We rode a shuttle bus, with other American Martial Artists who we did not know, for two hours to our final destination.
Villa Ituzaingo aka Punta del Este, Uruguay
History Alert: The following is a piece of history. Please skip if more than 4 lines of history bore you. Thank you. Punta del Este used to be called Villa Ituzaingo. A very important battle was fought and won by the Argentinian troops of Rio de la Plata against Brazil in 1827. Brazil was stopped from expanding its territory to the Rio de la Plata. In fact, Uruguay was created in 1828 because of the peace pact signed between Argentina and Brazil. Uruguay serves as a barrier between Argentina and Brazil. It’s a safe zone.
Punta del Este, Uruguay is a Pearl
The town changed its name to Punta del Este in 1907, and that very same year welcomed tourists. Because let’s face it, Ituzaingo does not have the same sex appeal as Punta del Este. Get the Punta? Now it is known as “The Pearl” of Uruguay. There are many such “pearls” around the world. If you want to make something sound special you just call it a “pearl”. For example, Phuket, Thailand is the “pearl” of the Andaman Sea. I suppose something had to be done in order to save it from having such an unfortunate-sounding appellation. Winston Churchill called Uganda the “pearl” of Africa, and Bora Bora is the “pearl” of the South Pacific, etc.
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