Valisas, Rocha, Uruguay – 10/01/2009
My last day of beach in Uruguay and probably my last day of beach until the sun and the heat com back to the Iberian coasts. In a single day, several hundreds of kilometres to find and visit 3 beach towns in the province of Rocha. Each one with its specific mood.
First stop: Cabo Polonio. After many kilometres, countless mates and a lot of uncertainty we finally arrived at the Cabo Polonio access point. Carefully hidden behind a sea of dunes, you can only get to “El Cabo” through a truck service that carries the beach-starving people from the parking to their desired destination. The beach, of course.
Cabo Polonia has 2 beaches, Calavera y Sur, it has an enviable sandstrip, it has a lot wind, it has a little market laden with hippy stuff for sale, it has a lighthouse that I didn’t visit, it has an amazing colony of sea lions, it has a few dozen shacks with no light or running water where a few lucky people get to spend a few days, weeks or even the whole summer. As far as beaches go, by far the most beautiful beach I saw in Uruguay. Not sure if I could spent 3 months here, as some do, but I would certainly spend a few days enjoying the rest, the sun and the sea.
Unfortunately, the clouds and the wind decided to come to Cabo Polonio for lunch so we decided to take off to Punta del Diablo, 40 km to the North, to have some lunch ourselves. Punta del Diablo could be an incredibly beautiful place, and I’m sure it once was, but nowadays it’s so absolutely saturated with commerce, cars which are nearly parked in the sand and beer-drinking teenagers that a few minutes after I arrived I already wanted to leave. On thing is for sure though, you have to go the market and try the fish and shellfish “empanadas” and the original seaweed “buñuelos”.
Last stop before going back to Montevideo: Valisas. Quite similarly to Cabo Polonio it has no electricity or running water, except for those who have their own generators, but it is a lot easier to get to. Anyone with a car can get there from Ruta 16. Some mate with some excellent company to end the day and now the 3 hour drive back to Montevideo.
Dear writer!
I was reading your story with interest, but I was astonished to read that you thought that there wasn’t any electricity or running water in Valizas. Are you sure you went to Valizas? Because there is electricity, water and much more. I was there in january-february as well.
Cheers
Thanks for the comment!
I guess it was just the 3 houses I visited then… none of them had “official” electricity, just their own generators. I suppose that in the center and all that there are all the things you mention, I just didn’t see them.
So, double thanks, for the comment and the correction. 