article from May 3, 2011
By Jamie Douglas
After La Paloma, heading north along the litoral on Route
10, your next destination would be La Pedrera, a town that is the temporary
home to thousands of visitors during the austral summer, when its long main
street is lined with street vendors, bakeries, restaurants, art galleries, and stores.
When you reach the end of the main drag, you will be standing on a bluff
overlooking the ocean, where I advise you to hang on to your hat!
While standing on that lookout, the views of beaches both to
the right and to the left stretch on and on. The beaches to the right lead to
La Paloma, and you can see the white lighthouse in miniature in the distance.
In the other direction, the beaches spread to the horizon toward the north in
an endless stretch of sand and stone and windblown surf. You can walk for hours
in either direction out of season without running into another soul.
Just to the south of the lookout is the remnant of a steel
fishing trawler. Playa del Barco, (Boat Beach) owes its name to the Cathay, which shipwrecked here in 1971. The
entire Atlantic coast of Uruguay and southern Brazil is one long graveyard for
ships that ventured too close to shore or were disabled by storms. This is the
surfing beach, while the beach to left is family friendly and safe for children,
due to its minimal surf.
The little town itself is very charming, with its quaint
church and the head shop located right next door to the police station.
Scattered about amidst wild palm savanna inland from the beaches, all manner of
houses have been built to rent out by the day or the week during the tourist
season. In the off-season, the town has very little in the way of services such
as shopping and food. However, a very hip hostel that is tucked away at the
bottom of the hill remains open year-round, and things couldn’t get any more
laid back.
La Pedrera hosts a wild and crazy parade during Uruguay’s
month-long Carnival season as well as an impressive jazz festival during Semana de Tourismo.
All photos by Jamie Douglas
Enjoy unspoiled Uruguay!
Jamie Douglas
I encourage you to write me at cruzansailor [at] gmail [dot] com with
any questions or suggestions you may have. Disclaimer: I am not in any
travel-related business. My advice is based on my own experiences and is free
of charge (Donations welcome). It is always my pleasure to act as a beneficial
counselor to those who are seekers of the next adventure.
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