Backpacking South America

So we thought the Post Office was bad… but it was nothing compared to thebank.  This is where I would say “there has to be a better way.”  After our experience at the bank, I feel as if I fully understand why people wouldn’t want to keep their money in the bank, because it’s near to impossible to get it out.  I’m not trying to judge, but allow for me to paint you a picture of what it was like for us.

Here we are in La Paloma, a small little beach town.  We are nearing the end of our stay and we still need to pay the hostel.  We realize that we need more Uruguayian pesos to pay in full, plus the laundry we had done (they don’t believe in charging their customers up front, so you always pay the day before you leave).

It was a nice morning in a walkable beach town, so we asked where there was a bank (there’s only one) and we walked downtown.  Up until this point, it must be noted, that we had had no trouble extracting money from any ATM in Argentina, Chile or Uruguay, big cities and small villages.

Prior to Christmas, we decided to get away and relax beachside in La Paloma, Uruguay.  A 3.5 hour bus ride from Montevideo, it was the perfect getaway.  With nice beaches, laid-back beach culture and good weather, it was hard not to be relaxed.

The first day was a bit cloudy, so we decided to take a leisurely walk along the beach, which was across the street and over the dune (less than 50 meters).  As we rounded the point by the lighthouse, we noticed an older man crawling up over a rock.  It looked like he was struggling to get up from a fall.  I assumed everything was alright – he wasn’t bleeding – but Carra, being a bit more compassionate, decided to check to make sure everything was alright.  Her simple ‘Todo bien? Necesita ayudar?’ started a half hour conversation in Spanish, which we successfully navigated.  We gather he was actually hunting for mussels.

That evening the clouds finally broke and we were treated to a spectacular sunset.  Unfortunately we still only had a disposable camera, which I’m sure annoyed the couple somewhat nearby.  After every shot, we had to go through the wind and click action.