TravelStream™ news feed for member lelblair on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/lelblair en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:10:07 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lelblair/4/1231880940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lelblair/4/1231880940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lelblair/4/1231880940/tpod.html Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:10:07 -0500 Life Pix

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N. Providence, Rhode Island, United States

60 Dorman Ave.
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Montevideo, Uruguay


Fr., 9-5 - 5:30 pm - I never realized that time could actually pass without one accomplishing anything! Philip lay down on the couch, and I went into the bed, completely dressed warmly. We both snoozed; this cold weather seems to be sapping us. Did get a few replies to the weekly email, which always helps the doldrums.
Sa., 9-6 - 9 am - The left-over stir-fry was excellent. Philip watched some violent, noisy movie on TV while I called Grace (answering machine - didn´t leave a message) and Betty (got cut off and then never got her back because the new phone card we bought is only for pay phones - curses!). I found FL Follies on YouTube and sent 2 videos to Marjorie and Debbie Thayer. I slept well, and Philip made French toast for breakfast. Right now there's something very loud, with lots of screaming and shouting and thunderous gunfire, on the TV. I sure do miss those earphones from the RV! Pedro called, sympathetic to our rainy plight. He chuckled when I reported that we were inside all day yesterday and didn´t kill each other! They are preparing for Hurr. Ike.
11:30 am - Thanks to Pedro (but we could have used this info 3 weeks ago), we walked to an excellent Mercado - DeVoto, only 7 blocks down Lima Street. We bundled up, in sweaters and raincoats. I wore my scarf as a babushka and put my blue rain hat over it. Since my raincoat is lavender (and has lost a button), Philip commented that I looked very colorful. My head was warm and dry. The store wasn´t crowded (to my surprise on a Sat. morning), and we got lots of good food there for $970.25 (Amer. $51). As we looked through the cookies, Philip expressed a desire for fig newtons. I found more peanut butter - very expensive, but worth it. He insisted on putting lots into his backpack; as we walked back, the rain came down harder. We went one extra block to avoid walking past Numia´s little food store right next door with all of our Devoto Mercado shopping bags. We´ll get lunch meat from her and little things that we need during the week.
5 pm - Talk about a useless afternoon! We watched TV - a Hallmark movie with Tommie Lee Jones and Ashley Judd followed by Francisco and His Two Sons (again), which we learned was a true story! We´ve been cool, in spite of 25 degrees on the heater; I´m having my usual problem of HOT and then COLD. Sudoku, emails, b-o-r-i-n-g.
6 pm - Carolina wrote 1300 for the time to pick up the laundry, and we thought it was 3 pm; when I called, no answer! I guess she was there at 1:00, and now we must wait until Monday for the clothes. I even left her a message, hoping she´ll call so we´ll know she´s there.
Su., 9-7 - 4 pm - Talk about a lost day (actually 3). We were up bright and early, but it was too cold to go outdoors! We thought about leaving at mid-morning, but it was still overcast and ugly, so, instead, we watched a LOT of TV - BBC Visionaries show, a BBC special about Iran-American comedians, a silly movie with Alec Baldwin and the blond girl who played in When Harry Met Sally(?), and, finally, ¨Saboteur¨- Alfred Hitchcock´s first American-made movie with a very young Robert Cummings. I did a few Sudoku puzzles and found some entertaining YouTube videos, plus, of course, we ate lunch - hot soup. Finally, we made a move and walked to the SuperMercado for some liquor - vodka (instead of whiskey) and a couple of other items. I finally remembered to write about the larger plastic basket in the store with wheels - very nifty. Today a young mother was towing her child around in one - very cute.
Mo., 9-8 - 8 am - We had a quiet evening ¨at home¨ and watched more TV after dinner. Philip stayed up to watch an episode of The Tudors. The sky is blue this morning, and it looks like a lovely day.
2:30 pm - Well, we got our fresh air and exercise today! Our first destination was the Alianza Cultural UY/EEUU, Pedro´s suggestion for English books, magazines, and newspapers (where he learned English). We took the street that begins with a ¨Y¨and got to the place eventually, to find a receptionist on duty (who spoke good English) and the library and book store closed (on Mondays). OK, we´ll be back. At least we could use the baños, which were exceptionally clean and well-stocked with soap and paper. Then we walked to the Remesis car service to reserve a pick-up to the airport at 2:50 am - $500. We wanted to find out about the Teatro Solis English tour, but they, too are closed on Mondays! The pedestrian walkway was pleasant, not too crowded. I bought three used paperback books in English! Two mysteries: Monsieur Pamplemousse (Michael Bond) and Spotlight (Patricia Wentworth) and Sunon the Stubble by Colin Thiele about a boy growing up in So. Australia - not my first choice, but out of desperation. Total = $100 Ur. pesos = $5 American. We saw an awful lot of homeless men sleeping on the sidewalks or against the buildings. This is very distressing. Lunch was at the Madison Restaurant, where Elena was her usual efficient and cheerful self. We shared grilled fish, a salad, and fries, plus a beer and tea - $266 plus $50 tip. We feel as though we really accomplished something, getting out and about.
4:30 pm - Watched ¨The Field¨ on TV with Richard Harris - very powerful movie taking place in Scotland with ¨Bull¨ and his passion for the land.
7:20 pm - The time does pass, in spite of doing nothing. We watched ANOTHER movie - The War at Home - very stirring about Viet Nam. Supper, and now starting to call it a day.
Tu., 9-9 - 8:45 am - Philip enjoyed ¨Joyeux Noel¨ about the temporary truce during WW1 last night after I retired. Hurr. Ike is slamming Cuba, but missed FL - strange, but true. Pedro called and told me about ANOTHER large store nearby - ¨co-op for policemens, but anyone can use¨. It's only 50 degrees out; we want to get out this morning because we'll be in the car this afternoon for the wine tour for the most part or sitting down, probably. Pedro told me that he lent Eduardo (the building´s maintenance man) his motor scooter once and Eduardo got into an accident (avoiding a dog). Pedro paid to have it fixed, and then Eduardo (who earns $350 a MONTH working 6 days a week) wanted to borrow money from a bank with interest to repay Pedro, but it ended up with Eduardo paying Pedro a little bit at a time. Also, the government workers get paid monthly, and sometimes that check is delayed! I keep wondering how all these stores survive around here!
8 pm - This afternoon was one of the highlights of our visit here! We did get out this morning, walking, in spite of Philip's hip acting up (as it does every once in a while and feels better when he walks rather than sits), to the Alianza Cultural UY/EEUU, where we totally enjoyed sitting quietly and reading magazines - in English! I devoured a Reader's Digest while Philip read a Newsweek. He urged me to read a long article in Newsweek about the South, voting, etc. I asked him to read a story in the RD about a man who took up the mandolin later in life and eventually played with other ¨pickers¨. We walked all the way to DeVoto Market for a few things; a man recommended a different wine than the one we were buying. When he realized we were ¨English¨, he told us, in halting English, that his doctor recommended that he walk every day and drink a glass of wine every day. He proudly told us he was ¨sixty¨ and was properly impressed when Philip told him that he, Philip, was 72. Lunch was easy, and we got ready for the wine tour pick-up.
Rosario from Cisplatina - www.cisplatinauruguay.com - was right on time, in a very nice van. We were the only passengers, which we really preferred. We headed north via Rt. 5 and went to the H. (Hector) Stagnari vineyard - www.stagnari.com (Spanish only) - first, where a lovely young woman, Anna, or ¨Anita¨ (the diminutive) was our delightful hostess. She spoke English extremely well and reminded us of the waitress at The Madison Restaurant with her perkiness. This vineyard produces ONLY ¨fine wines¨ (as opposed to table wines) and we learned of the process involved. Interesting notes: a rose bush is planted at the end of every row as a ¨canary in the mine¨ to warn the grower of any problem with the soil, etc., and grass or clover is planted in between the rows to capture the excessive rains. One room was for checking (individually and very labor-intensive) by hand to make sure that each bottle didn´t have anything in that it wasn´t supposed to. This woman also hand-pasted the labels on each bottle. This company prefers to use only French oak barrels. The beautiful location is used for parties, as well, in an ancient building that the family has restored. Wish we could have seen it, but we didn´t think to ask. One wine is named ¨Virginia¨ for the owner´s wife. The owner´s father runs a vineyard just down the road; Hector and Virginia have four children, the oldest 15. We ended up in a very cozy room, lined with awards (two won the world´s 1st prize in a huge competition recently) and certificates extolling the wines grown here, for a little tasting. This was my first visit to a vineyard, and what a pleasant experience this was! Anna poured, we clinked the glasses, we smelled the wine, we swirled the wine, and then, finally, we tasted it. It was a very congenial and pleasant event, to say the least. Rosario was the designated driver (our tour guide) and just watched us, joining in the conversation, of course. Tasty tidbits were also available for snacking. Finally, after 4 (very small) tastings, we bought a couple of bottles (extremely reasonably priced), gave Anna a $200 Uruguayan tip, bade our farewells, and were driven to vineyard number 2 - Bodegas Castillo Viejo - www.castilloviejo.com (link doesn´t work). Pablo was our host here, a 31-yr-old winemaker who spent several weeks in Napa Valley, CA and loved it; he plans to get more training in Australia, but is English-challenged. This vineyard was more automated and produced many different qualities of wine, from table wines (the lowest quality) to ¨boutique¨ wines. This group uses both American oak and French oak barrels. After watching a video of the history of the vineyard in the ¨cava¨ where it felt as though the temperature was 50 degrees (have to keep those barrels/casks cool), I asked if we could move to a warmer place for the wine tasting. The lab was available, plus Pablo hooked up an electric heater. Excellent! We tasted three different wines there, offered Pablo a tip (he was embarrassed to take it, but we finally convinced him), and departed. Since we were very comfortable with Rosario, we asked her questions about the schools, etc. When we saw a horse and buggy clopping into the city (on a busy highway), she informed us that the law requires these rubbish pickers to work during the night only, for their safety and the safety of everyone else, but most disregard this law. In very poor neighborhoods, the local schools are open from 8 to 5, and three meals are given to the students. Also, parents of poor children are given money after they prove that their kids are attending school! In the not-poor neighborhoods, students have the choice of going to classes either for 4 hours in the morning or 4 hours in the afternoon. How do families cope with this, I wonder? This new government is very Socialist, and Rosario feels that it will be voted out. She is a widow (for 12 years), with four grown-up children - 3 daughters (32, 28, and 25) and - finally! - a son (20), the only one living at home with her. We asked about a bird we´d seen in the country; Rosario identified it as a ¨pera pera¨ (perro perro? Tera tera? tero tero?) bird - looks a little like a seagull.
