Aguaviva – that’s what they call jelly fish around these parts. These parts being Punta del Diablo, Uruguay. Agua eléctrica is more like it. These critters ply the ocean, hidden, invisible, known to be there only once you feel a sting. Moments later, red welts appear. It looks worse than it really is. The stinging continues for a short while. But within about a half hour to an hour it’s pretty much cleared. Still, after experiencing this three times in the past day and a half, I find myself being a little leery about the ocean. I’ve been stung behind both knees and on the left wrist. When I say stung, it’s not like a bee sting localized to one spot. And it looks a bit different each time. Behind my right knee, it looked like a scrape or a burn. Behind my left knee, more on my upper calf, there was a large area of small red welts. And on my wrist, it looked like rope burn with welts.
I did an internet search and found a couple of images for aguaviva, but very different from one another. So, I don’t know. I imagine it to have tentacles from the results left behind. One image had tentacles, the other didn’t. I wonder if the stinging is meant to keep other creatures at bay – a defense – or to numb prey for easier consumption. Wait. What do jelly fish eat? How do they eat?
Windy and sunny at the beach earlier today. Stayed for a while before returning to the cabin for a break. It’s a bit more overcast now, so I will return. And the aguaviva will not keep me from riding the water!
Update following the above. I did not get stung and I was relieved! The waves were great and I took a snooze on the beach. Below are a few photos.
Here is our little cabin which was just a five minute walk to above beach. We had terrible wifi at the cabin so I couldn’t upload any photos while we were there.
Yes, it was tiny. What you see is what we got. Just beyond the fridge is the bathroom. And just to the right is the countertop, sink, and stove. Thank goodness for the porch. It was comfortable enough for a short stay. But, oh, the day we arrived – well, I wrote about that already and so did Ed.
Punta is charming in a bohemian kind of way. The homes and cabins are colorful and quirky in design, many having grass roofs. Lots of young people backpacking (and two old farts), and while Uruguay has legalized marijuana, we didn’t see many smoking or smell it that much. There were just a few dispensaries. Mate seems to be the drug of choice.
More tomorrow.
Paula
Shared Illusions 