After a long 12 hour drive and a border crossing into Uruguay, we arrived at our home for the next two nights ' The Continental Hotel in Montevideo. Its amazing how your priorities change! We had hot and cold running water, a shower head, a toilet that worked, and the bed was clean and free of bed bugs - so things were good!
We went down to the Old Quarter for dinner only to find the narrow cobbled street in front of our restaurant was barricaded and hundreds of riot police supporting helmuts and plastic shields swarmed the area. The streets were otherwise deserted and the 25 of us stood out so that the police were easily able to identify us as the English tourists. They told us that George Bush was having dinner in the area of our chosen restaurant and that was why the road was closed. We´ve been taught to expect the unexpected so, we waited an hour in the Irish pub "Shannon" and then we saw Bush´s car and cavalcade pass by. The roads opened up and the hundreds of police marched down the street away from the area. It was quite an awesome sight. Then it was an uneventful dinner, a visit to a night club and back to the hotel. Co-incidentally, there were a group of Air Force One guys hanging around the hotel waiting to spring into action if any problems arose. Apparently there were riots in Sao Paulo when Bush visited there a few days before as well as demonstrations and riots in Montevideo the night before. We have not been able to determine why Bush was in Montevideo - perhaps if you know - you can let us know!
Apart from the excitement of Bush´s visit, Montevideo is a sleepy, tired looking City of about 1.5 million inhabitants mainly descended from Italy and Spain with a small black population originating from the slave population in Argentina. It is often referred to as the "Switzerland" of South America due to its small size, democratic government, and financial activities. It is the "mate" drinking that distinguishes Uruguay, and particularly Montevideo from other places. Mate is brewed from the leaves of an evergreen plant and is an integral part of the Uruguayan culture. Many Uruguayans carry their own mate kit with them. This consists of a drinking gourd called a "culha", somtimes decorated very elaborately, often with silver, containing the dried leaves, a bombilla or drinking tube which has a strainer at one end; and a flask of hot water. When we stopped at the gas station there was a machine available to provide the hot water, and a conveniently placed garbage can for the old mate leaves. Its supposed to have diuretic and anti-rheumatic properties and is said to be better than coffee. We haven´t tried it, but one of the American guys said it tasted somewhat like brewed spinach . . . and he obviously didn´t like spinach.
We drove up the beach littered river coast from Montevideo to Piriapolis and Punta del Este. Pirapolis is a pretty little town in a large bay and is less upscale and more laid-back than Punta del Este. Here we discovered "Casa Pueblo" which was built and designed by the internationally reknowned Uruguayan artist Carlos Paez Vilaro. If you can, look it up on the Internet. It is quite unique. The whitewashed building is constructed into the side of the rocky cliff and contains no vertical lines. Today, part of it is Carlos´house, part an exhibition of his huge collection of mosaics, pottery, and paintings and the remainder a hotel and restaurant. Carlos is well known around the world for his murals and is a contemporary and friend of Picasso. If you are looking for a unique place to spend a few days, this is well worth considering.
Punte del Este on the other hand, is an upscale beach resort at the meeting point of the Atlantic Ocean and the Rio Plate. It has one section full of large beautiful summer homes for the South American rich and famous. For example, we saw Perron´s ex-home, the house where George Bush stayed, the home of the immediate ex-president of Brazil, and where Julio Iglese is building a home. These were in sharp contrast to the dischevelled looking shacks of the fishermen´s cottages lining the banks of one of the rivers leading into the Bay.
The last town of any note that we visited in Uruguay was Colonia del Sacramento. This is a charming city of 10,000 people founded by the Portuguese in 1680. The narrow cobbled streets are lined with colonial styled houses, restaurants and shops. We climbed the lighthouse for a better view then took a bus out to the derelict bull-ring where we pretended to be matadors exhibiting our various moves to a packed stadium. Then it was time to head to the ferry over to Buenos Aires. We were originally booked on a ferry with the Truck, however, this ferry broke down and no one knew when it would be fixed, so, the 23 of us went across on the ferry, while Tony spent the next 14 hours or so driving the Truck up the Uruguayan/Argentine border looking for an open crossing. Apparently Argentina and Uruguay are in dispute over Uruguay´s desire to build 2 new paper mills on the River Plate. Argentina is blocking this because they fear massive polution. So, in order to show their disent they have closed many of the border crossings from Uruguay and only open others for 6 hours every 6 hours. Its hard sometimes to remember the different temperament of the South American people. They are warm, friendly, and well educated, but can turn around and be quite hot tempered and adamant about their principles.
Once in Buenos Aires we took taxis to the hotel. One of the cabs ran out of gas on Avenida 4th of July - a 16 lane highway through the centre of BA!! Garrett, Naomi and Sam had to help push the taxi to the edge of the road. Fortunately another cab picked them up and they got a free taxi ride to the hotel. You can see why we learn to expect the unexpected!
