by Mike

This guy was hanging out at the work site, helping to carry pieces of lumber here and there. He asked me to take this photo, as is the case with most photos of people I’ve taken so far. This was the only shot I took of him.

We got into Punta del Diablo so late that we couldn’t really tell what the town was like, or even how close to the ocean we were. The next morning I woke up at 6am with the sun and when I stepped outside this man was walking up with his thermos, cigarette and the ubiquitous yerba mate.

To drink it, the Uruguayans fill a gourd with the tea leaves, then pour in hot water. They drink it through a special straw that has a filtered end so it can draw in the tea without taking the leaves. When the tea is gone they pour in more water.

When I saw him I asked if I could take a picture and only really snapped this one shot, the first shot I took in Diablo, and the best.

If anyone from Punta del Diablo is reading this and knows this man, I’d love if you would contact me.

by Mike

This guy makes fishing nets by hand. He’s done it for 60 years right on that spot, he said. He sometimes does up to 150 per year, but sometimes as little as 50.