We., 9-10 - 3 pm - We have decided to leave the two bottles of wine as a thank-you for Pedro, Alba, and Noe. Although the day was very overcast, we took a chance and caught the 582 bus to The Prado area (where Noe lives, to my surprise; I thought she lived right around the corner someplace). The bus driver gestured the stop at the Botanical Gardens, and we walked to what we thought was the entrance. Wrong! It was the driveway - with a locked gate, of course - to the Presidential Residence! We spotted a McDonald sign, always good for a baño stop; the men´s was upstairs, and the ladies´ downstairs. I felt a bit guilty not buying anything. We then asked two men for help; they directed us back the way we´d come and around the corner to the entrance of the gardens. OK! There was no admission fee, and no one was at the front desk of the museum, which had a collection of plants and specimens. I did spy a bathroom inside and made a mental note of it. We walked around outside, enjoying the fresh air, wearing our jackets, and admiring the landscape. Several trees and bushes were starting to bloom; several azalea bushes were in full, gorgeous color. The only wildlife we saw were birds and groups of schoolchildren. We found the official baños near the other entrance of the park, always reassuring. On our last swing by the museum, we stopped in to ask about the ¨Tienda Inglisia¨ (English Market) that Pedro told us was nearby. The lady at the desk didn´t have a clue, plus, when I asked about using the baño, she gestured toward the other end of the park. Oh, well. We had noticed a lot of unusual activity nearby, outside the fence, with lots of big trucks, plus we heard loud music from a different direction. The light finally dawned when we spotted horses and cows; it was the country fair - Rural Exposition 2008 Prado - that we´d heard about! When we strolled outside the fence of the gardens, we read the schedule of events for the week. Looked interesting.
We asked a different woman for help with the market, and a man standing by pointed us in the right direction and marked it on the map. As we walked that way, we heard drums and spotted a group of men gathered together, waving flags - a rally, we guessed, or a celebration to open the Exposition. The market was right around the corner! We found the instant coffee to replace what we´d used up, olive oil, fruit, and cookies. The store reminded us of Publix. A restaurant (one recommended by Pedro, but in a different location) nearby was our choice for lunch. Philip and I shared a liter of dark beer, plus a loaded club sandwich and fries that we could eat only half of (and brought the other half home for supper). We walked a bit towards home, but, two bus stops later, waited for a bus that brought us about 4 blocks from the apartment. Good to be back, but even better to have had such an enjoyable day. Philip is watching something with spaceships landing in the woods now.
6 pm - Watched another (repeat) episode of The Tudors, which bears re-watching!
7:20 pm - I feel fat! We ate the rest of the sandwich, but couldn´t eat the fries, warmed up. UGH! Philip is watching some submarine show, pretty loud.
Th., 9-11 - 4:30 pm - Another good day, except for the weather. We hung around all morning and departed a little after 11, walking downtown for lunch and the 2 pm performance at the Teatro Solis. About 12:15, we were amazed to see a very long line (over 50) of people waiting at a bank. Surely not for the ATM! It was a mystery. (Per Pedro, this is the day that people get their Social Security checks and want to cash them.) We shared a veggie pattie (fried, and Philip thinks it gave him indigestion) and ¨smashed pumpkin¨(mashed butternut squash) - both excellent. Philip thought that the kitchen was giving Elena, our waitress, a hard time about splitting up the meal, but she seemed not to be too concerned. We needed cash, so asked at the Radisson about an ATM. One man led into the casino to the cashier´s desk, thinking that Philip wanted to get money on his credit card to gamble! No, thank you! Meanwhile, as I waited in the lobby, I discovered the ATM, which had enough money in it for Philip - $3000. In increasing rain, we walked the short distance to the Teatro Solis - www.teatrosolis.org.uy/ (Spanish only) - for the 2 pm performance of students from the Fundacion Sistema de Orquestas Infantiles y Juveniles del Uruguay - www.orquestas.com.uy (in Spanish). Since it was free, we were warned to get there very early. But, since it was such a terrible day, there wasn´t much of a crowd. The interns (not our friends from the other day) handed out tickets and then led us up two floors to the foyer to be seated. A group of students joined us on a field day and sat on the floor, being told by their teachers sternly ¨Silencio!¨ The musicians, all teen-agers, filed in and sat down, very quietly, most carrying their instruments. This was just the string section. All of a sudden, ¨CRASH!¨ One of the (very cheap) plastic chairs for the musicians broke, tumbling her (I think) on the floor. It definitely broke the ice. Next, a man walked from one side of the foyer to the other, and we all applauded, thinking he was Mr. Conductor. He wasn´t. He gave us some background on something - the group, the school, the theater, who knows - in Spanish. Finally, Mr. Conductor, Prof. Alvaro Martinez, also all in black, appeared and climbed up on a little covered box, to thunderous applause. We heard such wonderful music! The horns came out for a number or two, and Sofia Mendez played a French horn solo in a number written by Prof. Martinez that was exquisite. At least 30 students played, mostly violins. A flautist played, as well as a young man beating a huge drum. The director practically leaped into the air a few times with his zest. The audience so appreciated the music! We all clapped and clapped and even got an encore. It was really something to behold. The program included:
Asses Tod (de la Suite Peer Gynt) by Grieg; Concertina para Corno by Martinez; Pequeña Serenate Nocturna by Mozart; Marcha para la ceremonia de los turcos by Lully . The weather had deteriorated badly by now. Philip suggested that we walk back; I said ¨no way, let´s get a cab!¨ Back at the apartment, after a hot cup of tea, I took the laundry to Carolina, tried to find a payphone at Abitab (must go across the street someplace), and picked up a liter of beer for Philip. We´ve been watching ¨Fried Green Tomatoes¨ on TV, an excellent movie!
Fr., 9-12 - 9 am - We had a very light supper, sharing one piece of veggie quiche. Philip had indigestion all afternoon, plus we feel as thought we are eating too much. When a Harry Potter movie was the only thing on last evening, Philip took a shower and called it an early night by 9 pm. I started one of my used books in bed and fell asleep shortly. We did hear quite a bit of activity from a nearby apt. - a party? Philip made us a ham and cheese omelet for breakfast, and he is now watching some Maori movie with lots of shouting, screaming, and noisy
4:30 pm - And this makes four good days in row, as we near the end of our visit. We walked to the bus stop about 9:30 and got off at the stop after the one from Wed., just a few blocks further and next to the restaurant where we ate. It was a short walk to the back entrance of the gardens for a baño visit and then another short walk to the entrance of the Rural Fair/Exposition 2008. Cost us $90 Ur. each to get in, and we wandered around the entire place, eventually taking off jackets and sweaters. We saw two barns of sheep, two barns of cows, one of chickens and roosters, and one of pigs. One little lamb was following its mother, and a calf was nestled in a stall next to its mother. There was no smell of manure anywhere, just the sweet smell of hay. Workers were kept busy shoveling, that is for sure. Many big businesses had booths; the usual people were handing out pieces of paper as advertisements. We came across a couple of people who spoke English pretty fluently, always a pleasant surprise. Clean baños were readily available, along with food, food, and more food. Hawkers walked around selling their wares; one man had a coffee urn strapped to his body! Groups of schoolchildren flocked together, many in their white ¨dresses¨ and blue bows. We learned that the world´s biggest outdoor barbeque had taken place at ths location last April and saw pictures of it. What an event! Lunch started off great, but ended badly. We (actually I) chose a meat place, with the wood fire inside, called Padilla (I think). Two people spoke a little English, and we learned that the chorizo is actually sausage. We ended up ordering a steak and small potatoes (first boiled and then pan-fried), one order for the two of us. The waiter brought us bread, with what I think is mayo, but may be very creamed butter with herbs and also some spread that was dark - hummus? We nibbled on the bread, Philip drank a beer (out of a wine glass), and I had a total of 3 cups of hot tea. The meal came and was delicious. I liked the meat here better than at LaEstancia in B.A., but Philip didn´t. This was extremely tender with NO gristle or fat at all. We ate every morsel, and then the bill arrived. I didn´t understand the first item: 2 cubierto for $50 each = $100. I asked if it was the tip, and the tall young man explained that it was for ¨table service¨- the bread and butter. I vaguely remember that we had this happen once before, perhaps with our first meal out, but Philip took offense this time, because we finally knew exactly what it was for. Total bill was $485, and we left $15 for a tip.
We headed for the show arena and waited in a brisk wind, but good sunshine, for about 20 minutes for the gaucho - http://discoveringbuenosaires.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/gaucho.jpg - competition. This was very exciting. Men rode their horses around the ring, and then they took the saddles off the horses for judging. Some of the men wore knives on their belts; all carried quirts. They looked very dashing, with their kerchiefs and boots. We stayed for a couple of the events and then caught the bus back, getting off a bit too early (at my suggestion) and having to walk pretty far to return to the apartment. It was a very good day; we were gone 6 hours, a record.
Sa., 9-13 - 10 am - Philip developed a sore throat yesterday afternoon and started gargling this morning. We made some inroads on cleaning the apartment, to the accompaniment of the ¨Apollo 13¨ movie. Laundry should be ready at noon.


