When we woke up, Bart made coffee and breakfast.  We then packed up for a day at the beach.  It was very nice, but very windy.  We fished and explored the sand dunes.  Then we packed up and went into town.  We got hot dogs and fries at a local restaurant.  After walking around town for a bit we decided to hit the road instead of staying another night.  We drove to Punta Colorada.  We fished and explored the coast.  Then we found a great spot overlooking the ocean.  After a wash up in the cold ocean, Bart made some spicy rice and beans for dinner.  We relaxed and enjoyed the view the rest of the afternoon.  Traveling in a vehicle has its pros and cons.  Getting to sleep in the most beautiful places is a big pro and the lack of shower/bathroom is the big con.  Oh, and dishes suck too ;)

It felt amazing to sleep in!  We woke to a light rain and decided to go right back to bed guilt free.  When we woke at 10 AM Bart made some yummy scrambled eggs with red pepper for breakfast.  Then we went for a walk to the beach.  We decided to pack up the truck and head down the coast toward Montevideo.  Along the way we stopped at a couple small shops selling mostly cheese, dulce de leche, and honey.  We are very happy to finally be in a country with good cheese.  A nice lady let us sample a couple kinds and they were so good.  We had lunch at a small restaurant in Colonia de Valdense.  We both ordered the local favorite Chivito.  It’s a sandwich with grilled steak, ham, lettuce, tomato, egg, cheese, and mayo.  It was really good.  Then we drove to Montevideo.  At 1.3 million, the population deterred us.  We stopped at a grocery store and stocked up and then went on our way.  We found a great spot to park near a beautiful white sand beach.  It is on a river that connects to the Atlantic.  So far I would explain Uruguay as a mix between Wisconsin and Florida.  Inland is the Wisconsin type farmland, while the beaches resemble Florida with palm trees and cacti.  We walked the beach, made dinner, walked the beach with wine at sunset, and finally enjoyed a martini in bed.  We met a dog that looked like it belonged on The Walking Dead.  It is the first dog we haven’t even wanted to pet.  It literally had dreadlocks and devilish eyes.  There were many people kite boarding in the river as it was crazy windy out.  Another great day in our new home!

After being back in the states for 2 months we are excited to get back on the road!  My Dad brought us to my brother Danny’s house in Hudson last night so we could ride to work with him this morning.    We woke up around 5:30 to get ready and then headed to the VA.  We then took the tram to the airport.  We ate breakfast at Ike’s and then got Dunkin Donuts.  We had no problem getting on our flight to Miami, but we were unsure if we would get on the flight from Miami to Buenos Aires.  Luck was on our side and we got on!  It was a long 8 1/2 hour overnight flight, but the flight attendant hooked us up big time with bloody marys!  We arrived around 6 AM and then proceeded to get ripped off by the taxi man.  We typically try to avoid using them, but we were so crazy tired we slipped up.  It was an hour ride to get to the Buquebus ferry port.  We sat and waited for the old owners of the truck to arrive.  Delirium from no sleep was setting in and we couldn't wait to sleep.  We checked in and went through migration for Argentina and Uruguay.  At 11:45 the four of us boarded the 1980’s decorated ferry along with about 100 other people.  It took just over an hour to get to the port in Colonia del Sacramento.  It was a bit of a cluster when we arrived.  We couldn’t drive the truck out of the port until we had proof of Uruguayan insurance.  We walked to three different insurance companies before we found one in our price range.  It was $30 for the month.  Then we walked back and all got into the truck and headed out for some much needed food.  We ordered milanesa chicken sandwiches, chorizo, and fries from a local food truck run by a local family.  It was delicious!  Then we went to a restaurant for a beer so we could use their WiFi and transfer the money to them for the truck.  After that we went our separate ways.  We headed out of town to find our first camping spot using the iOverlander app.  We found a beautiful place on a lake and made ourselves at home.  We washed in the lake(I’m going to miss those daily hot showers) and then walked to the beach on the Atlantic Ocean.  We went to bed fairly early as we were absolutely exhausted.

We woke up around 8 AM again and were relieved to know we had an easy day ahead of us.  We made some coffee and then packed up because it looked like a rain cloud coming.  A friendly cow joined us and ate our leftovers from dinner.  As we walked into the valley we saw a rainbow across the hills.  The scenery changed dramatically as we carried on.  There were now cacti bordering the trails along with sandy trails instead of rock.  The trail went through a long valley and eventually was parallel to a river.  You can see the snow covered mountains turn into a waterfall which then turns into a stream.  The water is so clean and clear.  We got to the campsite before noon and decided to keep on going.  The weather changed as well.  It was now extremely hot.  It's difficult to stop from getting burned due to our high elevation.  We stopped so Bart could swim and I could put my feet in the water.  We decided to finish the trek today instead of camp another night.  The trail became extremely dusty and steep.  We both took a tumble and banged our knees up a bit.  We saw 5 men trying to coax a bull up the steepness and ill say it looked like the bull was winning.  We eventually came to a road that led into town.  We hopped on the next colectivo with relief to be off our feet.  Once we arrived in Caraz an hour later the driver took it upon himself to try to drive us to Huaraz at a very steep taxi rate.  We had to stop him so he would take us back to the other colectivos.  In return he ripped us off and charged us an insane amount for the previous ride.  It gets frustrating knowing your being overcharged because we are tourists and have no other way of transport.  After 1 1/2 hours we arrived in Huaraz.  We returned my sticks and ate at Chili Heaven again.  While walking back to our hostel my backpack(which was attached to me) got hit by a car.  We may have misjudged the speed of traffic a bit.  We repacked, showered, and put our feet up for the night.  What an amazing adventure the Santa Cruz trek was!