Punta del Este, Uruguay

And here we are in Uruguay, which Brazilians pronounce 'urrr-gggghy'. It took me a while to understand what they were referring to.

A trivia question. What do you associate Uruguay with? For me, it was rugby and football, and after that I was a bit at sea. (Sorry.) Beef, perhaps? Uruguay is a small country, particularly compared to its enormous neighbours Brazil and Argentina. Historically it's been a buffer zone between Portuguese Brazil and Spanish Argentina. It's smaller in size than New Zealand, and has fewer people. But Uruguay (like Chile) is relatively stable politically, pretty successful economically and has a large middle class. We were only there for one day, in Punta del Este --- a beachside resort --- and we had a great experience.

This is our view of Punta del Este from the ship. The Rio de la Plata (literally 'silver river') is the widest river in the world, about 220 km at its widest point.

We tendered from the ship to the marina, which not only had lots of high-end cruising yachts but also a working fish market with seagulls and sea lions (or as Uruguayans call them, lobo marino --- sea wolves.) No, not the fluffy white one.

Ken and I went for a walk from the marina towards a popular beach and restaurant area. It looks a bit cloudy in the photos but it was really hot, and the beaches were humming. Not Laranjeiras frenzied humming, but nicely occupied for a late Friday morning.

The main event of our day was our cycle tour. It's a wonderful way to explore a city, particularly one that is largely flat. Hills are the devil, in my view.

So here we are setting out, all dressed up in our safety gear --- high-vis vests and helmets mandatory. I had forgotten to pack cycle shorts so it was a case of tucking in my dress. A tucked-in dress provides a nice comfy pillow on the saddle, so it's multi-functional.

We stopped for a walk around the old lighthouse and church ... hopping on and off bikes is much easier than on and off any other vehicle.

Then on to Punta de las Salinas. This is the southernmost point of Uruguay and the point at which the Rio de la Plata and the Atlantic Ocean collide. Our guide recommended taking this photo, in which I am sitting rather precariously on the anchor and 'touching' the sea with one hand and the river with the other hand.

It's an interesting location for military history fans, i.e. me. The first naval battle of the Second World War, and the biggest battle of the South Alantic, took place about 30 km out to sea from this point in December 1939, when three cruisers from the British and New Zealand navies --- Ajax, Achilles, Exeter --- took on the German pocket battleship Admiral Graff Spee. The German ship had been interrupting merchant sea lanes and had sunk 9 ships since war had been declared a few months previously. Battle raged for about a day, visible from this spot. Damage was inflicted on both sides, before the Graff Spee fled the scene and took refuge in Montevideo. There, after believing fake intelligence reports about the imminent arrival of British forces, the commander ordered the ship to be scuttled, fled to Buenos Aires and committed suicide. In recent years, parts of the wreck have been raised in controversial circumstances, but you can look that up if you're interested.

Anyway, this area is now a peace park. Anchors from the Graff Spee and the Ajax are memorials to the folly of war.

Back on the bikes and heading down the coast towards another beach ...

... Brava Beach, the site of The Hand. In 1982 the statue was created by Chilean artist Mario Irarrázabal --- in a public sculpture competition, he built it on the beach because there was not enough space in a neighbouring park. It's stayed on the beach since then and has become an icon for Punta del Este. The hand feels both familiar and incongruous; both protective and threatening; both urgent and timeless. Is the hand coming up through the sand, or is it sinking back down? What does it have in its palm? It's a wonderful sculpture.

It was at this stage in our cycle journey that our police escort arrived. Four motorcycle cops joined us, to direct the traffic and ensure that we were kept safe. Apparently a few weeks ago, a foolish tourist in Montevideo hired a bike and headed off (alone) into a dodgy neighbourhood, where he was beaten and robbed. Consequently, the Uruguayan tourist minister decided that tourists were idiots and needed police guidance. (I made up that last bit.)

It was wonderful having the two youngish dudes on scramblers, roaring up ahead of us and stopping the traffic at all intersections, leaving us cyclists to sail on through. My photos of this service are not very good, but I was taking them with one hand and cycling with the other. Our route back from Brava Beach to the marina took us through upmarket suburbs (including one called Beverley Hills) and museum areas, all enjoyed by our group while peak-hour late afternoon traffic was diverted for us. I don't think some of the motorist and truck drivers enjoyed being stopped on green traffic lights, but we appreciated it.

Next: Buenos Aires, Argentina