Almost like in a movie (Punta Del Diablo – Cabo Polonio)
Posted on | December 26, 2009 | 2 Comments
I didn’t get far.
I walked maybe 500 m and arrived at the hostel of Veronica who I got to know in the bar of the Diablo. A very interesting woman full of energy. I rested for one day there, before I left La Punta Del Diablo completely.
Veronica
Aguas Dulces was my next destination, which was pretty far. Maybe 35 km, maybe more. Of course I walked on the beach, as usual. Nevertheless the way at this day was really beautyfull. It got greener and greener, the more I walked.
On the way to Aguas Dulces
I walked and walked. After hours the landscape still didn’t change. It got really hot. I felt the sun toasting my arms, and my head. I took my last sip of water and hoped to find a little house somewhere there. But I didn’t. Just sand… and some grass, like on the picture.
Well, I was hungry, thirsty, and the sun started burning my brain so much, that I got a bit drowsy. Anyway, I kept walking. Suddenly I saw something lying in the sand. Another turtle?… No… a television. I sat down in front of the TV, which was lying around in the middle of no-where, and ate the last remaining biscuits.
TV on the beach
The program was very monotone, so I decided to walk on, before the sun fried my head completely.
After another half an hour it got serious. Still no houses or people to see. I need water! I got very sleepy. Slowly walking through the sand I got into a strange sleep-awake-state. An inner monologue started.
“Jesse… It’s pretty warm here… About 38 degrees? Or more… What is that? The sand get’s weird. Is there something at the horizon? No… nothing. Nothing at all. It doesn’t make sense to keep walking. I gonna die if I continue. I have to reach the city. But there is nothing to see until the horizon. Actually I don’t care about reaching the city. It’s not the city I need, but just a little bit of water. Yes, it’s the water I need. I don‘t have to reach the city, I just need water. Or… even better… a beer. Yes, a beer. My kingdom for a beer. I would give everything for a beer. If there was someone here who said: <If you stop walking now until tomorrow, you get a beer>, I would do it. Of course I would. That would be reasonable. What sense does it make to keep walking and suffering in the sun, instead of pausing, relaxing and enjoying a cold, fresh beer on the beach. Yes, that’s a good deal! Jesse… Why didn’t I have this idea earlier? I gonna do that. I stop for today and have my beer!”
I stopped. Still drowsy I sat down on the sand… the sun still glowing… I waited for my beer…
After about a minute I note, that the beer was not coming. A cool airflow passing by woke me up for a moment. I looked around and realized, where I was and what just happened. I seriously waited in the sand, in the middle of no-where for a beer to arrive. There was no beer. No beer at all. But anyhow the heat made me think the beer is coming. I got scared. So this is how it feels, to have a “Fata Morgana”. The heat has beaked my brain. I jumped up and kept walking. I had to get out of there…
I walked about 15 more minutes and suddenly a tiny village appeared. I went to the 5 or 6 houses, looking for someone. Nobody. Wait. There. A woman, cleaning up the garden. I went to her and asked for water. And I was rescued. She gave me a liter of lemonade, a banana and a peach. Suddenly I was completely clear again. Amazing what a lack of a little bit of water can make with you.
“You walked in this heat 25 km without water until here? Are you mad??”
“Yes, I am.”
“I see… Well, I suggest to hurry up to reach Aguas Dulces.”
“How far is it, yet?”
“About 10 km. And as I said, you have to go fast.”
“Why?”
“Because of the thunderstorm. The radio says there’s a thunderstorm coming from the west.”
Great!…
Though I was not really able to walk anymore, I walked. Fast. The heat was not a problem anymore. The sun was setting and the temperature fell. It helped. But my feed and legs were hurting anyway. But what choice do I have? I walked and walked and after half an hour I saw the first clouds in the west, coming closer. I speed up. After another hour it was almost dark and still nothing to see.
It got night. Lightnings. Still far away, but coming closer and closer. I was very relieved, when I saw the lights of the city in front of me. But that was the only thing I could see. Some shining dots in the darkness. I didn’t see the ground under my feet anymore. Neither the sea. Only the sound of the waves, maybe 10 meters away from me. Another half an hour passed. I got really worried. It seemed that the city was not coming closer at all. But the storm definitely did. The wind, which got stronger every minute, made it more difficult to me. When the lightnings were almost above me, I realized, that the highest thing in this area was my head. I was the only target. And with all the little metal-necklaces and metal-bracelets, I was a very good target. Which meant, that if a lightning came down, then I really could define myself as fried. Literally.