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Montevideo, Uruguay

Sa., 8-30 - 8:30 am - We sleep so well here! Hopefully, it´ll warm up by 10 am, and we´ll walk to the Mercado del Puerto (Port Market).
3 pm - We walked a different way to the Port, up the rambla, to find the Info Center closed (not a surprise), but the Mercado del Puerto starting to boom at 11 am. There are many different restaurants in one very old building, and meat was being cooked in plain sight. Public baños were greatly appreciated, as well. We strolled around the neighborhood - quiet on a week-end (it is the banking and financial center, I think). As we headed back, we hit a mini-flea market in one of the plazas - some junk, but, for the most part, much nicer than the Sunday one. Then we spotted a few dressed-up and made-up little girls getting ready to perform the flamenco! Three different age groups took turns; two adults danced with the oldest girls, young teen-agers, dressed in long white skirts. The middle group was next - 8 - 10 year olds, in red and white dresses, with the real flounce on the hem. Finally, the very little ones (4 and 5 years old) took the stage, and, as usual, they were the hit of the show. This was something totally unexpected, and it really brightened up our day.
We stopped for some veggies, but Philip got upset when he got ignored, so we stopped at the SuperMercado, which was mobbed. Ate lunch about 2!
Got several emails as a result of this week´s email, so that makes me happy. Philip announced this morning that he is ready to depart now, and I agreed, but he isn´t interested in changing our departure date - yet. Now we´ve got two hurricanes to worry about, as well - Gustav and Hanna.
We saw something fascinating as we left our building. Five (3 on the porch and 2 on the ground) men were lowering a couch to the ground from about the 8th floor, using ropes.
7:30 pm - I worked on my blog for a couple of hours while Philip watched TV. He just viewed some highlights of the college football games today on espn.com and then made some delicious vegetable soup while I lounged around, washed my hair, and felt cold. ¨Hope you´re not coming down with something.¨ ¨Me, too!¨
Su., 8-31 - 3:30 pm - I slept well, after taking some prunes, while worked this morning, so I feel much better in that respect. After a yummy French toast breakfast (with miel (honey) instead of maple syrup), we puttered around, me on the computer and Philip watching TV, until 10:30 when we struck off via a taxi to the Sheraton Hotel, in the Punta Carretas barrio. It was very cold and windy, so we easily found our way into the adjoining P.C. shopping area, a mall almost as nice as Aventura (but not as big). Everything was beautifully displayed, floors were clean, and people were well-dressed. I bought myself a Sudoku book to help keep me entertained. Finally, we braved the outdoors and walked to the Parque Rodo, asking directions along the way. When we finally arrived, it was mobbed - another flea market! We avoided it like the plague and ended up eating our sandwiches in a fenced-in area nearby. The next-door building, a biblioteca (which I thought was a library), was open, to our amazement, and we looked at a collection of paintings, plus used the baños. As we continued our walk through the park, we enjoyed seeing the families, especially with children, taking advantage of a lovely day. Pedal boats were popular. We were surprised to see in the park: a white rabbit, a rooster, and a very interesting bird with a red head, face, and bib, possibly a red-crested cardinal. Since we were so close to España Blvd., we decided to look for the travel agency that we are going to visit tomorrow about the wine trip and actually found it. Instead of grabbing the first 149 bus we saw, we walked a bit more and then waited for one, finally (me, of course) asking someone else if we were waiting at the right spot. NO. We had to walk 3 blocks to Gonzalo Ramirez (always reminds me of Gonzolo Raventos from Turner Tech), where one showed up pretty soon. We got dropped off about a block from the apartment in just beautiful weather. Unfortunately, there is no place where we can enjoy the outside right around the apartment. So we are inside, doing our mutual things (TV and computer), after being on our feet and walking for about 4 hrs., except when we were eating lunch or riding on the bus.
7 pm -Well, we´ve gotten through another few hours, thanks to the TV and computer. I made some cream of chicken soup from Knorr and tossed in lots of rotisserie chicken. Came out good!
Mo., 9-1 - 8:30 am - We kind of enjoyed a remake of Black Dahlia on TV last night, but it was certainly more violent with tons of very bad language than the original (we think). Philip rested on the long couch, covered up, and I reclined on the short couch. This morning it is brisk, but sunny.
5:30 pm - I called Monica´s office, but she wasn´t there yet, and I should have left the apt. tel. no. for her to call back, but I didn´t. Then I recalled, only to get her answering machine. Finally, about 11, Philip announced that we HAD to get out, even if it wasn´t as planned. We walked downtown to the not-so-great Info Office (where the man doesn´t speak English) and got info about taking a bus to the Prado area (botanical gardens are there) and also to Santiago Vazquez. For Prado, we get bus #582 on Rondo (not spelled right) street, but we´re not positive that it´ll be going the direction we need. For S.V., we must go to the bus terminal (near us) and buy a ticket. We swung by the tourist agency to tell Sandra about our experience in B.A., emphasizing the good things first. She confirmed the bus to Prado. Philip announced that, since we had no idea of what would be available to eat in Prado, we should have lunch first, but it was a little too early, so we walked around a bit, on a different street downtown, with fewer people than de Julio. We people-watched at one of the plazas and ended up at the Madison Restaurant (2nd visit) where the nicest young woman - Elena - waited on us. I told her when we left: ¨You have a lot of personality!¨ We ordered a pork chop dinner for ONE, but with 2 plates; it came with salad and fries. Well, it was really good. We polished everything off AND shared (I had all of 2 oz.) a bottle of beer (described by the cute waitress as ¨blond¨). After that, we felt like going nowhere far away, so walked down the street, looking for the bus stop for Prado and making a pit stop at the Amcap gas station with a ¨minimercado¨ and also picking up some fruit. Numia was closed (lunch?). Barbara sent 198 pictures of the family reunion, which I really enjoyed. I called Monica and made arrangements to meet her at 3 pm at the Radisson (where she was scheduled to have a meeting), a big help for us. I made reservations for us at the local dance show, but only for a drink each; after it was arranged, Philip said he thought we´d decided to go for dinner, too, but that wasn´t my understanding. We went out to pick up a few things at Numia´s little store next to us. She was happy that we brought our plastic bags to re-use. She was NOT happy when Philip wanted to pay her with a $1000 bill! A man (spoke English) who owns the gym across the street helped out by changing the big bill and invited us to go to his gym. After putting our few items away, we walked up to the Pal. Leg. area and found out about the English tour (we think - 11 am) and then walked back via Lima St., where we found a very nice butcher shop and mercado, only a couple of blocks away. I called Copa Airlines; they´ll charge us $50 to change our tickets if we choose to depart early.
P has attempted to invite Edouardo (the concierge/building super) and his family (wife and 3 dtrs.) out to eat some evening, in spite of the fact that none of them speaks English. P: I can talk with the kids in Spanish!
Tu., 9-2 - 11 am - We finished up the delicious veggie soup last night and watched a sweet English movie (about a boy who befriended a rabbi in a tough section of NYC) until we called it quits and retired. Monica called last evening because her meeting at the Radisson was canceled and she asked if we could meet her at her office on España Blvd. at 3, but I said we couldn´t because we didn´t want to face all the bus passengers after 4 pm. So now we are scheduled to meet her at 10:30 tomorrow morning. I understood the laundry woman to say that our sheets would be ready by 9, but she was closed. (P very much admires hard-working people, and this woman is definitely part of that group!) We walked downtown for 2 simple errands: get money from an ATM and pick up a few groceries. Well, it turned into a big deal because the first ATM we tried had no money in it. A man gave us directions to another one, but we couldn´t find it, but did try at least 3 others, none of which would accept P´s card. FINALLY, near the SuperMercado, across from a Mariachi Club, we had success. It got progressively warmer, as well, and, per weather.com, is now 70 degrees! The sun is not shining, so it could be worse. It´s very comfie in the apt. We got back too late for the 11 a.m. tour at the Pal. Leg., but will try the 3 pm one. We need to rest up a bit to make the dance show this evening!
4:30 pm - After a good lunch, Philip rested on the couch, and I snoozed in the bed for an hour or so. We got to the Pal. Leg. about 2:40, only to find the damned tour had started at 2:30, in English, we think. (No one speaks any English there, at all.) We took the long way back, planning to check out that SuperMercado we discovered yesterday, but it was closed up tight. Perhaps it would reopen at 3, who knows? Back at the cooling-off apt., Philip found a wonderful movie on TV - ¨Dear Men Don´t Wear Plaid¨ with Steve Martin and a raft of famous, very old stars, from their original movies. Philip has announced that he is NOT interesting in attending the show tonight.
7 pm - We caught an interesting BBC show about men who participated in an around-the-world sailboat race in the 50´s or so and one, in particular, who committed suicide rather than return after breaking a few rules. We finished the cream of chicken soup - so good! I can work on Sudoku puzzles while watching TV, but may have to buy another book before we depart.
http://realtravel.com/montevideo-journals-j6664518.html
http://realtravel.com/buenos_aires-journals-j6670044.html
We., 9-3 - 1:30 pm - We stayed up until 11 pm watching a movie about a Harlem Elementary School teacher, Mr. Ron Clark, who worked miracles with a very low-performing class of 6th graders with unconventional methods. I love stories like that, plus it was based on fact! The dinner/show place called about 9 pm, wondering where we were! I invented a ¨both got ill¨ excuse. Philip cut up a tasty pear for breakfast and made us an excellent omelet; we took off for the bus about 9:20 a.m., to the street behind the red brick school across the street. Philip wanted to go to the opposite side of the street (where the bus dropped us off), but I thought we should be on this side, because we wanted to go back to the city area (where we´d come from the other day). A young woman was waiting for the bus, so I asked her, in my halting Spanish, about the bus. In perfect English, she answered! YES! She was going to the same area we were, we needed to wait on this side, and she knows English because her mother is a retired teacher who taught English. Well, we had a very stimulating conversation, about her college program - computer engineering - and the fact that the family spent 3 years in Italy when she was 14. P, meanwhile, started talking, in Spanish, with a blond woman who attends the teacher college in the very ugly building on our side of Libertador in the next block to us. One bus didn´t stop - too full; Josephina had to call her school to say she´d be late. Finally, we all climbed aboard, and I asked her if we could use the transfer for our return trip. It is NOT a transfer; it´s proof that we paid for the ticket. Learn something every day. Bus was packed; when a young man sitting behind me saw me looking at the map, he asked if I needed any help. He spoke pretty good English, and I was most appreciative of his kindness.
We got off as planned and walked the 3 blocks or so to the travel agency, to meet Monica and Rosario. The first floor office is teeny-tiny; we walked up a set of very steep stairs to a 2nd office, which seemed a bit more spacious, to discuss trips, Montevideo, Monica´s daughter (attends a British school where being on time is extremely important), and misc. We got details on the two-vineyard tour, from 2 until 7, which we reserved for next Tuesday; the car, with Rosario as the guide, will actually pick us up here, on the way via Rt. 5. It sounds like fun and should be worth the $150 Am. we paid for the two of us. Rosario assured me that baños should NOT be a concern or problem. They also are offering a week-end trip to Colonia at the end of Sept. (sorry, long gone by then), and Monica was very enthusiastic about Montevideo´s Carnaval in Feb., which doesn´t appeal to us at all. Hopefully, we weren´t too critical of their city; I did try to emphasize how nice people have been to us. Perhaps, as they whiz about in their cars, they don´t see all that we see, walking here and there. After using their lovely, clean baño, we struck off on foot, in lovely weather, even though the prediction was 20% rain.
We walked up España Blvd., which became Constituyente, and then took Dr. J. Barrios Amorin, which almost paralleled Libertador - less traffic, fewer pedestrians, and different scenery. When we spied a different Mercado (5 Hermanos), we did a little shopping and then went to lunch at the nearby restaurant that Pedro recommended 2 blocks away.
There was no menu, just a few things written on a board, plus what we could see in the case. A veggie quiche caught my eye, as well as some empanadas. The woman-owner-cook tried to explain things in Spanish, but we were lost. A young woman came to our rescue; she is Italian, living in London, and working on a Ph. D. comparing human rights between Argentina and Uruguay - a 3-year project! She was in between interviews and a visit to a Museum of Memories. The owner sent over a small helping of chicken and rice, just to taste, but we ordered the quiche and empanadas. Philip didn´t like the oil that the empanadas were fried in, but I liked everything, including the hot tea. Total cost was $152. Ur. plus $25 tip. Philip noticed a young woman using her bare hands to take food out; I thought she was getting an order to go, perhaps for a group from the school. The food is definitely home-made. I loved it!
Back home to rest a bit before tackling the 2:30 pm tour of the Pal. Leg., hopefully in English.
9 pm - I´ve discovered You Tube! Turner Tech, Riverside Mil. Ac., there´s a lot to keep me occupied! We walked to the Pal. Leg. to learn that the Engl. Tour is at 4:30. We gave it up for today.
Th., 9-4 - 2:30 pm - We saw not one, but TWO episodes of The Tudors on TV yesterday, pretty much in order. (But Queen No. 2 was pregnant once, and then she was not, and now she is again, plus someone (a woman) hung herself, and we haven´t figure out who that was.) Then, at 10, Philip discovered a good movie - Francisco and his Two Sons - plus Jane Palin (Rep. VP nominee) speaking at RNC at some point in time. He stayed up, standing up, so he wouldn´t fall asleep, and I tried to go to sleep, but ended up taking a very strong sleeping pill and didn´t want to get up that early this morning, sleeping until after 7:30.
I asked Pedro (during his daily call) if he thought it was a good idea to ask Eduardo to drive us to the airport instead of the car service (which has been extremely reliable); Eduardo does not have a car! I also asked him about the dripping bathroom sink faucet; they are going to replace several things in the bathroom when they return, including the entire sink, so, unless it is bothering us, don´t worry about it. (I have seen several public baños where the water, in the commode and/or the sink runs continuously, so guess water conservation isn´t a big concern here.) Instead of taking the bus to The Prado (Botanical Garden, etc.), we chose to walk downtown, simply because it was so cold and windy. We dressed like ¨onions¨- layered, with gloves and (me) Hermes scarf tied like a babushka, topped by my jacket hood (that doesn´t stay up well, needs a tie or something). Taking a different route was a breeze - different sights! We took the elevator to the 25th floor at the Radisson, to check out the dining room - very fancy, but not that expensive. We were in our walking duds - blue jeans and walking shoes - very out-of-place, but no one ever questions or challenges us there. We stopped next at the Teatro Solis to find out about the Salvador Allende concert. Three of the nicest and cutest young people greeted us there, in English! I dubbed them the ¨Three Musketeers¨; they are college students, majoring in tourism, and working 6 hours a day here for their internships. They looked adorable - black uniforms, with long-sleeved and turtle-necked tops. The two girls and one boy chatted away to us, asking questions and answering our questions. We may try to get to a free student concert one afternoon at 2. ¨Be here by one.¨ The Allende (we learned that, in Uruguay, the double L is pronounced ¨sh¨, so it´s ¨A SHEN day¨ and ¨ca SHAY¨for Calle) concert will be music, singing, and speaking, difficult for us. The tour of the Teatro in English is this afternoon at 4, but I doubt we´ll walk back for it today. We next strolled around the pedestrian streets, stopping in at a 3-floor department store with the name ¨cooperative¨ in the name. It was about 30 degrees warmer inside than out, and people continue to wear their heavy coats, etc. inside. We have to take jacket and sweater off! I´m looking for an outside mat for this apartment as a ¨thank-you¨ gift, but have had no luck yet. We made the mistake of shopping for hard candy (picking up a couple of other things, as well) after noontime, when EVERYONE is let out of work for lunch and has to shop. Will we ever learn? Finally, we returned to The Madison for lunch, mostly because of the personable Elena, the waitress, and, of course, good food. It was 1:00 by now, and the place was packed, with, again, just her running around to take care of at least 10 tables. I faced the kitchen and counted at least five people back there, including the cashier, plus a couple of delivery men. We had the canoneles(?) filled with veggies, mostly spinach; our original plan was to share one order, but we each ended up with 2, which we promptly demolished. Philip had a small bottle of dark beer, and I enjoyed my steaming hot, brewed cup of tea. It warmed up as the day progressed. The only incident on the way back was when I walked behind what I thought was a parked car. Somehow, I bumped into it, and said so. P: ¨No, he backed into you!¨ No harm done. It was a very gentle meeting.
Observations: Many men greet each other with a kiss; it´s very nice to see this. People have the job of standing in the sidewalk and passing out ads to passers-by. We try never to take any. Occasionally, a person (even a child) will ask for money. We see quite a few street people sleeping in doorways and in the parks. Per Rosario, at the travel agency, many people can get help from the government, but they prefer to root through the rubbish and beg, because they choose to live that way. Crossing the street is becoming easier and easier. We just walk off the curb if we are in a marked crosswalk, and, so far, everyone has stopped for us! Either the city isn´t as nasty as dirty as it was when we arrived, or else we are getting used to it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x20PH8C_bNY&feature=related THE BEST YouTube so far of Montevideo!
8:45 pm - I dropped off the laundry and made stir-fry for supper. Philip is watching a weird movie - Empathy - not my kind at all. We did enjoy looking at YouTube videos of Brevard and Franklin, NC, plus an excellent one (made me homesick) of H´wood Beach http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2UtS4JZMS0&NR=1 Fr., 9-5 - 10 am - Philip kept falling asleep on the couch during his movie, and we finally went to bed. Unfortunately, I had one of those nights when I couldn´t get to sleep. I heard every movement from every apartment surrounding us, I itched, and my legs were a bit jumpy. Finally, at 12:45 am, I got up, listened to the ticking of the two clocks, worked on 3 Sudoku puzzles, and drank the rest of the wine - 2 glasses. That made me drowsy, and I finally able to get to sleep by about 2. I spoke to Philip about the situation AND left him a note on the bathroom mirror, so he didn´t wake me up, but I was up by 8, a bit groggy, but functioning, albeit slowly.
Pedro sent us an email about the Alianza Cultural UY/EEUU with this email: FRIENDS, IT COME TO MY MIND THE ADDRESS AND PHONE AT THE PLACE WHERE I STUDIED ENGLISH IN URUGUAY , THEY HAVE A THEATRE AND MIGHT GIVE YOU INFORMATION FOR OTHERS TOPICS. PARAGUAY 1217 (corner of Soriano, three blocks from 18 de Julio ) Phone 900 7356 and the Library: 901 7423. love. Albita & Pedro
When I asked Pedro about restaurants, etc. at The Prado, he admitted that they´d never been there. Also, Alba is quite certain that there will be NOTHING open at the airport for a quick breakfast while waiting to depart at 5;13 am. It looked very cold out. I suggested we go out in the morning because it looks like rain; as usual, we need a few things (WINE), plus I wanted to check out the Alianza Cultural place. We bundled all up in our heaviest clothes, including lined raincoats, got rid of the rubbish, and walked about ½ block. Philip said he wished he´d worn his scarf, I asked if he wanted to go back for it, and he said, ¨Let´s just go back!¨ We managed (after 2 stops at others) to find a tiny store selling celery and then retreated, hoping for the weather to warm up and the rain to hold off because I feel we would go crazy having to stay indoors all day. P misses NPR.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lelblair/3/1220121420/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lelblair/3/1220121420/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lelblair/3/1220121420/tpod.html Sat, 30 Aug 2008 14:53:49 -0400 Montevideo, Uruguay - Home exchange for one month

