The way to the Devil (Chuì – Punta Del Diablo)
Posted on | December 12, 2009 | 1 Comment
Skull at the beach of Uruguay
03.11.09… I knew the day would come. My visa in Brasil was over. I had to leave the country and continued my walk from Uruguay on…
Chuì. A small ugly town. With a lot of shops. I walked through the streets, looking for a sign or a notice marking the border between Brasil and Uruguay. Nothing. I stopped at a big road and asked someone, where I can find the border between Brasil and Uruguay. The man pointed on the road: “Just cross the street and you are in Uruguay”. I crossed the street and entered the new country. Indeed… On the right side of the street the notices are all in Spanish, on the left side they are in Portuguese. I walked about one kilometer through the town until I reached the Bomberos. They let me sleep in a tiny Gym and the next morning I made my first steps through Uruguay…
Amazing… You can see it, but also feel it in the air: The country is almost empty. 3 Million habitants in the whole country. 99% nature. First i walked on a (empty) road, then I reached the coast.
La Coronilla, a tiny village with about 100 habitants. I asked at the police where I could sleep. “Ask at the town-hall”, they said. I went to the townhall and explained the young lady what I am doing and that I need a place to sleep. An old lady, sitting nearby on a chair in the entrance-hall jumped up: “No, we can`t let you sleep on the street, boy”, she started talking to the people from the townhall and didn`t stop, until they allowed me to sleep in the changing room of the soccer-field of the village, where a monster-butterfly welcomd me, flying around my head, and landing on my walking stick.
Huge butterfly - La Coronilla
After sunset I walked around in the village. The people are shy, but very friendly if you make the first step and talk to them. I sat down in the only open Bar and drank a coffee. An english-speaking woman joined me and we had a chat.
…
“So from here you will go along the coast, until Montevideo?”
“Yes.”
“So tomorrow you will arrive in Punta Del Diablo… It `s a nice place, you will like it”… she pointed on a man sitting 3 tables further “You see this guy? He is living there. He is very nice, maybe he will let you camp on his field”.
He looked sympathetic. I went outside with him to smoke a cigarette. Fabian, maybe 30 years old, with warm, smiling eyes, a very clear voice and very clear Spanish, offered me to stay at his place, when I arrive there.
“How long do you intend to stay in Punta Del Diablo?”, he asked.
“Just one night I think.”
Fabian chuckled… “Well… I don`t think you will stay only one night ,… But let`s see… If you arrive , You can go to a hostel called “El Diablo Tranquilo”. There you can ask for Fabian and the guys will call me. I can pick you up then.”
All agreed.
The next morning I walked about 20 km through the sand (again). But this time it was different… It was Uruguayan sand. I know sand is sand… doesn`t matter in which country it lies… But this sand seemed to be different in any way… I really, really enjoyed it.
On the way to Punta Del Diablo - Uruguay
Me and Bob - the sea-turtle
Bob swam away…
And I kept walking… Until I arrived in Punta Del Diablo. I went to the hostel “El Diablo Tranquilo”. It was still sunny. The red and very nice looking hostel, located on a little grasy hill, with 2 floors a beautyfull terrace and hammocks, had a magnetic, almost hypnotic charisma. Music coming out, Yoga-classes in front of the hostel, smiling, english-speaking people. I was impressed and went up the hill to the entrance…..
(To be continued…)
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February 14th, 2010 @ %H:%M
HI, we found your blog by accident. HOw are you getting on?
Besos Katherine and Veronika