Thunder. I felt the first raindrops. The lights of the city, still the only thing I could see, seemed still far away. I started running through rain, sand and darkness towards to the lights. I fell down once, twice and the third time I fell into a small river. I climbed out and kept running while the storm got stronger. I never felt such a pain in my legs. It hurt so much that tears ran out of my eyes and down the face, mixed up with sweat and rain. The lights were close now… There it was. I could recognize the shapes of the houses. And finally I arrived. It was almost midnight. With shaking legs I walked through the dark village. Maybe 800 habitants here… Suddenly the rain stopped.
Are you kidding me!? Now, I arrived and it stopped raining!!
I was angry. I expected the weather to get mad now. With a huge storm and lightnings, hitting the ground everywhere, so that I could write something dramatic into my blog, like: “I escaped by the skin of one’s teeth. If I needed one minute longer, I would be dead, now!”.
But no… It stopped raining and the highlight got spoiled. And: My feet and legs were messed up. In this moment I hated the woman who told me “10 km to Aguas Dulces”. It were 17. Anyway… I arrived. Now I just wanted to sleep.
There was an open bar. Looked cozy. I went inside. One bar-tender, 2 young guests. Boy and girl, probably a couple. About my age.
“Hello fellow! You look tired.”
Indeed I was so tired that I just nod my head instead of answering. The couple was in a very good mood. They asked me what brings me to this place in the middle of the night. I explained. Excited they introduced themselves and invited me for a hotdog and a coke. Even a cigarette. I was very grateful. The pain was almost forgotten (not really). They introduced themselves as Veronica and Hornacio and explained me, that they celebrate the victory of the left-wing-party in the elections of Uruguay. I drank my Coke to it. We had a very nice chat about politics, music, countries and other things.
Veronica: “So where do you come from today?”
Me: “Punta Del Diablo”
Hornacio: “Ow, really? I work there.”
Me: “Are you? I did as well”
Hornacio: “Where?”
Me: “Diablo Tranquilo.”
Hornacio: “Ow… I also got once in touch with that guys… but I had very bad experiences there…”
Me: “Same here…”
Hornacio: “I work in another hostel, apart from the center… but tell me. Where do you intend to sleep tonight?”
Me: “No place, yet.”
Hornacio: “I offer you a room at my place. It’s just, I have no light at the moment.”
…
Place of Hornacio and Veronica - Aguas Dulces
The last time I rested so well, was one month ago. I spent some great hours with Hornacio and Veronica and continued my walk at the next day.
Veronica and Hornacio
Aguas Dulces is a very cozy, nice place. People are friendly. It seems that every Uruguayo is friendly. I haven’t seen an unfriendly face, yet. “Wait until you get close to the Capital”, they say.
I went out of the village and after 1 km I note, that I messed up with my knee, running through the sand yesterday with 18 kg on my back… Wonderful… I never had problems with my knees… never. And I was always proud of it. And now I humbled with 2 km/h until the next little village, where I had to make a break. I was walking towards Cabo Polonio. An almost legendary place. Everybody talks about it:
They say there are only 80 habitants or so. No cars, no streets, no electricity, only nature, the sea, friendly people (of course), fresh air,… But the conclusion: Thousands of tourists as well. But not at this time. It’s not summer, yet. Only 10 km left, thank god. More I couldn’t walk. My knee got worst every step. There was no other option, than to stay in Cabo for some days to recover.
Slowly the beach got sandier and sandier and soon, it looked more like a desert, than a beach. And soon I reached the river, which I saw on google-maps 2 days ago, wondering how to cross it. But the answer was standing right there, waiting for me:
On the way to Cabo Polonio
This black thing you can see on the picture (the only thing which is not sand) is a tent, with an old bearded man inside, who brings crazy travelers like me with his boat across the river. And when I did that… I found myself in a landscape, I have never been in before:
Little desert
Later:
On the way to Cabo Polonio
I walked until sunset and reached Cabo at the beginning of the night:
Sunset on the way to Cabo
I rested 4 days in the hostel of Pancho and had a fantastic time in Cabo Polonio. A marvelous place:
In front of the hostel
Cabo Polonio
Sea-lions
Resting in Cabo
Cabo Polonio
Panchos Hostel
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2 Responses to “Almost like in a movie (Punta Del Diablo – Cabo Polonio)”
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January 25th, 2010 @ %I:%M%p
Soy la mama de un joven que esta haciendo una pequeña travesia tambien a pie pero por sudamerica, soy de Uruguay. Mucha suerte
February 19th, 2010 @ %I:%M%p
Andrej,
This is amazing! It is a pity I couldn’t meet you. You travelled near my home town and I enjoyed your descriptions of my own country. Go ahead! How fascinating!
Have a fantastic journey!
Graciela