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Montevideo, Uruguay

Day 7 - Fr., 8-22 - 2:30 pm - We walked to the Ipso Laundry again, but Grisel wasn´t there; Patrice, a non-English speaking woman, helped us, but said clothes wouldn´t be ready until 7 pm! Philip objected strenuously, and we compromised on 6 pm. She had a lot of laundry there, that is for sure. Next we finalized our trip to B. A. with Sandra, but must pick up the tickets, transfers, etc. Since the sun was shining and the temperature was comfortable, we picked a street and walked down it. Bonanza! A farmers market affair extended for 8 - 10 blocks, with the road closed. We saw gigantic butternut squash, huge turnips, and voluptuous green peppers, and simply beautiful fruits and veggies. Best of all, we came across a BIG grocery store, with a more varied selection than we´re used to, including PEANUT BUTTER. We paid about $7 for 350 grams (pretty small jar) of peanut butter all the way from Germany! What a treat that we´ll cherish. On the way home, we stopped for fruits and veggies nearer home, including some strawberries. Hot soup and sandwich, plus PB on crackers, hit the spot for lunch. Philip watched TV while I worked on emails, etc.
3 pm - I struck off on my own for the pasta shop, 1 block away, armed with a written-down list of the two items I want (ravioli and grated cheese), plus money, with the hope that I could also pick something up at the nearby bakery. Well, the pasta shop was shut up tight! (Kind of late for lunch....) And the bakery was loaded with teens from the local school. I also realized that I was out without an iota of ID, should anything amiss happen. I returned to the apt. ASAP and then dug out my harmonica.
8 pm - Before we knew it, it was time to leave for the travel agency (to pick up the paperwork), the car company (to arrange for transportation to catch the 6:30 am bus Tues. morning), and to pick up the laundry. All went well, but there was a lot of confusion at the car place. We think it ended well. I went into a lovely restaurant to pick up a piece of spinach pie for our supper; the young woman spoke no English, but, when I mentioned ¨in the window¨ she understood ¨window¨ and I pointed out to her what I wanted. I was supposed to get a number, but there was no one in line, so no one got upset. She wrote the charge on a piece of paper, I paid the cashier, the cashier, gave me the paid receipt, and the girl gave me the food. It works this way also with the fruits and groceries fairly close by. Grisel was working at the laundry and greeted us warmly. 200 pesos (about $10) was the charge, plus had to lug it at least a mile back. We saw a very sad sight, a young woman with a little girl and a baby in her lap, sitting on the sidewalk, begging, with tears running down her face. Is there any kind of a social services network here? Stopped at the pasta place for what Pedro and Alba recommended - ravioli and grated cheese - BUT he forgot to tell me that the pasta man would ask me a question, probably about filling, which I guessed at ¨ricotta¨. I am pooped, after 2 trips ¨downtown¨, plus a glass of wine.
Day 8 - Sa., 8/23/08 - 2 pm - Pedro called and chuckled at my dilemma with the pasta man; I should have requested ¨spinach¨ for filling. Oh, well.... Next time. We decided to find the Tres Cruces bus station (where we will depart Tues. morning at 6:30 a.m.) and walked all the way down La Paz to it. The walk was easy, but dodging all the dog poop was disgusting. We dressed in layers, and it gradually warmed up nicely. A shopping center is also located there, but it was pretty dinky, compared to what we are used to, plus it was mobbed already, at 10:30 am. We found the Busquebus (the company that manages the bus and boat traveling) sales office and believe that they depart from Lanes 29 - 31, plus we found the bathrooms, very important, especially for early morning trips. An extremely handsome young man in a uniform caught our attention; he was actually wearing a saber! At 11:30 we were ready to head home, but I announced that I wanted to eat something first. We really enjoyed our 3rd meal out, a chicken salad, beautifully assembled, that we shared. The oil and vinegar were in such an interesting vial, with a long skinny spout out of one side for pouring. The waiter presented me with a cloth napkin, after putting the toilet paper-sized ones on the table. Between the two of us, we couldn´t finish the salad, with mushrooms and cashews. We returned via a different street, hoping to find a bus that would actually take us to our destination. No such luck. The farmers market, which we´d seen the other day near the port, was in this new-to-us and different neighborhood; we recognized the cheese trailer and the fish trailer. What a good idea - to move the farmers market from place to place! To our amazement, we ended up almost right back at the apartment and then had to make a slight detour for beer and butter. I´m trying to find some Kleenex.
4:30 pm - After watching a bit of Flashdance (in Spanish), we took off to the larger store for decent wine and cookies. It was further than I thought it´d be, but the weather was fairly balmy. ALL the women in the bakery and deli recognized me, and NONE ran to hide, fearing that I´d want to try to buy something from her. A young man pointed me in the direction of Kleenix, but I never found any. I may end up carrying a roll of toilet paper around with me.
When we entered our apartment, the first thing we noticed was that the heating unit was off. Everything was off! Problemo! We didn´t even know where the fuse box was! Philip ran downstairs to get Eduardo, and I located the fuse box (and it does contain FUSES that look like tiny batteries). Eduardo checked it out with a wire connected to a light bulb and replaced one. YES! Philip gave him 40 pesos, and he left. Then Philip couldn't get the TV box to turn on OR the boom box in the living room, so down the stairs I ran this time to fetch Eduardo. Sure enough, ANOTHER fuse was blown, he replaced it, and I gave him 50 pesos ¨para educacion para los ninas¨. What would we have done if this´d happened in the middle of the night?? Try not to panic, Lorraine.
5:45 pm - Thought I´d be very brave and finish the veggies in a stir-fry AND cook the ravioli, but, since I use only one (electric) burner, I opted to postpone the pasta until tomorrow night! Philip is enjoying a very loud and action-packed movie about a volcano spewing lava someplace.
Day 9 - Su., 8-24 - Guys ,Sunday is the only day in the week you can enjoy a big , huge fly market free on the street call "TRISTAN NARVAJA". In that street and the surround are the tables and tents when the sellers offers their merchandise....from a single old coin to a motorcycle, etc. etc .vegetables too . Hup! I remember just in case if you like to buy vegetables and fruits, to carries it ,ask Eduardo for our hand grocery car who is at the garage on the side of my car (take a look to the FIAT ONE).It's easy to go walking along calle "LA PAZ" turning LEFT side .Have fun and be care full, open eyes.
love. Pedro
8:45 am - After a tasty supper, I found a movie on TV with Al Pacino called ¨Simone¨ which we both enjoyed, even though it was a bit farfetched (about a computer program that was able to create a beautiful woman who starred in movies). We awoke to some musical minstrels, probably drunks, and to the roar of traffic, even early on a Sunday morning. The dumpster is surrounded with trash and garbage. We are watching the grand finale celebration of the Olympics in Beijing.
1:30 pm - After Pedro´s morning call at 9 (so. FL beaches are closed for one week because of pollution from T. S. Fay), we walked to the HUGE flea market, where we saw everything from an accordion and a bidet to a xylophone, yarn, and zippers! We think that, after the 6,000 men on the horse and buggy go through their finds, they set up a blanket on the street and sell stuff that they have retrieved from the dumpsters. We saw tops of covered bowls (without the bowls), rusty parts of cars and bikes, stuff that most of us would throw away - all for sale. If we go again, we´ll be there right at 9 because it was getting very crowded at 11 am. Lunch at home and we´re planning a walk to the other side of the Palacio Leg. Pedro and Alba were shocked that we´d walked so far yesterday to the Tres Cruces!
4 pm - The walk revealed more of the same that we´ve seen so far: graffiti, rubbish blowing all over the place, broken sidewalks, a LARGE hole in the street, dog poop..... I am definitely disillusioned with Montevideo. We are having a couple of glasses of wine; I hope to be able to make the pasta this evening!
The raviolis you'll like the most are filled with "verdura"(spinach).Another idea ,you could ask for "tallarines"(spaguetis) they are going to ask you if you like "finos"(thin) or "gruesos"(thick).We like the "finos" they might ask you about the color because there are white"blancos" or green" verdes". The "verdes" are made with spinach added to flour. The right amount for two persons is like 300 gramos (tres cientos gramos) who is about half pound. OK. To cook them put in a pan half filled with water and salt to taste, make it boil, then add the tallarines, lower the heat and cook for 2 minutes. After this, take them out of the heat and add half glass of cold water .Empty in a strainer to make it loose the water. Return the tallarines to the original pan and add butter or olive oil mixing it. Make two fried eggs with a slice of ham and place on top of the tallarines. Well, Italian people love these! And I guess you'll do it to, Abita add ketchup, and she says there is some into the refrigerator. bon appetite and good night. love Pedro and Alba
Day 10 - Mo., Aug. 25 - 8:30 am - The pasta, 100 tiny raviolis, was good, but just too white flour-y for my taste. Slathered in olive oil and grated cheese, with left-over stir fry on the side, we managed to polish off ALL of them in one meal. This morning I washed my hair, and Philip is shaving. We´re trying to use up all our food before our 3 days away. I may call Busquebus and ask, ¨Este uno baño en el bus?¨ It´s a 2-hour trip, and we are worried about this detail.
3 pm - Pedro called late this morning - 9:30. He and Alba assured us that there are bathrooms on the buses. We´ll see. Today is a holiday - Independence Day - and we decided to see something different! We flagged down a taxi and told him ¨Los Pocitos¨ and then squeezed into the tiny back seat with no leg room whatsoever. He whizzed through the city, stopping at most red lights, and we arrived on the ¨rambla¨ at the Los Pocitos beach, a lovely spot that reminded us of Hollywood Beach. After paying $200 pesos (including a tip) based on a sheet (for Sundays and holidays, I think) instead of the meter (GRRR), we strolled with quite a few other people enjoying the tranquil and sunny and mild morning. Dogs were enjoying the beach, as well (in spite of the signs ¨No dogs allowed on beach¨), and we saw people walking multiple dogs. The record was six dogs being walked by a couple.
We thought we read the map correctly and walked towards the Montevideo Shopping Center (where the Info lady had told us we would find pool tables). We walked and walked and asked directions some more; people kept pointing in the direction we were heading, and it seemed that we were walking in circles, but, finally, there it was, in all its glory! Now this was a shopping mall! Still not Aventura, but worth the stroll. There was even a Tienda Inglisias (English/American Supermarket) there, along with a Ta Ta. We chose a place to eat near the Food Court that looked clean and tasteful and ordered what I thought was a sandwich with tomato, lettuce, etc. and meat - ¨para dos.¨ Well, when the waitress brought the meal, it was nothing like a sandwich! A huge piece of thin meat was on the bottom, a slice of ham covered it, and a sunny-side egg was on top of it all! Plus a small fresh salad, some potato salad, and French fries, plus bread. The appetizer was four slices of liverwurst. Well, we cleaned everything up, except for some of the fries. Cost was $465. plus $70 tip. Waitress said, very clearly, ¨The tip is not included in the bill.¨ That is a very good English phrase to know! We found the pool tables next to the video games for kids. Maybe we´ll go back - cost was 35 pesos per game.
I went into the Tienda to look for some Kleenex with absolutely no luck. Philip, holding his backpack and my plastic bag, waited for me and got interested in seeing people return plastic bottles for money (or possibly chits that they turned in). We walked towards the bus area and managed (Philip, mostly) to get the numbers of two buses that would take us to the Palacio Leg. When we walked into the first bus (parked there), the driver spoke in Spanish and indicated that we should get off. OK. Then we saw a bus leaving with the first number, and the agent made it stop for us. The driver was NOT interested in looking at my map, but he did give us each a transfer to use on the 2nd bus. Philip was greatly relieved to see this, because he knows how bus systems work. I followed the route on my trusty map. It was lovely with such little traffic - holiday! He gestured for us to get off, and there we were, without even taking a 2nd bus, at the Pal. Leg., about 3 blocks from the apartment. That was a very good experience. Now we won´t be so shy about taking the buses.
Got back about 3:15, very glad to have such a nice place to retreat to. The weather forecast changed. Instead of 3 sunny days, Wed. is supposed to be cloudy and rainy in Buenos Aires. Curses.
6 pm - Watching a very unrealistic movie with Angelina Jolie (again!) about Drs. Without Borders, plus Philip is making his famous onions, potatoes, and egg combo.
7:45 pm - We packed all our duds for 3 days and 2 nights in P´s red suitcase, including a suit for him and my one dress-up outfit. Alarm is set for 4:30 a.m. It should be an interesting morning.
Tu., 8-26 - 3 pm in Buenos Aires, Argentina - So far, pretty good. We slept fair (because of early arise time), and, as usual, we were ready too early. Tried to set the heating unit temp low, but it wouldn´t go below 17 degrees C. Remesis driver was on time, to our relief; fee was $218, plus tip = $300, for the short drive to Tres Cruces bus station. He slowed down at EVERY intersection, just in case... We were shocked by the very long line of people waiting for a taxi at the bus station; we guessed that people take the bus into the city (very early) and catch a taxi to go to work. What a project! We asked inside for the gate number. ¨29¨. As we waited at gate 29 (with the bus in place), the bus started backing out. HELP! Now we had to go to gate number 30. OK! The driver stowed our one checked bag, and a woman assigned us our seat numbers. We stood outside and upright as long as possible, knowing we´d be sitting a long time (2 hrs. 15 minutes). Since the bus was filled with äll aboard¨ (I guess), the bus left 15 minutes early. The city looked so gloomy in the darkness. We napped and watched the countryside go by; the bus was just too hot, though. Guess people think heat is more healthy than too cold. Saw cattle, sheep, goats, and few horses, some barrios (very poor-looking), couple of schools, and an occasional ranch. Arrived at Colonia about 8:30 with a departure of our boat scheduled for 9:45. I got into a terrible mess because I left the document that proved that I entered Uruguay legally at the apartment; the fact that my passport was properly stamped wasn´t enough. We received our boat boarding passes and two papers printed out with our names. As we passed through immigration, they asked me for the document, which I did not know I needed to carry with me. Philip had his tucked into his passport because, years, ago, he actually got arrested in Greece for a similar problem, delaying his entire bus tour group! Well, they offered to make me a replacement document for a ¨tax¨ of $500 Urguayan ($25 American); actually, I just held out all my bills, and she took the largest one! There was definitely no quibbling about the issue, between the lack of language communication, and I certainly didn´t want to land in jail! They all passed papers around, stamping them and my passport ferociously, finally letting me through. By that time, I was properly frazzled, later on discovering that I was now missing the pre-printed form with my name on it. Did they keep it, and will I need to pay another tax to get back into the country?
We boarded the huge catamaran/ferry and learned why everyone had been in such a rush - to get the best seats! Tourist class is set up like a large movie theater, with a limited number of seats near windows. The early birds got the best seats. I decided to treat us to a coffee and waited in line for a long time, clutching $35 Ur. from Philip and a $100 Ur. bill of mine. The total (coffee and a sweetie) came to $9 Arg. or $63 Ur. or $3 Amer. Coffee was horrible, but the pastry hit the spot. I found better seats on the second floor and persuaded Philip to join me, only to learn that they were for ¨first class only.¨ Ride was only 1 hr. long, and we ended up reading a couple of magazines that Philip had packed.
Arriving in port was easy, except when Philip saw a couple taking HIS red suitcase. He sent me over to negotiate, I waved his ID tag at them, and they were most apologetic, explaining, in Spanish, that theirs looked just like it. No problem-o.
