Punta del Este, Latin American Law Program, Day 15

We took a Pluna Airlines flight to Puerto Madero.  Our rollaboard bags were too big to carry on and they made us check them, and pay a $25 check fee.  That’s the first time I’ve ever had to do that, and I was quite annoyed. 

Arriving in Punta del Este was fantastic.   Most efficient customs process.  Nice airport.  It was a real start of vacation, finally!  The cab situation was pretty weird.  They quoted our price in USD.  And they have a meter that measures something, and then there is a little form that they use to translate.  The cab was actually kind of expensive, relative to the other cabs we had been taking around.  

We stayed at Tas d’viaje hostel.  It was the perfect hostel for the location.  It is really close to everything, most importantly, the beach.  The hostel defined the term “chill” perfectly.  It was also the most dorm style place we had stayed.  But, it was clean. 

Even though it was getting late in the day, we really wanted to get to the beach.  We stopped by the little shop near our hostel.  We picked up some snacks and this Anna Champagne.  It was basically mango champagne.  It was delightful. 

We sat out on the beach for quite some time.  It was actually a little chilli out because the sun was going down.  We watched people play on the beach.  This family brought a small fourwheeler and had a bunch of kids playing.  It was cute for a while, then it got real old. 

Just before the sun went down, we headed for the bus station to pick up our bus tickets to get to Montevideo the next day.  Even the bus station was easy to navigate.

We went to Fonda de Pesca for dinner at the recommendation of Lonley Planet.  It was awesome.  Outrageously awesome.  It was a delightfully colorful restaurant very near the hostel.  The owner/ chef/ waitor was very friendly and welcoming.  In fact, I left my towel there and he called over to the hostel and described us to the staff so they could alert us.  I had ravioli stuffed with salmon and mussles. I would fly back to Uruguay just to eat at Fonda de Pesca again.

We headed back to the hostel to take a very quick nap and then get ready to check out the nightlife for which Punta is famous.  Our quick nap turned in to a night of slumber.   I needed earplugs to block out the noise of the party hostel.  I felt super lame.  Like I was really missing out.  

I think it is probably just a manifestation of my FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), but at least we got a good night’s sleep.