THE POWER OF ISOLATION

Is there anything more pure than the connection with yourself, within a totally desolate environment?

Today I want to tell this story, one of the most recent trips and one of the most natural experiences I have lived in this last year, a few days with two great friends away from civilization, living in peace and fullness of calm.
It may sound too mystical to some, but for nature lovers, and social isolation, I recommend you make a little escape to solitude from time to time.

Everything started a sunny morning in March, day 7 to be more exact, we managed to get to the starting point by bus.
The last mini market to buy some last minute supplies, all this happened at the gate of the Laguna Garzon bridge, located 30 kilometers from Punta del Este in the East direction.
The bridge crosses the lagoon and separates two departments, Maldonado, where we were at that moment, and the department of Rocha, a destination marked on our road map, but beyond separating two departments, it seems that the task of that bridge Is to keep civilization on one side and the wild and wild life of the other.

This road sign seems to describe perfectly the path that awaits us, a walk along a discontinuous route, about 18km under a sun that had the energy filled up and it was already beginning to feel in the arms.
The original idea was to walk approximately half the way, stop to replenish energy and hydrate, to be able to finish that road and reach the lagoon of Rocha, the first destination, and where we would spend the first night.
The landscape around us seemed to be drawn from a tale, or perhaps from a National Geographic documentary, a mixture of rural-beach environments that make a combination of beauty and color that delights the eye.

It was almost four o'clock when we started to see animals of all kinds, dogs, cows, sheep and some wild horses that made everything look a bit more poetic.
We already felt in our feet that the stones of the road were gradually becoming sand and that meant only one thing, the beach was close. With legs not so tired, but with the skin already tanned for spending the day in the sun, we had only one goal in our heads to arrive as soon as possible and set up camp to be able to spend some time resting and enjoying the solitude.

We arrived at the destination point with enough light to enjoy the beach abit, the first thing was to leave the backpacks, which were around 15 kilos each, and were already adding a small dose of sad moodiness to the environment.
We proceeded to walk a little around the place, and try to find a good point to spend the night, a birdwatcher located a few meters from the shore, it seemed to be the perfect home for us that night, the tents would go in the sand for more comfort but the gazebo gave us a protection against the wind, and a little hiding too.

The sunset looks exactly as a painting, and we were in the front row to appreciate the colors, the noise of the crickets and some birds that ended their day flight gave a magic touch. Already with the tents all sete uo, we were ready to prepare the dinner and to think a little about what would be the idea for tomorrow, to mark the next destination and to continue with this adventure.
I remember at that moment to wanting to enjoy a pizza with olives and a cold IPA, although I would not change that moment for any luxury dinner in the world.

The night was already full, and so our home, the clock marked 22:15, relatively early, but with our body tired of walking, carrying weight, and receiving a very strong sun, it seemed that we did not sleep since for at least three days.
It was not difficult for us to agree to sleep early so we could leave at dawn the next day and try to avoid the strong sun.

The second day started really slow, and a mixture of clouds and dampness made the surroundings a mysterious place,
without as much light as the moment of our arrival, and in this way, youcan really appreciate the wildness and the quiet of that place.
Just a couple of houses in the distance, in which it was difficult at times to distinguish if at some point someone had the courage to live there.
We decided to make a quick breakfast, coffee, an apple and some dried fruits were our fuel until the next stop.

That was our path to continue the road, we was a few kilometers to the next destination, Valizas.
Although it sounds unbelievable, and when we thought that we would no longer reach a quieter and calmer place, we came across this small fishing village where time has stopped and it seems that the years have forgotten to pass by.
With fields that show an incredible immensity and a smaller number of inhabitants to any apartment complex of the capital, we were grateful to be alive, alive and in that place.

We spent the day at the beach, a bit of frisbee, a good lunch, and of course the sun was not going to be absent.
We spent the day at the beach, without worries, without thinking about what would happen to us at night, the truth was that the idea was to clear the mind of worries for a while, and we were doing it in the best way.
The awakening of a nap in the sand, to be able to see an incredible sunset in the delta of Valizas lagoon, was one of the highest points of the trip.

One more night of tent on the beach, one more night of camping food and insect silence. The weather threatened a bit with wetting our adventure, but at times it seemed to pity us and give us one more day of summer, one more day of beach and happiness.
That night we decided to go out a little to explore and take a few pictures, and why not, to drink a cold beer on a basketball court that clearly showed to be forgotten.

Everything was happening in the best way, and the next day we enjoyed a full sun and a heat of late summer, without many plans to follow the road, we decided to take one more day on that incredible beach, to go out and explore the immensity of its dunes of sand. At times it makes you feel so small and lost in that sea of sand, that if you are enough patient and pay attention, you can almost appreciate how the wind makes a kind of chess move to slowly adjust a bit and move the sand as chess pieces.

It was already known and with the three of them agreeing on the same vote, that the next night we would also be there, not because the night was the best, nor because we had the best bedroom in the world, but when the sun was up and the light appeared, the beauty of that beach was incredible, we all agreed that there was where we wanted to stay to enjoy our days. And although we only had a little more than 24 hours of vacations our mind was renewed and our happiness was at the top from day one.

We were not going to let the nostalgia of the return soak of sadness that amazing experience, we put the best face and we began a return to the daily life.
Beyond leaving behind a paradise, we all had a reason to return, family, pets, and the biggest camping issue, the bed and shower.
Many anecdotes remained in my head, many stories of friends that will never be erased, and while we wait for the winter to pass, I take the opportunity to tell @nicolasdosse and @elalec, my great fellow travelers, that soon new destinations are coming and a bag full of new adventures to live.