Getting the Busquebus transport (another bus) was a snap, but the - surprisingly - long ride to Days Inn was a nightmare. One taxi driver became incensed at our bus driver and actually beat on the bus door! Motor bikes, scooter, bicycles, taxis, buses, private vehicles - all fighting to get there (somewhere!) first! Finally, he dropped us off, and we settled in a room that was almost as terrible as the room in NYC 3 years ago - tiny and overlooking a busy street. We asked Rosanna, the hotel desk clerk, to suggest a good place to eat, and she told us ¨La Estancia¨ (pron. La aye TAN zi a), about 6 blocks away. We wanted something closer, so went right across the street to share a fish dinner - excellent! It was served with a thick, green veggie (similar to collard greens), corn, peas, potatoes, and rolls, but we had to ask for butter, plus I used the oil. We really enjoyed it. Steve, our waiter, spoke English and was charming. He described Philip's Guinness beer as ¨lovely.¨
We took off on foot to locate the La Estancia and to buy some water, beer, and wine. We couldn´t find the restaurant with Rosanna´s directions, so asked a policeman, who pointed us further away, after we stopped at the lovely PanAmericano Hotel for a baños stop. I suggested we take a detour for a pleasant change from playing dodgeball with the other walkers (and the traffic), and, a few buildings up this pedestrian walkway, we stumbled upon ¨La Estancia¨! A few blocks further we discovered a mercado for the wine and water and then returned to the hotel for a little rest. Philip´s feet hurt (he wore his boots - ¨not good for walking¨), and my hips were aching from the hard sidewalks.
We are forever not seeing a dip or a bump or a hole or a step and stumbling. Saw a blind man tapping his way through the crowds. Now that is brave! No face cloths are available in the hotel, and breakfast isn´t served until 8 am. I can use one of 2 computers and feel like a little nap right now. Philip bought 5 postcards and is writing them out after paying $1.33 Amer. for each stamp. The one window refused to open for us (room is very small and claustrophobic); we asked a chambermaid for help. She very easily pushed it open. (We had been pulling it.)
8 pm - We ate nearby and shared one-quarter of a pollo with the ubiquitous instant mashed potatoes, topped with a really good brownie, and then walked around a few blocks, surprised and pleased at all the menswear stores. The waiter, spotting Philip´s scorpion carballaro, asked, ¨Are you from Texas?¨ I had my doubts about the chicken being cooked thoroughly; it looked a bit pinkish. We checked email at the computer in the hotel: a young mother had to ask her cooperative little daughter to give up one of the two computers to us because the younger brother had a hissy fit about giving up his (even though he wasn´t even sitting in front of it at the time). On our afternoon stroll, we found ourselves between a huge van used to transport prisoners (next to the Judicial Building) and a young mother nursing her baby while visiting a friend.
We are seeing women going through the rubbish bins, but not with horse and buggy and not making a mess. The sidewalks are much cleaner; people actually use the litter bins, and some even kick the trash off the curb.
We., 8-27 - 12:45 pm - Watched an excellent English movie last night, trying to stay up later than usual because breakfast isn´t served until 8 am. I took a sleeping pill and did fine, except for the sheets which I think are double-bed sized stretched over a queen-sized bed. We dressed up - Philip in his black suit and black shirt with red and black tie and handkerchief - and me in my dependable black slacks, Casual Corner white top, and red jacket. Food was laid out for breakfast, but the coffee was COLD! I marched to the desk, only to hear, ¨The miss, she ill. The other miss, here in 20 minutes.¨ Back at the breakfast room, Philip made us toast, which we loaded up with honey and - finally! - dulce de leche (sweet from milk?), like a caramel topping. YUM! We got some orange juice, milk, and cut-up fruit, while a chambermaid attempted to make a pot of coffee (using yesterday´s grounds, as well), which was lukewarm by the time we had to leave. I poured a glass of what I thought was milk, but, UGH, it tasted like buttermilk - sour. The two women at the table next to us spoke English (one really yelled at the poor chambermaid), so I asked her, ¨What it this, por favor?¨ It was a liquid yogurt! Different....
We were ready - on time - for the city tour at 9 am and got picked up at 9:15 am. By the time we changed to a larger bus and picked up more people (from Bosnia, Peru, and New Zealand) it was 10 am before we actually got started. Nestor was the official guide, saying the same things in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, and Diego the faithful driver, who handled the terrible traffic without batting an eye. As soon as the tour began, another young man went from seat to seat, snapping a picture of each couple; he then left the bus, promising to return with the finished products. Buenos Aires has 48 barrios, covers 200 square meters, and has three million of Argentina´s entire 36 million population in 23 provinces. We drove by the obelisk, built to commemorate the founding of Argentina in 1580. The ¨pink palace¨ was the next highlight, the home of the president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. Every Thursday afternoon, ¨mothers of the missing¨ meet near here to remember those who disappeared during the military government rule. Another important monument stands to remember Independence, which started on May 25, 1810 and was successful on July 9, 1816. Argentina and other So. American countries peacefully broke away from Spain. St. Mary´s church has twelve columns in front in honor of the twelve apostles, plus a Latin inscription ¨Salvum Fac Populum Tuum.¨ Florida Street is a major pedestrian street. (Philip and I really enjoy pedestrian streets because they are so quiet and safe!) We saw one soccer stadium that holds 55,000 people and heard about another one that holds 70,000. One barrio (neighborhood) is La Boca was settled by Italians/Genoese sailors and was the site of the first B. A. port. We made a half-hour stop at Camanito Street, one of many very narrow alley-streets lined with corrugated metal (painted very colorfully) siding on the homes, dating from years and years ago. The main and only attraction here is public dancing and singing (think - tango!); otherwise, it is a very poor and dangerous barrio. Many streets are still cobblestone. A nearby barrio is famous for its tango bars and a huge weekly flea market. Note about B. A. streets: 99% are one-way, making them pretty safe to drive and also helping pedestrians cross fairly safely. However, in intersections with no red lights, we never saw any stop or yield signs, giving the message ¨whoever dares go first gets through first.¨ The traffic was mind-numbing - taxis, buses, private vehicles, motor bikes, motor scooters, and bicycles, all fighting to get there first.
When we stopped to tour the tourist section of La Boca, we were greeted by absolutely beautiful women in slinky dresses and wearing 4 - 5¨heels and handsome, very trim men, who were all tango dancers, offering to pose with tourists for a fee. Volunteer firemen were also on hand, looking for donations ¨because the county doesn't support us¨. We gave them a very small amount and got a souvenir hat in return - all for a good cause. Of particular interest to us were the little groups of school children on field trips. The older ones (8 - 9 years old), in uniform, were so glad to be out in the fresh air. The younger ones were kept together by ropes! Four-year-olds were completely encircled by a light weight rope that they held in each hand, with a teacher at the front. The 5 or 6-year-olds were trusted to hold on to just one rope in one hand. Philip spoke to them, first in English - no reply - and then in Spanish; their teacher encouraged them to respond politely - very cute. Note about Uruguayan school uniforms that we´ve seen: both girls and boys wear what looks like an over-sized white blouse with a huge blue bow around their necks - similar to choir robes.
The Rio de la Plate (Plate River) is 14 km wide at its narrowest and 230 km wide at its mouth. We next traveled to the wealthiest barrio where, in the last four to five years, warehouses have been converted to apartments. The highest building (55 floors) is here, as well. Cost is $5,000 American per square meter (1 meter = approximately 39 inches). The country's oldest training ship is now a museum. The English Monument Tower was a gift from the English to celebrate Argentina´s 100th year of independence in 1916. The war against England in 1982 (the Faulkland Islands) was mentioned briefly. Nestor pointed out an official dog walker; there are 600 or so in the city, and many walk between 8 and 10 dogs at one time. Libertador (?) Ave. is 30 km long and has 7 to 10 lanes, all going the same way.
La Palermo barrio is famous for its gardens and parks. We stopped next to the Catholic University to admire a giant (50 feet high, at least) stainless-steel flower that opens and closes daily and takes 20 minutes to do so. B. A. has six lines of subways, with a cost of 90 cents. (Our Days Inn clerk, Rosanna, told us she spends 50 minutes a day commuting, each way, via subway and bus.) Nestor gave us information about the various ambassadors´ homes, all former palaces. (Observed: high-test gasoline is about $11.00 per gallon.) Eva Peron (¨Evita¨) was the beloved wife of one of the presidents. She died in 1952 at the age of 33, and a statue was erected in her memory and honor.
The young man returned to the bus with his completed photo projects. He cut and pasted our heads and put them on top of a pair of tango dancers! Plus he included a copy of a CD tango tape. At $15, it was irresistible.
The weather turned nasty - rainy and cold. The tour was over at 12:45 p.m., and we freshened up before walking to La Estancia (recommended by a waiter and the hotel clerk) for an Argentina beef steak meal. A review from another blog:
When I was flying into BA an Argentinean rancher sitting next to me recommended "La Estancia" on Florida street. I do not know if it is the best, but I have never had better. When the waiter noticed that my friend did not speak Spanish he went and brought out a tray of raw meat. I translated for my friend that he wanted "some of the tenderloin". I ordered some of the Estancia especial. Then we made the mistake of ordering salads. Maybe if we had not eaten the salads or any bread we could have finished our plates of delicious meat. We ate too much trying. The meat, of course. The rancher warned me against eating chicken or pork explaining that they were manufactured and that only the Argentinean beef was grown without chemicals on natural grass and therefore would not cause hardening of the arteries. When it tastes so good, who cares if this is true or not?
I used my umbrella and rain hat, eliciting a few looks. Philip wore the plastic cover over his cap, which always reminds me of what women wear during a permanent or what black people wear when they are treating their hair with something. On the way, thousands of umbrellas appeared, all ¨for sale¨, on the sidewalks. After we admired the wood fire and the pieces of meat cooking around it (stretched on pieces of wood), the chef gestured for me to get closer to the fire to warm my cold hands. I asked, ¨lamb?¨and heard ¨goat.¨ OK. After the maitre d´ greeted us, the waiter led us to our table, carried my wet umbrella, covered it and my jacket and Philip´s damp coat with dry tablecloths, put my purse in a very safe place on a chair between our table and the adjoining one, and presented us with menus. After Philip announced, ¨We want a good beef steak¨ and the waiter realized that we didn´t speak Spanish, he brought out five pieces of raw meat to chose from. Philip ordered the 2nd piece ¨para dos¨, and I felt the air chill, as he added, ¨cervase and caliente the. We eventually got 2 beef empanadas, rolls (no butter, of course), the drinks, and, finally, the beef! No pepper, no Wor. Sauce, no A-1 sauce, no salad, no veggies, just plain beef, and delicious it was! We ate slowly, savoring each bite, trying not to listen to the conversation of two men at the nearby table discussing their international business affairs. The bill came to $75 Arg. = $25 Am. Waiter: The tip is not included in the bill.¨ We left 20% and walked, slowly, back to the hotel, Philip stopping to mail some postcards. Rosanna and Mr. Tex were chatting, and we told them about our excellent meal. The weather deteriorated; I checked email; the pigeons started roosting because it got so dark!
8 pm -We decided we had to eat a little something, so walked across the street to Tiempo Libre (where we ate lunch yesterday) for a ¨simple¨ Caesar salad. Waiter made a point of being a better waiter than Steve was, putting peanuts on the table. We ordered ONE salad for two, and both were huge. Philip had his usual one beer (one liter) and me my hot tea. We packing what we can tonight.
Th., 8-28 - 8:45 am - Slept great, each with one sleeping pill. Up at 7 to go for a last walk, in much less traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian. I got mixed up on the first simple 3 block walk; on the 2nd walk, I had to ask directions for Parana (pron. piranha) St. Breakfast was excellent because the ¨miss¨ was in charge: hot coffee, cereal, fruit, toast, and OJ - YUM! Now I must worry about a sandwich for the bus trip.
10 am - Well, like day and night! When we arrived at this port, it was like a zoo - lots of people, cars, taxis, buses. This morning it took us only 7 minutes to get here from the hotel. Pick-up was scheduled for 9:15 am, I said ¨give him 15 minutes¨, Philip asked Rosanna to call the bus company at 9:26, and the bus arrived at 9:28. We were the only passengers! The immigration business went smoothly (all women!), and now we have one hour to kill. Groan! I bought a ham and cheese sandwich to share, plus a chocolate sweetie.
11:45 am - On the bus! Lucianno, a young Busquebus employee, chatted with us. He´s 28, studying conservation and environment. His brother runs an import/export business in Miami (car parts from China) and plays rugby.
1 pm - Curses! Crossing was rough. Because of a minor accident a few days ago, we were all asked to remain seated while the boat docked. (Of course, some obeyed, and some didn´t.) We were 15 minutes late arriving in Colombia and had problems finding out boarding passes, making us almost last on the bus. We had to sit separately, right next to the smelly lavatory. My seatmate first yakked on the phone and then fell sound asleep. I read - very slowly - my P. D. James mystery, and Philip tried (bouncing bus) to read his National Geographic.
http://realtravel.com/montevideo-journals-j6459558.html
Fr., 8-29 - 12:25 pm - back in Montevideo - Food expedition is half done. I do not know how people with families do this shopping, if they do it this way! I was totally zonked after a couple of glasses of wine and an omelet (with tomato, the only veggie in the place) with toast (first ones got totally burnt up in the toaster as P, the chef, got embroiled in a BBC TV article; we had to shut the kitchen door and open up the porch door to let the smoke out; thank goodness there was no smoke detector, or else it would have been shrieking) and took a shower and went to bed. Philip got up before I did and, very quietly, got dressed, had coffee, and watched the TV on very quiet, if not mute. We took it easy all morning, plus it was 49 degrees out. Philip showed me a tour he´s interested in, one of four offered by a Montevideo tour agency. I looked up the website (in Sp. and in Engl.) and called a couple of numbers, finally ending up chatting with Monica, the owner of the agency, who speaks English. We determined that we can take a bus to her office, on Espania Blvd., and hope to do so Monday, calling first. It´s $75 each for visits to 2 vineyards, with tastings. It´ll get us to a different area, 35 m. north of the city, near Carbonles(?). Pedro called, glad we were happy to be back in ¨la casa¨. Since we had no food at all, we went shopping for: 1) lunch meat, cheese, bread, water, and sweeties, all of which we brought back to the apt. and which we bought right next door at Numia´s; 2) piece of spinach pie for lunch and some sort of croquette, plus a huge something, possibly for breakfast; 3) other food at the SuperMercado, where I FOUND Kleenex (different brand) and found out where we could get a rotisserie chicken (2 blocks away); and 4) the chicken place, where P, who counts his change (unlike me) had to ask for his $100 Urug. money back. Sun is bright, and we are taking a lunch break before we tackle the shopping for fruits and veggies, plus a trek to see the Amtel building skyscraper, which we can see out the back windows, and possibly to stumble across the actual main train station. We´ve already discovered the ancient train station which is being let go to rack and ruin.
5:45 pm - The croquette was filled with potato - ugh - but we ate it anyways, and the spinach pie was extremely bland. I got up to get the grated cheese to put on it, only to find that Philip had used it for the omelet last night, which was so tasty. We rested a bit this afternoon, watching a rally in Dayton, where John McCain announced his VP running mate, the woman governor of Alaska. Then we took off, via the bad neighborhood (but OK in daytime, I do believe; Philip made believe he was going to take one of the kitchen knives to help keep us safe) to find the new bus station, which we did and the Amtel skyscraper. We couldn´t understand what the receptionist was trying to tell us. ¨Only three minutes in the building?¨ A woman, Betty, from Switzerland, who´s here for 5 weeks to learn Spanish (a family and school, plus she´s staying with a cousin) came to our rescue. ¨The TOUR starts in 3 minutes.¨ It was all in Spanish, but we did get wonderful panoramic views of the city. Cooking carrots for supper, plus the rotisserie chicken we bought.


