On South America’s French Riviera

LOCATION:  Punta del Este, Uruguay, then at sea onboard Azamara Pursuit
WEATHER:  A bit humid.  Sunny.  High 80

We  anchored outside of Punta del Este around 7:30 AM.

At breakfast, George tried the typical Uruguayan “chivita” sandwich.  It is a ham and cheese sandwich on a grilled baguette with bacon and a fried egg.  Later when we were in town, I saw “chivitarias” where they sell these.

Tenders took us into the port.  Punta del Este is called the French Riviera of South America.  The port is so different from Montevideo’s, which was full of container ships.  Here there are  lots of yachts and fishing boats.  Fancy seafood restaurants line the harbor.  Punta del Este is a tourist town, popular among wealthy Argentines and Uruguayans. 

A single lady from Germany/Mexico that we have befriended walked  with us around the small city.  We walked along the waterfront, admiring beautiful beach houses.  We saw sea lions and lots of birds, including thousands of wild parakeets. 

George and I will be staying here for about a week after our 2nd cruise.  So today, we tried to find the condo where we will be staying.  We found the general area, and stopped in a coffee shop there to use the wifi.  I think we will enjoy Punta del Este for a week. 

We returned to the ship around noon, as we had a 1:30 departure.  After lunch in the poolside cafe, we listened to the house band at a “Sail Away” party.

This elderly couple are a hoot.  At every music venue, they are out on the floor dancing….and they dance really well.  The guy has a lot of sexy moves, and they really seem to be having a lot of fun.

Later, I did a “Ladies Pamper Party” in the spa where they gave us facials with lots of nice products.  Of course, they tried to sell them to us afterwards.    Here I am with my “new” face…

We have enjoyed meeting fellow passengers.  At the cocktail hour today, we chatted with a couple from Savannah who just returned from an African safari, with experiences similar to ours a few years ago.  Then later, we met a couple from Germany who will be on part of the World Cruise that we are taking in 2024.  They want to get together with us to chat more later.

DINNER:  We ate in the main restaurant.  George  ordered escargots for an appetizer.  I tasted one – pretty good.  For the main course, George had venison which he said was superb.  I had a Korean eggplant appetizer as my main.  He tried the Dulce de Leche cake for dessert.  Very moist and tasty.

Tonight’s entertainment was a Canadian comedian.  His act was about funny things that happen to you when you travel.  There were a lot of Canadians in the audience, who appreciated his jokes poking fun at Canada. 

Again, to bed around 10:00.  If we stayed up, we could have gone to a dance with a live band at 10:00, and then to a disco with a DJ at 11:00.  Maybe later in the cruise we will do this.