Club here too!

St. Joseph Mary, can't Mary and Joseph get their own schools?

Oh wow, this is not Punta anymore

Lots of houses are named in Uruguay



Nice little bridge

Is that a horse I see

Nice moment

Sunday Market in Maldonado

we're here



Corner resto just across from the Market

Yummy

Clothes

Oh, these must be quality at $30 usd a pair.

Lots of fruit 

Let's have a sausage break

Geez, lots of garage sale type stuff

Things that would be garbage
normally sold for too much.

Probably some gems in here if you knew what you're doing
 
Live food? or pets?  I never saw any
one eating rabbits in Uruguay
 
Didn't like this seller.  Expensive and rude.  

Fresh fish

Alright

Late lunch "Parrilla" (BBQ) and 1/2 litre of wine
  
Weird
   
Where else would you put a satellite dish

Clay courts, I've never seen it before

 Amazing Ants working away.  I really dig ants and you can see in my wine influenced state just how passionate I am.

Ants making their on trail



Returning from the market after a wine and meat lunch I was almost hit by shit grenades!  Check out the video!

The home of the shit bomber!


After I threw the pieces of shit back at the guy and in to his pool I had to leave when the perimeter protecting sprinklers were initiated.  Definitely having fun!



A quick walk/run down to the Atlantic Ocean near the end of the month to say goodbye one last time.
Uruguay didn't want me to go
NO BUENOS AIRES BRAD!

Some gorgeous homes

Nice little park on the way to the ocean



Incredible looking bark

What kind of tree is this???


Beach pretty quiet as the end of the month approached.

Somebody is sailing



And then it was time to go...Good bye Uruguay...a month already.

Started the day at 7:30am, Taxi to the Bus Station in Maldonado, Bus to Montevideo, Bus to Colonia, Ferry to Buenos Aires, Taxi to my Airbnb in villa Crespo arriving at 6pm.  Done and Done!

Lots of gear for the trip

Nice beach front property on the outskirts of Punta

Bike Race Day

MVD, passing through

Are we travelling that fast keeping up
to a firetruck with lights on?

Getting close to Colonia

Come on man

Finally, a little dinner.

Lines - a great indicator of how mindless we can be.

Tired and in BA.









































































Other Stuff

Host left no dish soap, bad sign
of a cheap host

Check out the tree roots.  Nature is unstoppable.

$40 worth of nuts.

You can't set the burners, only ON and OFF, wtf?


Party time with Nando and friends

"Hey, do you think they will notice
if we take some garbage

Screw it, I'm hungry.

Sweet

NHL playoffs!

Great salad - every day!

Old house, modern vehicle = "Honey, we are parking outside"

Buy low, sell high

Menu of the day from Fuego Urbano

Poor dish rack design, the glass rolled right in to the sink.

Yum, homemade salad

Grilled salad

Am I rich?  1 usd = 29 pesos

More Fuego Urbano

Brad's grilled fish

Brad's bean salad

Super cheap chillies!  $1 usd for all that!

So easy to right a car off

Resetting airbags, pricey.

That's a big steak!  At Fuego Urbano (not the lunch special)

Owners of my fav resto which is
across the street