]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lelblair/3/1219524540/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lelblair/3/1219524540/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lelblair/3/1219524540/tpod.html Sat, 30 Aug 2008 14:36:16 -0400 Montevideo, Uruguay - Home exchange for one month

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Montevideo, Uruguay

Sa., 8-16-08 - 10 a.m. - We survived! After two walks around the mall back home, a few calls, a last-minute concern about the availabilities of ATMs in Montevideo, showers, cleaning out the food, eating the left-over meals, and saying good-bye, John from Super Shuttle arrived on time at 12:20 pm. Pedro, our Uruguayan friend (wife is Alba) offered to shut off the water as we, carrying TWO coats each in 90+ degree weather and wearing warm clothing, made the one-hour trip to Miami International Airport, picking up an elderly Ms. Lopez on the way, heading out for a 9 week vacation on her own - 3 weeks in Israel and 6 weeks in northern Spain. John was a good driver and a good conversationalist. MIA was its usual madhouse, but, since we arrived early, we breezed through check-in and security, arriving at the gate about 30 minutes before scheduled boarding. Because we were 3 rows from the rear, we were the first to be called on (and, of course, the last to be unloaded), but we were pleased with the seats (that I´d chosen the night before). Our first seatmate was a young man who said nothing, but napped a lot. We watched a movie - The Leatherheads - which definitely helped pass the time. The meal offered was only (by the time it got to us) pasta with ten or so peas, salad, a huge roll, and a small chocolate bar. I managed to squeeze the salad dressing on top of the plastic wrapping over the salad, so scraped it off and gave to Philip. We both stuck to water.
At Panama City Airport, we chugged our way to Gate 29, where it looked as though they were loading up, one hour before departure! We joined the line, not really knowing what was going on. Finally, we determined that, in certain parts of the world, people do not queue up and wait patiently for their row numbers to be called. They just adopt the attitude of ¨first come, first served.¨ I turned my clock back one hour there, but then discovered that Montevideo is two hours behind; however, when we arrived in Montevideo, there was a two hours difference. Beats me! Our seatmate for this leg was a man who spoke no English, but we managed to have a chit chat with sign language, mostly about me giving him the elbow if he snored. In the seat directly in front of us was - GROAN - a small girl child with parents and a small dog in a tiny cage; we heard an occasional whimper, but nothing horrible.
The planes were packed, 3 on each side of one aisle, 1 bathroom at the back for the commoners and two in the front for the first class. Philip had packed some whiskey in carry-on plastic bottles, and we each took a few sips as dusk fell and a Walt Disney movie - Chronicles of Narnia - started. I popped 2 sleeping pills from Dr. Ans and gave Philip one; somehow, I slept the entire flight with NO restless leg jumping AND managed to eat my dinner (have no idea what it was, but I did end up wearing most of it on the front of my t-shirt). We landed about 230 (?) and staggered off the plane,finding the luggage and the car driver hired and paid for by Pedro. I showed him the email indicating that he was to drive us to Alba´s sister Noe´s home where she and daughter, Maria Noel, would take us to Pedro´s. He did make the stop, but they weren't there, so he drove us to Pedro´s, where the two women were waiting for us, about 4 am. They gave us the key, welcomed us warmly, and then left so we could take showers and then go to bed and practically die. So tired! We couldn't figure out how to flush the commode until we spoke to Pedro this morning. ¨It's on the wall over the toilet!¨ And so it was. Philip neglected to pack his robe and good slippers, a little problem in this weather, especially with such cold floors.
6 p.m. We woke pleasantly about 10 am, refreshed, and most grateful to the coffee that the women had already prepared for us in the new coffee pot ordered by Pedro and Alba (for us). Philip found some oatmeal, which he cooked up (was actually instant, but we thought it was old-fashioned), plus bread, which he toasted on top of the stove. We had the last of the Florida clementines, plus a banana that was part of a fruit, veggie, cheese, milk, etc. assortment left by Noe and her daughter (plus a bottle of wine!). I remembered that Alba had told me that the stores close at 1 pm on Saturdays, so we left about noon for our afternoon adventure after a surprise visit from a very handsome and personable young man. We heard the doorbell chime ¨Happy Birthday¨; Philip figured out what it was before I did. I was still in my nightgown! Eduardo spoke literally no English, so it was quite an interesting conversation. I thought I recognized him in a picture I´d seen as Pedro´s godson, and we soon established the fact that he repaired cars for a living, worked six days a week, and had a young family. Finally, we departed and, to our amazement, saw Eduardo washing the window in the front entrance hall of the apartment building! We came to a new conclusion (may be right, may be wrong); he works part-time here as the Saturday concierge (and is probably not Pedro´s godson). We observed what looked like squatters (reminded us of tent campers) on the roof of a nearby building.
Then we started our search for an ATM and a place to do some food shopping. This turned into quite the adventure! We found a close-by ATM, but it didn't accept either of our cards. We trudged straight up our street - Libertador St. - not having a clue of our destination, but positive we couldn't get lost. (I have just spent at least one hour trying to figure out how to insert the @ symbol in my email address AFTER spending ½ hr. on the phone with Pedro about it and also how to get online on his computer! The keys are different on this keyboard, most frustrating.)
The walk was lovely, except we both got too hot, me wearing my hooded pink sweatshirt and Philip wearing his jacket. When we took off, I was wearing my leather passport holder around my neck on top of my t-shirt; Eduardo ran out to gesture to me to hide it, so I put it under my zipped-up sweatshirt until I got too hot and then put it under my t-shirt, which made me look as though I was pregnant and carrying a very high 4-pointed fetus. We found an ATM at a bank, but had to wait for about 10 minutes, while a Brinks truck (Montevideo-style) transferred money, with two men with AK-47´s or shotguns standing guard. Philip took out 5000 pesos (the exchange rate is 19 pesos to $1.00, making for VERY complicated bookkeeping). ATM charge is unknown at this time and not on the slip. We then found our way to a decent store, where we bought a few items; we returned the onions when we realized that we'd not weighed them in the produce department, as required. Philip put most of the items in his backpack, I carried Alba´s cloth market bag, and we strolled along, heading back ¨home¨. We also purchased a calling card to the US to use for emergencies. Unfortunately, our internal GPS got terribly mixed up, and we ended up not knowing where we were, PLUS we didn't bring a map with us (VERY bad in a new city, especially since Pedro had left a guidebook for us). We walked and walked, until finally Lorraine (isn't it always the woman?) asked a young man if he spoke English. "Yes." "Can you please tell us how to get to ....."¨ "Oh, I'm not from around here¨ whereupon Lorraine spoke to the NEXT young man walking by, ¨Do you speak English and can you direct us to ......?¨ ¨Si.¨ So, ended up with two young men helping us, one familiar with the area and the other speaking English. We paid attention to the directions -¨four blocks that way and then two blocks to the right¨. Philip made the unwise suggestion that we go ¨two blocks to the right and then four blocks the other way¨ and I'm afraid that I answered him rather curtly. ¨I'm going to get pissed off if we keep getting lost!¨ and he quickly agreed to follow the directions. We were amazed to see young man #2 catching up with us to correct his directions and to accompany us to make sure we were on the right track! We communicated, struggling in Spanish, and learned that he works at the local Radisson Hotel and has an 11-year-old daughter. He reassured us that we were very safe walking about with our backpack and passport holder (still stuffed into my t-shirt). Finally, we were certain that we could find our way back to our starting place on our own and actually started recognizing landmarks. When we just happened across the market where we'd shopped earlier, we decided to find some mayonnaise. I, for some unknown reason, remembered Pedro and Alba telling her the Spanish word for ¨mustard¨ (sounds like ¨moustach-a¨) so that the young clerk helping us actually understood what we wanted and led us to the right section! We also were gently reprimanded by a very young woman, all in Spanish, but very easy to understand, that we were supposed to leave our bags and backpack in the lockers at the front of the store. This is certainly a learning experience! Our two errands ended up being a two-hour trek, but full of interesting sights and helpful people.
Back at the apartment, I decided to get online, which became a huge challenge. Then the telephone card refused to work because neither of us could understand the recording in rapid Spanish explaining what number to press for English instructions. I called Maria Noel, but she couldn't help with this one. I ended up calling Pedro twice on my cell phone, and he immediately called me back on his telephone card. Twice I called on my cell, without the country code and ended up talking to a very irate Spanish man, somewhere in So. America, definitely not Pedro.
Philip struggled with the TV. The satellite may have been roaming or something, because he got nothing for quite a while. I spoke with Noe, who had Maria Noel call me back. They try, and I am so grateful! P is enjoying a couple of mixed drinks and watching a lovely movie that we saw together about women just before WW2 having a lovely holiday in Italy. He can not understand why I´d rather write in this journal than watch the movie, but, believe me, I can hear it just fine!
7 p.m. We did manage to eat a delicious sandwich (ham, cheese, tomato, lettuce) with an apple and some pretty bland cookies for dessert and then a bit of the BBC. The shower was easier to negotiate this 2nd time around.
Apartment Description: The front main door is locked, and the lobby is simple, but attractive. The elevator is European styled with an accordion door that must be closed before it works. There are two apartments per floor, and the inside door to this one is heavily double-bolted. The (only) door opens directly into the living/dining room, with the narrow wall on the left mirrored from ceiling to floor. To the right is a very comfortable dining room table with four chairs and a wall-mounted TV unobtrusively overhead. Two brown leather couches (one regular size and one love seat size) are in the living room, with a couple of tables. An interesting smallish cupboard also lines the wall. The kitchen is tiny, but perfectly adequate. They have nothing in excess; counter space is about the same size as our RV, but is made of granite with a drop-in sink. The refrigerator is minimal, and the doors open the wrong way! The only light is one overhead ceiling light. The stove is fascinating: three gas burners which require a match and also the gas turned on from under the sink area, plus one electrical burner which requires a breaker (directly over the stove) to be turned on. There is a conventional oven, microwave (in Spanish with one label - ¨start¨). Appliances are as we're used to. A table is folded against the wall opposite the sink and appliance wall, along with two stools. Off the kitchen is a small porch with a tiny washing machine (which we dread using, after an experience years ago in East Berlin), miscellaneous items, and windows that open up to a clothesline. Two bedrooms and a bath complete the unit. One bedroom is used as an office with computer, futon, set of drawers, CD collection, good-sized closet, and a shelving unit. The other bedroom has a queen bed with one of the most comfortable mattresses I've ever slept on, two dressers, TV, 2 night stands, and another closet. The bathroom is unique in our experience. The shower is almost as small as the one in the RV and has sliding doors. The pedestal sink serves the purpose, the toilet reminds us of European ones, and the bidet is yet to be tested. The neatness and efficiency of such a small space is something to be admired, plus it is decorated with a slightly whimsical air.
I do hear a dog barking nearly. And we saw a few strays in the city today.
Su., 8/17/08 - 1:30 pm - Day 2 - Some things from yesterday: We saw horses pulling open buggies in the city and thought they were collecting garbage. We thought ¨like Mackinac Island!¨ (right.....) Philip: If I had a gun, I´d shoot them all to put them out of their misery.¨ They didn´t look that miserable to me, but I´m always the optimistic one, plus surely the owners, all youngish men, would want to keep them relatively healthy. The weather turned very warm yesterday, but everyone still seemed to be bundled up. I could have worn shorts and been comfortable, but saw only one young man on a bicycle in shorts. Everyone, especially the women, are in winter colors, some with boots. I keep forgetting it really is winter here. We saw many people drinking mate (an infusion of mate grass on the traditional ¨porongo¨ made from small natural calabash) out of their straws and carrying extra (or perhaps just hot water?) in their thermoses. Slept very well, until 7 am. Philip, of course, was awake earlier and listened to American music, but no news. I made oatmeal (with raisins and brown sugar from our shopping trip); Philip manned the toaster for whole-wheat toast that kept falling apart, but tasted just fine. We had no idea of the temp outdoors, but left about 9 am, Philip wearing his long-sleeved shirt over a t-shirt and me wearing my pink hooded sweatshirt. We both left our passports home today, but carried ID, just in case.
