Today we wake up in Punta del Este, Uruguay, our third and final new country. The Falklands are British after all. Actually, it's the fourth, but Antarctica is not a country but a continent. We haven't booked a tour, but we want to explore on land and see if we can find something interesting.
During breakfast, an announcement is made that if you don't have a tour booked and want to go ashore, we'll be tendering again today, and it's best to do so before 9:45 am, as from that time onwards, people with tours will have priority in the tenders. Since we're ready, we grab our stuff downstairs – I always want to say "upstairs" – and head out.
HAL has hired extra tenders today, one or two double-decker catamarans. We catch one and enjoy sitting outside during the 25-minute journey to the shore. We arrive at the marina, and it seems like there are more than a few people who are financially well off.
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| Our tender this morning |
On shore, we had expected to be bombarded with tour offers, but there's no one around. We stroll along the boulevard, which looks quite charming, in search of something or a tourist information center. We spot palm trees ✅, birds ✅, nice views ✅, but not what we're looking for.
We just keep walking, and at some point, about a kilometer further I reckon, we come across a tourist information center. They speak English ✅ and we're given a map of Punta del Este and told that we need to head back to the port because that's where the tour operators are located. Alright, good for the step counter, which, by the way, isn't working anymore.
We find a 2-hour tour and are told that we can only pay in cash. So, we need to get cash first. That can be done at Calle 21, backtracking about halfway from where we were. We find the ATM, but at first, it doesn't work with the ING card, and neither does the credit card. Despite selecting English as the language, we receive a message in Spanish explaining why it's not working. Go figure 😕. Feeling wary due to past experiences, we decide to give up and head back to the Oosterdam to call the credit card company. So much for seeing the sea lions, sigh, frustration, grrrr 😞😠😤.
As we wait for the tender, I see sea lions in the harbor. So, let's go there. It turns out they're near a small fish market, where they get the leftover fish scraps from filleting. They seem spoiled or completely stuffed, as they're not eagerly snapping up everything anymore.
A free tour with close-ups after all. A small victory.👍
We spend some time enjoying the sea lions and then head back to the tender, where there are only eight of us.
Back in the stateroom, Jan calls the credit card company and learns that both cards should be working fine. We can't completely shake off our skepticism yet (keep our oceans clean), but it's still a relief
We gather some lunch upstairs and enjoy it on the back deck in the shade. It's warm enough there, about 28 degrees Celsius now. We even chat with Ron and Co. It's lovely here. We've saved quite a bit of money just like that. Count your blessings.
We even take a dip in the pool. The water is wonderfully warm. Even better is sitting on the edge with your legs in the water.
We order a beer and I fancy a milkshake or fruit shake, but I have no idea which bar serves them. The waiter goes to look and returns a while later with a delicious banana smoothie, even though there's no dairy in it. He apologizes for taking so long, but he had to go to the other side of the ship. It's almost 200 meters one way. Quite embarrassing really 😳. You could almost get used to this.
When we've had enough, we head back home, shower, transfer the photos, and decide what, if anything, we're going to do. First, let's see what's on the menu in the Dining Room tonight. Rice table. Yum, that's the one. After a drink at the Sea View Pool Bar, we first stop by the Lido to see what's there, and it turns out they have a seafood buffet. We've had a lot of Asian food already, so seafood it is. My Bohemian is just okay. I think they've been a bit stingy with the elderflower. I'll have to try making it at home.
After dinner, we head to the first show of M&G and sit on the couch reading until they arrive. Just before it's over, we go to the Mainstage where tonight's show, Evolution Motown, is taking place. We want to get a good spot, but it's not very crowded. It's a fun show, but not quite at the level of M&G. We seriously hope to see them perform again somewhere. These four men sing quite nicely, one of them is more of an entertainer than a great singer, but the music is enjoyable, and we have a good time.
Na 45 minuten is het afgelopen en kunnen we nog even naar de 2e show van M&G, waar ook nog plaats is. De laatste show slaan we over en gaan in onze stateroom een aflevering van Poldark kijken, maar die komt niet helemaal over en dus stoppen we en gaat het licht uit.