May 10, 2013
“We have only a few days left here. We will truly miss new friends. Never know when we might meet again. The beach house has been a treat. The warm weather has left and the cold winds are here… time to move on.”
We had gone home for a few weeks to visit family, do taxes, and visit my oncologist. We had only been away 4 months. It had both flown by and yet it felt like a lifetime since we had seen our granddaughter, Payton. They change too fast at this age.
After we flew back from the USA, we returned to Piriapolis for a few weeks. We spent one week going to Iguazu Falls in northern Argentina. Then, back to our beach house for 2 weeks. Time to say good-bye and see more of South America. Initially, we planned to leave Uruguay at least a month ago. I loved every minute there. I miss the friends we made.
We now need to bundle up.
The weather had turned cool. It was heading into winter. The beach was still wonderful to walk if you bundled up. The dogs loved it no matter the weather.
More clouds and windy
The sand dunes kept shifting in the strong winds. Often part of the walkway to the beach was covered with a fresh sand drift.
It rained more creating little rivers that ran into the big river, carving troughs into the sand. The waves and tides rearranged the beach daily. It truly was a new sight each day.
Yet, even though I hate being cold, we would bundle up to go watch the last few remaining beach sunsets. At that time, I believed the most beautiful sunsets were over the water. Even with all we have seen since, I think I still like these the best.
One last beach sunset…
A quick note: I mentioned International Living was encouraging sales of a property in Piriapolis called Sugar Loaf. As recent as a few months prior to leaving the USA, we were sent info about Sugar Loaf. The write-up was glowing. It told of all the features this property was offering. Friends rented one of these houses. The homes looked lovely, but the workmanship was questionable in some areas. But the most disturbing part was the overall property itself. Many of the amenities promised were non-existent. The original developer took his money and ran, and who really owns what is uncertain. It appeared that MUCH of what was in their promotional material was not going to be done. This did not happen suddenly. This property was declining for a long time. Yet, International Living was still promoting it. Trusting individuals bought property and homes from these pictures. I was sorry to realize that International Living was just in it to make money.
International Living was also saying it was cheap to live in Uruguay. This is true IF…you go off season. However, some things are never cheap. Electricity is VERY expensive. We barely ran our air conditioner a few nights, but our monthly bill for our tiny home was well over $200 each month. Meat is inexpensive compared to the USA, but dairy is 2 to 3 times the price. Overall, I did not feel the promotional material for Uruguay was accurate. That is not to say I would not live there. We loved our time in Uruguay. I just like to have realistic expectations.
This is Sugar Loaf. Looks nice, but . . .