Crossing the border

From Colonia del Sacramento to Buenos Aires, I took a boat, 3 hours and thats it. Or should be... as I sayed, I was illegal in Uruguay, and after giving my passport hoping the lady wouldn't notice, she asked me for the entrance stamp. And I, all inocent, 'whaaaat? I don't have it, why?'. And then I had to pay, not pretty to see, despite all my Bambi eyes and saying I was a poor turist with no money, in Portugal there is a crisis right now, nothing worked, 600 pesos uruguayos just like that, snif..
The boat trip was really pretty though, to compensate a bit. Its the best to see the sunset, the stars and the lights of Buenos Aires getting closer and closer, looking so much like New York.

Colonia del Sacramento

Originally a 17th century Portuguese port, Colonia holds a very portuguese feeling about it, again with some resemblance to the south of Portugal. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and an absolutely must see little town, with a range of ochre and honey-colored buildings, palm and orange trees on the sea-side. It has also some of the best restaurants (including the one I had lunch in, between Calle de la Playa and Calle del Comercio, don't remember the name, but with delicious food and nice decoration and music), and that is to say a lot in Uruguay.

Punta del Diablo, Uruguay

First stop in Uruguay: Chuy.
Crossing the border, from the Brazilian side, I got my passport stamped, all fast and easy. However, the bus didn't stop in the place I should get into Uruguay legally, so I just got in the country with no visa, no nothing, without even trying to, from Chuy to Punta del Diablo.

Well, whatever, I just continued the trip, the people I asked about (locals!!) it just sayed to relax, "no worries, being illegal here is not the same as in Europe", so va bene (stupid me), so I didn't care.

Punta del Diablo is a very small beach village in a Peninsula, very good for surfing (even though I don't surf, but that's just a detail), surrounded by sand dunes and forests. In fact, after Florianópolis, this beach didn't look that spectacular, and actually very similar to Costa de Caparica in foggy days: big waves and dark sea. But it is the best place to rest, almost desert, peace and quiet.