It was pretty nippy, to our surprise - 8 degrees C = 46F, but it did not seem that cold to me. The wind didn´t help, and Philip kept saying he didn´t need to return to the apt. for his coat, but he did eventually put his red neckerchief on. After figuring out where the building's trash bin was (in front on the side of the street), we wanted to walk to the ocean, only a few blocks away, per the map that we figured we´d better use today. However, when we ventured across the street, past a School for Life building (very old), we were uncomfortable in the neighborhood and changed the plan. Only the port is at this part of the coastline, not worth walking nervously for. There were not that many people about, which was good in some respects and bad in others. Instead, we walked the same way as we did yesterday, but not off the main street Libertador, discovering a Tourist Info place that we must visit tomorrow, when it´s open. We took a right at Av. 18 de Julio, an important street (main and long) and entered the Ciudad Vieja (the Old City). At the Plaza Indepencia, there was the Radisson Hotel (25 stories high), and we stopped to try to find Gustavo, who was so helpful to us yesterday. The desk clerk, a young woman, took one look at us and said, ¨Hello. May I help you?¨ It is amazing how people know right away that we are not natives! She tried her best to find our man (they employ 450 workers there), and we left a thank-you note for Gustavo with her. It is a lovely hotel, with exceptional baños. After checking out the Teatro Solis, the main theater of Uruguay and the oldest, with the first performance in 1856. Some parts of it are being renovated, and tours are offered daily. Just a few blocks away was the ocean (or maybe the Plate River - they seem to meet somewhere around there), not the familiar blue-green clear waters that we´re used to in Florida, but dark and COLD-looking, with many whitecaps. BRRR! A number of high-rise apartments lined the coastal street, and we walked on a side street to return to the Av. 18 de Julio, where we stopped in at a Ta-Ta store (making sure to put Alba´s shopping bag into a locker this time) and browsed around the compact department store that sells food, too. Many clerks were on guard, watching for shoplifters. We could not figure out the Spanish word for peanut butter, and it is not in the dictionary that Pedro left for us, so I have emailed Pedro for assistance. Saw a jar that looked like it, but with words ¨leche¨ and ¨vachon¨- milk and cow - which made me think ¨no.¨ Philip stopped at one newsstand and asked for a USA Today, with no luck. When he asked a valet at the Radisson about one, the man actually laughed and said, in effect, ¨not here. Maybe in Buenos Aires..¨ On our walk back, Philip started to walk in front of a taxi cab, and I called to him ¨Stop!¨ Philip: I thought he´d stop for me. L: And then offer you a USA Today? Doesn´t take much to amuse us most days.
The streets and sidewalks are full of litter; apparently, there is no law about cleaning up after your dog, either. Many of the buildings are downright decrepit, but, once in a while, we see one that is painted and cleaned up to look beautiful. We´ve seen some very old vehicles, including a Morris Minor and a Chevrolet truck that reminded me of my father´s from the farm days. Elderly people seem to be downtrodden and walk around with very sober, almost sad expressions. We passed one street person sleeping in a makeshift bed next to a building, and then enjoyed a little boy learning to ride his new bike with training wheels on the sidewalk. Everyone was dressed very warmly today, including scarves and gloves.
Our most interesting encounter so far was with a young (aren´t they always young?) woman who took one look at us and made a point of asking, in English, ¨Can I help you?¨ When we said that we were (today) OK, she, Carmen, carried on an animated conversation with us, asking her 13-year-old daughter for help with English words and getting very little. C: I pay a lot of money to send her to school to learn English to be my dictionary, and she´s not helping me today!¨ Carmen is a lawyer, lives on Libertador St., has only one child because it is so expensive to send kids to private schools, etc., explained how she leaves all her rings and other jewelry at home because they were going to what we think is a flea market. Philip asked about the litter. Ten years ago, the trash and rubbish policy changed. They used to pick up once a day, and people would actually bring their bags to the sidewalk to be handed over to the collectors. Then someone came up with the idea of the rubbish bins. Now, the 6,000 men driving the 6,000 horse and buggies either collect or go through the rubbish (to get what they can resell?? This got a little confusing) cause trash to be all over the streets. This doesn´t make any sense, but perhaps Pedro and Alba will explain it to us. We finally went our separate ways. The next chuckle was seeing a tiny white booth on the side of the sidewalk with a man inside, drinking some mate. L: Are we ready for the question of the day? Philip: Just what is that man doing inside that little booth? We never could figure it out.
Back home by noon, pretty walked out and hungry! I made grilled ham, cheese, onion, and tomato sandwiches, with the end of the potato chips (which we never eat, but which Noe and Maria Noel bought for us, and they tasted delicious). Philip watched some documentary on the first mission to the moon.
We think that the hose hanging over and into the kitchen sink is from the washing machine, which we absolutely dread using, but we haven´t discovered a close-by Laundromat. Forgot to mention that the apt. walls are painted, the bedroom and living floors are covered in a parquet-style wood, but with five separate pieces of wood in each block. The bathroom floor is very cold all the time. We opened the windows when we got back today, but then it cooled down quickly.
7 p.m. - Philip watched TV while I typed about our adventures. We decided to walk the other direction on Libertador St., per Pedro´s suggestion, and what a great idea it was! Pharmacy, Laundromat, restaurant, bakery, and Palacio Legislativeo (the top of which we have been using for one of our landmarks). Pedro told us to ask for their niece, an Officialle, chief of security, but, instead, we just walked around the perimeter, admiring the beautiful building and looking for the restaurant he recommended. Found it! We picked up two rolls at a bakery after a quick food shop stop for eggs, cereal, and two unknown croquettes for supper. Pedro also gave me the Spanish word for peanut butter - ¨manteca de mani¨(man TAY ca de man EE), but we haven´t found it yet. We didn´t know what the croquettes were stuffed with when we purchased them, and we still don´t, even after eating them.
Funny story about my raincoat: As I looked in the closet where Philip has hung up his clothes (master bedroom), I noticed a raincoat that I assumed was Alba´s that was exactly like mine! Later on, I figured out that Philip had hung it up for me that first morning when we arrived, and it WAS mine!
Day 3 - Mo., 8/18 - 2 pm We sleep until 7 am, no matter where we are or what time zone we´re in. Very interesting. Philip offered to make an omelet and toast for us this morning - both delicious! He´s having a difficult time adjusting to the different electric stove; we haven´t yet tried the gas burners. To determine what to wear, we look outside at the passers-by and see what they are all wearing. This morning, there were a lot of scarves pulled over faces, so we bundled up, too, with gloves and heavy coats. I called the American Embassy to let them know that we are here, but I have to call back between 11 am and 12:15 pm and speak to the American citizen office (something like that). We bagged up our dirty clothes and headed for the Laundromat a few buildings away, only to find it closed up tight, with a sign on it referring to another day of the week and 1800 hours. Whatever. Philip chose to carry it, hoping to find another close-by one, but it was still with us when we entered the Tourist Information Center. Our clerk spoke very little English, so I asked him only the most important questions:
Was my wristwatch time correct? Yes
How could we go on a tour of the city in English? He suggested the Transhotel, but we ended back at the Radisson, where we discovered that the daily tri-lingual tour starts at 2:30, is 3 - 4 hrs. long, and costs $20 Am. each.
I tried to explain the problem with the telephone card. He suggested that we ask an Antel shop, an official telephone place. Where to buy postcards and stamps? At the ¨correo¨ (post office) across the street. (But I wanted picture postcards.) Library? He marked it on the map he gave us.
Post Office? The ¨correro¨.
Bus schedules? Get a ¨guia eureka¨ (bus schedule) from the library.
Laundromat? Closest was 1194 Mercedes.
We didn´t try to find out about a rec center for ping-pong or pool, or thrift shops, or book stores.
Off we went, still with the dirty clothes, to the Ipso Wash, where Grisel, whose daughter was born in NJ and, therefore, is an American citizen, helped us, with a smattering of English and lot of heart. She, not we, did the laundry for us, and we returned in 1 ½ hrs. to pick it up, clean and folded. What a treat! It cost us about $7. We then walked to the Radisson for info about the bus tour; we must make reservations. Along the way, we stopped first at the agency that sells tickets for the Seacat that transports people to Buenos Aires. It involves a bus ride to Colonia and then the boat. We would have to catch the bus at 6:30 am, ¨salida¨or departure from Colonia at 9:45 am, and ¨llegada¨, which I can not find in the Sp. to English dictionary, at 10:45 am. So it´s four hours ONE way to get there. We would return at 11:15 pm. This is a very long day. On our trek, we saw an ad for 3 days and 2 nights in Buenos Aires (which I mis-pronounced and was corrected, in a rather patronizing and smirky manner - Bway nos I reese, not Bway nos AYE reese), so talked to Sandra, who spoke English. She gave us a print-out with a list of hotels and prices based on them. Looks like $111 each for double occupancy, plus we would add $44 if we did NOT want to take the very slow overnight boat. Sounds like a possible. The Radisson was its usual elegant self, with excellent baños; we actually found picture postcards nearby. I asked at the Ta Ta shop for peanut butter (in Spanish, of course); they don´t carry it. It was time to pick up the laundry, and Grisel tried to help us with the telephone card. Philip gave her a Susan B. Anthony dollar coin as a little thank-you souvenir. We trudged back, stopping to pick up a couple of sandwiches, one with ¨jamon¨ (pork) and one with ¨carne¨ (meat), getting back about 12:45. I ate an entire can of tuna, with celery and lettuce, plus crackers, for lunch; Philip had 1 ½ sandwiches. Eduardo rang the doorbell to check on us. He speaks absolutely no English and couldn´t understand that we had the porch window open for some fresh air. Apparently, this weather is very cold to them.
Impressions of the city: Graffiti is everywhere. I have never before seen a man pulling a wheeled cart so heavy that he was bent over. We also saw a man pulling a rickshaw arrangement. There are many street people. Today must be a school day, for we noticed many children out and about at lunch time, some with uniforms and all with back packs. On the plus side, flowers are blooming! Pansies are holding their own, and the palm trees in various plazas help beautify the areas. We actually visited a tree that looked very old, in amongst a few buildings; it looked as though they´d built the structures around the tree to keep it. How unique! The sidewalks are all broken up. I will think twice before complaining about Hollywood´s sidewalks again!
5:15 pm - Philip watched some Mission Impossible movie while I typed and computed away. I signed up for a few FREE Spanish language lessons online, and P joined me as we learned how to say ¨I want to whatever....¨ We went out mid-afternoon to walk to the Palacio Leg. and asked a security guard to radio Officialle Monica. She showed up, a petite, slim, trim, young woman AND a Lt. Cmdr., per her stripes, head of Security, per Pedro and Alba. She said something, in Spanish, of course, about looking for us yesterday, but glad to see us today. We trotted off behind her as she assigned someone to accompany us as we joined a group of school children on a tour. The docent asked if we understood Spanish. ¨Pocito¨ (little). ¨Ask me to repeat anything you don´t understand.¨ Since we didn´t understand 99.9%, we made a graceful exit, but did enjoy the beauty of the main hall of the building. It was very windy and COLD! Our last interaction occurred at the local farmicia when we tried to communicate our desires: body lotion, mouthwash, and powder for a man. With slow speaking and lots of body gestures, we ended up getting two out of three - not bad. But the price! $22 for lotion and mouthwash - not exactly Wal-Mart prices. I´ll make us some stir fry tonight. Philip is listening to a classical CD of Pedro´s.
7 p.m. - Stir fry was good, with mostly the veggies that Noe and Maria Noel bought and left in the refrigerator for us. FOOD THOUGHTS: The cookies and crackers are very, very bland, but perhaps we are just used to the sweetened and salted ones in the U.S.
I remember, years ago, when the couple from Germany stayed in my apt. in Hollywood (before I moved to my condo). They felt terrible because they broke a little juice glass, and I tried to reassure them that it was very old, but not antique, and that I had enough others. It is very difficult being in someone else´s home for an extended time like this, but we are doing our best to keep things the way they were and not to break anything really major (or minor).
