PUNTA DEL DIABLO

Punta Del Diablo was once just a collection of fishing huts set in a sand dune about an hour south of the Brazilian border. It is now a much bigger collection of fishing huts that in the summer months swells to a population of up to 25,000 revellers. However now its the off season the population is about 25 including me and H. It's a five hour bus ride out of Montevideo and as it was raining all day yesterday it seemed like a good use of our time.

We arrived after dark in a massive gale. We couldn't check-in to our cabana till 21:00 so we found refuge from the storm, fried fish and a beer in a weathered wooden cabin just up from the beach. Frogs and crickets were locked in an intense 'croak off' as we passed a small pond.

At this time of year this place is a beautiful ghost town. Thatched little cabanas in all shapes and sizes lined the sandy roads which lead away from the beach. There are dogs everywhere, they all look pretty well fed and seem friendly enough. A small swell was rolling in, tiny yet perfectly formed waves flopped into the shallows. This place is known for its surf and I could see how with the right conditions it could be amazing. But with lack of swell, wetsuit and board I'll have to imagine for now. It give us another excuse to visit Nacho and Steffie and go on a surf trip.

We divided our time between eating and walking. Our little fisherman's hut had its own kitchen so we could cook our own food again which was really nice. Walking along the beach we made friends with Shaggy Dog. A rather plump golden retriever / Lion who wouldn't leave our sides. She walked with us for hours up and down the beach and over the rocks. Mid walk we noticed a sea lion lazing in the sun. We decided not to get too close as we didn't want to see dog lion vs sea lion. Further up the beach two black and white collie's stand guard by a dune, Helen mistakes them for penguins.

Dinner was a slab of steak fresh from the local butcher. H prepared the steaks and I made a fire outside. Even though you're supposed to venture here in the summer to party, we loved this sleepy little village mid hibernation, it was a nice change to just hang out with Helen in our little cabin rather than rushing around bigger places with loads to see and do.By the end of the day we had literally adopted Shaggy Dog. She waited for us whilst we went to the shops, whilst we had an afternoon beer and whilst we had an evening beer. Then after dinner she curled up on our decking outside the door and waited till morning.

It turned out Shaggy Dog is called Lola. Her owner appeared whilst we were walking to the bus stop to leave town and they trotted off together. We felt sad.