[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-v6TFruredRM/VTIvCZjSvCI/AAAAAAAAoOI/gtuqx8Mjrsg/s144-c-o/IMG_1936.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage24Brazil7UruguayArgentinaFlorianapolisToBuenosAires#6139020960324566050″ caption=”Kenneth, Guillherme, Eva and Osvaldo were looking after me around Chuy. Thanks!” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1936.JPG” ]

trip days left: 26
straight distance left: 467,3 km
Highlights: I am in Uruguay!
Lowlights: I am leaving Brazil…
Pos: here
Loc: Barra de Chuy
Acc: tent

I slept nicely in Osvaldos and Evas holiday house in my private room, with open window for fresh air and the mesh curtain acting perfectly as a mosquito net. The guys got a mattress in the living room and also slept in for a while, as last night they spent in the car with maybe 2 hrs of sleep, waiting excitedly to paddle early up to me next morning. Then the stress full head wind paddle…all pays it’s toll.

We all drove to Chuy in one car, Osvaldo, Eva, Guillherme and Kenneth. First we had a look at the sea, which was still really horriblesurf after two days with strong on shore winds and seas close to 2 m. But it will go down again…I have four helpers now to deal with the borro cracy in Chuy! Osvaldo as the oldest did most of the talking, and he knew the area very well spending his holidays here since 1958, otherwise living in Pelotas and paddling with the group in L’Aranjal. Thanks verymuch to all of you helping me all the day long with all my chores!

First we went for the exit stamp from Brazil, knowing there would be a due payment for a longtime overdrawn visa (30 days only allowed) of 625 Reals. But you can pay also when you like to enter Brazil again after a break of three months. And who knows if I will really once more visit this friendly country? Likely, as I may like to do a teaching/ Talking tour one day to give the local kayakers some more inspiration. Brazil is still a development country regarding sea kayaking, and it has so much sea and other water to explore! So I have to pay when I like to enter again…

The local officer said if I would have applied for a sport person visa this would have been working…but my inquiries at the Brazilian embassy in Germany told mein a very unfriendly call “There is NO way for Germans to stay longer than 30 days, we are also not allowed to stay longer in your country!” The embassy lady has not really seen my trip as a “sport” or she would have told me about this possibility, I hope…The “World Paddle Award” thinks thank goodness different about my achievement. Now the papers need also to put me on the sports page…

Next stop was the entry stamp into Uruguay with no problem. Driving back and forth now between the country entries was also no problem, no one really controlled.

Now we tried to get Uruguay Pesos from the cash machine with my Master Card – no chance. Brazilian cash machines did always their jobs…but I maybe able to live without Pesos in Uruguay, paying food shopping with my credit card or trying again somewhere else.

The next chore was getting a sim card for my cell phone, and we were looking fora Vivo or Claro shop – nothing. Antel was the solution. It took about 2 hours to get my cell phone going online with the new settings…I HATE cell phones!

Last chore was food shopping as usual, and driving to the beach in Uruguay just after the Chuy river. Launching from the river made no sense, the surf was the same.Now I am camping again with roaring surf noise in my ears, but the surf is a lot more down already since the morning. Tomorrow morning even more, I hope…landing will be in sheltered corners.

I summed up the distance I paddled inland -700 km. Along the coast it would have been about 650 km, so I invested maybe a day more, gained a lot of more impressions and peace – and less surf. A good investing in my happiness!