Day 4 - Tu., 8/19 - 9 am - Forgot to mention the guards in the Palacio Leg. yesterday. They were dressed in green and white uniforms, a style from a century or so ago, and they stood like the guards at Buckingham Palace. So stiff and on duty.
Slept the best so far last night and woke about 7:20. Cold cereal, fruit, and toast for breakfast, and Philip is shaving and then doing the washing up. I've put on the long-sleeved soft cotton t-shirt from Alex and L L Bean. Feels so good!
2 pm - We departed a little later than usual, and it was a bit colder than the previous days, as well. Our first destination was the Radisson to reserve our spots for tomorrow afternoon's tours. I suggested that I pay from my stash of American money, but Philip insisted on putting it on his credit card; when we finished with the arrangements, we learned that they don´t take credit cards, so Philip had to pay the almost 800 pesos in Uruguayan money, which meant another trip to the ATM later on. Our next stop was at what we thought was the library (per the info man yesterday), but, instead, it was a lovely bookstore, where Paulo helped us enormously. I still want a phrase book, but they really didn´t have what I needed. He said that many Uruguayans are writers, and that there is one reader for every writer (his own theory that he chuckled at). It was a good place to donate the paperback book that I finished - Running with Scissors. They can resell it as a used book, and they were very appreciative. He directed us to the National Library, the largest in the country, 12 blocks further. I told Philip that I didn´t mind walking to it, but, since it was getting late, we´d have to eat lunch out. ¨OK.¨ Our walk on the sidewalk was very much impeded by many street vendors, selling everything from food to rubber feet for chairs. We played ¨chicken¨ with an occasional taxi driver. Pedestrians do have the right of way in the crosswalks, but, sometimes, when the cars are taking a quick right, it becomes a battle of who is the braver. We made one mistake and walked against a light; what a dirty look the scooter driver gave me! The library was a magnificent edifice, but not what we are used to, with cozy chairs and inviting seating encouraging us to sit down and read a paper or magazine. This library still uses the old system of cards in tiny drawers, plus the patrons request books, which are sent down via a dumbwaiter arrangement. After a quick trip around the (we think) city hall, I chose a place for lunch, with a huge Pilsner sign. Unlike Mexican menus, we understood very little of what was available, but focused on pollo (chicken) and Milanese (Italian, we guessed) and pure (per the little dictionary means mashed potatoes), which we shared. My hot tea was excellent, really, really hot water! The food (really flattened chicken deep-fried covered with cheese and tomato sauce) was great, except for the instant mashed potatoes, but we ate them up anyways. Total was $10 Amer., not bad. Philip had a beer, and that gave us enough energy to stop at Ta Ta for some olive oil, wine, 1 big bottle of beer, real (not instant, which is here, and which we´ve been trying to cook as regular) oatmeal, peanuts, prunes, cheese, and lunch meat. Asking for the lunch meat was a challenge, which I encouraged Philip to tackle. First he asked for ¨turkey and actually said, ¨Gobble, gobble¨ and then he asked for ¨pollo¨, with a negative reply. We ended up with more ham, which is fine. The walk home was tough, because of the heavy load in Philip´s back pack. It got much windier and colder, as well, so it was good to reach our little cocoon. From Pedro (about the peanut butter): If you like to go and visit a big super market like Publix , take a taxi asking to go to 'TIENDA INGLESA" located at calle " BOULEVARD PROPIOS " near "GENERAL FLORES " street .The cost of taxi will be around $ 150.00, which is about $7. American.
Now P has found a Western movie to watch on the Retro channel. I may join him because it shouldn't be too violent.
5 pm - The movie was pretty dated, but OK; I also read a Readers´ Digest while reclining on one couch. We took a stroll to check out the bus station, making sure we avoided the bad area, and had to ask directions. It´s right opposite the port area. This station handles all the buses, local and inter-city; one information young woman spoke English and wanted to know, ¨Where do you want to go?¨ She couldn't understand that we just want to be able to take a bus wherever we decide to go, so I picked a place that looked green and pretty. She figured it'll take us SEVEN buses to get there, and I understood her to say it´d cost 17.5 pesos for EACH bus. Philip says ¨no way should it cost that much; there should be an all-day pass, etc., etc.¨ I'm all for taking a taxi! The wind is just a-howling! My Hermes scarf blew off from around my neck at the bus station, and I didn't even know it, but three people called to me, so I turned around and rushed back to pick it up. Philip was tempted to try to use the gas part of the stove to boil some eggs. NOOO. Too complicated!
Day 5 - We., 8/20 - 9:30 am - We awoke to rain and were glad our morning plan included staying inside, cleaning the apartment. Philip cooked the old-fashioned oatmeal that we bought - much better! - and I polished off the last yogurt. I used the hand-held vacuum cleaner for the rug and that part of the wood floor while P dusted and dry-mopped; I swept out the office room and scrubbed the bathroom. It´s fun when two of us do this.
Food shopping, as I highlighted in my postcards to kids, is challenging when there are no pictures on the cans or packages. The mayo comes in a stands-up-by-itself package, as does the olives. Quantities are usually miniscule. Philip had a difficult time yesterday with prunes, which looked like raisins to me, some were with something (seeds? pits?) and some were without. Reading menus is another problem, as well.
11:30 am - and we are both chilly. Should have put on another layer of sweater. I´m making progress with updating the online email Address Book, but heard from Pedro this morning. He reported that the garbage collectors are on strike for one week. Not nice.
12:45 pm - While I notified via Internet (which I could have done Monday, but the man who told me to call didn´t mention it) the Embassy that we are here, Philip made us a tuna salad, which we demolished, plus the left-over soup from last night. I put on another sweater and finally warmed up. P is wearing a suit for this tour around the city. I´m wearing my heavy black slacks and warm tops, in layers. It´s stopped raining, but looks very, very raw.
7 pm - Quite the afternoon! We departed, on foot, about 1 pm, hoping to buy some stamps from the ¨correo¨(post office). When we arrived, they were closed. We asked next door at the farmicia, but he directed us to another place not in the direction we were heading. We happened to find a farmicia on the way, which actually was able to sell us 15 peso stamps for the postcards. Minor miracle! We also stumbled across Remsis car service (they picked us up from the airport) to ask them about hiring a car and driver for one day to go someplace out of the city. So far, it´s up to 6000 pesos, about $300, a bit much. We arrived early for the bus tour and waited for quite a while. Finally, a bit late, it arrived - a VERY SMALL bus, van really, with 15 capacity. Estella was our guide, and she did a great job, in both Spanish and English. We couldn´t sit together and were packed like sardines. It was well worth the money and the tip, almost a 3 ½ hr. tour over a large area of territory. I sat in the very back with a cute couple from Brazil and their 2 little boys, one of whom fell asleep. We saw a lot and now have destinations in mind. The weather deteriorated quickly, and it became difficult to see out of the foggy and wet windows. It was getting dark when we were done (about 6 pm), so we stopped at the Madison Restaurant, near the Radisson, where the waiter not only spoke English but also offered us an English menu. Bonanza! We shared beef stroganoff, which was excellent, plus a small bottle of wine, total $20. Restaurant notes: In the two where we´ve eaten so far, the only napkins offered are the size of one sheet of toilet paper, and we have not discovered any pepper for table use. When I used the rest room to wash my hands, I couldn´t find the light switch! P went to the men´s room and returned to inform me that ¨it´s on the door frame.¨ It was and properly labeled - ¨luz¨(I think). We considered catching a cab for the ride home, but took a chance and walked back, with no real problems, except for a couple of men asking for money. We really trotted along, seeing our breath along the way. Home to a cup of tea and cup of coffee and ready to hit the sack! http://gosouthamerica.about.com/library/weekly/topicsubUru.htm
Day 6 - Th., 8-21 - 5:40 pm - Because it seemed so nasty this morning - windy, cold, and damp - we stayed in and watched the Olympics and worked on the email Address Book. Finally, once again, I thought to put on a sweater because it was really cold in here. I warmed up the beanie bag for Philip´s toes, which he really appreciated. After lunch (grilled sandwich and lots of hot tea), we struck off, destination Main Tourist Information Office at the Port. We stopped at Sandra´s travel agency on the way, but they were closed until 2 pm. We so enjoyed the pedestrian walk! What a relief to walk with NO noisy and smelly and dangerous traffic! It took us to the plaza where we stopped yesterday at the church, and then we muddled about, trying not to look at the map, but going backwards by mistake, compounded by the fact that very few streets have names posted. We finally found it, after walking through the banking district (another money pick up guarded by men with shotguns) and talked with a lovely young woman who spoke good English. She showed us on the map a shopping center that, on an upper floor, has a pool table, etc. and even wrote down the numbers of the buses to get there! We used the baños; the ladies´ had no toilet paper, and neither hand dryer worked. Many people seemed to be ¨working¨ there.
7 pm - We are starting to droop. The walk back to the travel agency was easy, and we are trying to make our arrangements for the 3 days and 2 nights in B.A. next week. We will confirm all tomorrow. The walk back was difficult, because we made three stops at three different stores. We bought most of our stuff at the first store, including some small slabs of beef to add to the stir-fry for tonight. Buying the lunch meat was really tough because none of the six or so uniformed (in really cute uniforms - white trimmed with blue) young women working in the bakery and deli spoke English. First we ordered some croissants for tomorrow´s breakfast, plus a couple of lemon or pineapple squares. The bakery girl said a whole lot to us in Spanish, none of which we understood. It MAY have had to do with the fact that we could have gotten more squares for the same amt. of money, but we were totally in the dark. So that provoked a few smiles. Then we tried to order lunch meat. Philip asked for turkey again with its correct name - ¨pavo¨- and she tried to send him back to the meat dept. for some real turkey. We discovered chicken in the deli and ordered 8 slices of it, followed by 8 slices of cheese. Well, the entire dept. was in hysterics by the time we left, and I suspect that, then next time they see us coming, they will all run and hide so they don´t have to wait on us. On the other hand, a sweet young girl, dressed in a green uniform (to match the packaging) was giving away samples of the new Knorr soups - QUICK to make. She spoke a little English and chatted a bit with us as we bought some of the old-fashioned Knorr soup. The next store is where Philip buys his bottles of beer - really BIG bottles of Pilsner dark, almost a stout, which he really enjoys. Plus we picked up some milk. The last place was right next door and was for 2 bottles of water. She, too, sells deli stuff and, I think, was offended because we stopped in carrying all these grocery bags and wanted only to buy water from her. We were really loaded up by the time we got back, plus we were tired from walking so far.
9 pm - Well, we are still awake. The stir-fry came out great, plus we enjoyed one chocolate sweetie each for dessert. As Philip took the trash out to the stairwell, he thought he heard gun shots in the street. When we looked out, a group of people was marching up the street towards the Palacio. They were very quiet, but we do wonder what it´s all about. Then we watched the news for a bit and saw that the trash collectors have been on strike here for five days. We´ve been here six days. Oh, well, it could have been the water dept. or the electric co. P is flipping the channels, very loudly.






]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lelblair/2/1218224880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lelblair/2/1218224880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lelblair/2/1218224880/tpod.html Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:50:50 -0400 Newton County Public Schools - Day 1

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Covington, Georgia, United States

First day of school!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lelblair/1/1214057880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lelblair/1/1214057880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lelblair/1/1214057880/tpod.html Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:35:02 -0400 Awards Ceremonies, May, 2008

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Tifton, Georgia, United States

These are pictures that Grandpa Philip took of the children's awards ceremonies.
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