We went to a restaurant at the port in Punta del Este for my friend's birthday lunch.  After lunch we walked down to where the fishing boats dock (right near large yachts) and unload their daily catch.  You can buy the BEST seafood there and man, is it fresh!
     Sea lions are all around that area of the port, begging for snacks from the fishing boats.  The world's largest colony of sea lions is right off the coast at Isla Los Lobos - home to over 200,000 sea lions.  Appaarently, some of them swim up to the port for entertainment and snacks!
     If you go to Isla Los Lobos, you can swim with the sea lions, which is reportedly an interesting experience.  Unlike swimming with graceful dolphins, sea lions are chubby and blubbery, very loud, and nibble on your toes.  I think I'll stick with watching them from a boat or the docks of the  port.  They were very cute, if a bit rambunctious begging for food.
   One of the larger sea lions (600 pounds) is named Roberto.  He's semi-famous for coming around every day, then coming on land.  He once perched on top of a convertible in a nearby parking lot and had to be bribed with a snack to get off!! 
You can watch a video of Roberto on top of the convertible on Youtube.
And here's a link for more about ROBERTO ON THE ANIMAL CHANNEL.