We went down to the Old Quarter for dinner only to find the narrow cobbled street in front of our restaurant was barricaded and hundreds of riot police supporting helmuts and plastic shields swarmed the area. The streets were otherwise deserted and the 25 of us stood out so that the police were easily able to identify us as the English tourists. They told us that George Bush was having dinner in the area of our chosen restaurant and that was why the road was closed. We´ve been taught to expect the unexpected so, we waited an hour in the Irish pub "Shannon" and then we saw Bush´s car and cavalcade pass by. The roads opened up and the hundreds of police marched down the street away from the area. It was quite an awesome sight. Then it was an uneventful dinner, a visit to a night club and back to the hotel. Co-incidentally, there were a group of Air Force One guys hanging around the hotel waiting to spring into action if any problems arose. Apparently there were riots in Sao Paulo when Bush visited there a few days before as well as demonstrations and riots in Montevideo the night before. We have not been able to determine why Bush was in Montevideo - perhaps if you know - you can let us know!
Apart from the excitement of Bush´s visit, Montevideo is a sleepy, tired looking City of about 1.5 million inhabitants mainly descended from Italy and Spain with a small black population originating from the slave population in Argentina. It is often referred to as the "Switzerland" of South America due to its small size, democratic government, and financial activities. It is the "mate" drinking that distinguishes Uruguay, and particularly Montevideo from other places. Mate is brewed from the leaves of an evergreen plant and is an integral part of the Uruguayan culture. Many Uruguayans carry their own mate kit with them. This consists of a drinking gourd called a "culha", somtimes decorated very elaborately, often with silver, containing the dried leaves, a bombilla or drinking tube which has a strainer at one end; and a flask of hot water. When we stopped at the gas station there was a machine available to provide the hot water, and a conveniently placed garbage can for the old mate leaves. Its supposed to have diuretic and anti-rheumatic properties and is said to be better than coffee. We haven´t tried it, but one of the American guys said it tasted somewhat like brewed spinach . . . and he obviously didn´t like spinach.
We drove up the beach littered river coast from Montevideo to Piriapolis and Punta del Este. Pirapolis is a pretty little town in a large bay and is less upscale and more laid-back than Punta del Este. Here we discovered "Casa Pueblo" which was built and designed by the internationally reknowned Uruguayan artist Carlos Paez Vilaro. If you can, look it up on the Internet. It is quite unique. The whitewashed building is constructed into the side of the rocky cliff and contains no vertical lines. Today, part of it is Carlos´house, part an exhibition of his huge collection of mosaics, pottery, and paintings and the remainder a hotel and restaurant. Carlos is well known around the world for his murals and is a contemporary and friend of Picasso. If you are looking for a unique place to spend a few days, this is well worth considering.
Punte del Este on the other hand, is an upscale beach resort at the meeting point of the Atlantic Ocean and the Rio Plate. It has one section full of large beautiful summer homes for the South American rich and famous. For example, we saw Perron´s ex-home, the house where George Bush stayed, the home of the immediate ex-president of Brazil, and where Julio Iglese is building a home. These were in sharp contrast to the dischevelled looking shacks of the fishermen´s cottages lining the banks of one of the rivers leading into the Bay.
The last town of any note that we visited in Uruguay was Colonia del Sacramento. This is a charming city of 10,000 people founded by the Portuguese in 1680. The narrow cobbled streets are lined with colonial styled houses, restaurants and shops. We climbed the lighthouse for a better view then took a bus out to the derelict bull-ring where we pretended to be matadors exhibiting our various moves to a packed stadium. Then it was time to head to the ferry over to Buenos Aires. We were originally booked on a ferry with the Truck, however, this ferry broke down and no one knew when it would be fixed, so, the 23 of us went across on the ferry, while Tony spent the next 14 hours or so driving the Truck up the Uruguayan/Argentine border looking for an open crossing. Apparently Argentina and Uruguay are in dispute over Uruguay´s desire to build 2 new paper mills on the River Plate. Argentina is blocking this because they fear massive polution. So, in order to show their disent they have closed many of the border crossings from Uruguay and only open others for 6 hours every 6 hours. Its hard sometimes to remember the different temperament of the South American people. They are warm, friendly, and well educated, but can turn around and be quite hot tempered and adamant about their principles.
Once in Buenos Aires we took taxis to the hotel. One of the cabs ran out of gas on Avenida 4th of July - a 16 lane highway through the centre of BA!! Garrett, Naomi and Sam had to help push the taxi to the edge of the road. Fortunately another cab picked them up and they got a free taxi ride to the hotel. You can see why we learn to expect the unexpected!
Pictures included (in order) are:
- Colonia house
- Building in Montevideo
- Street scene in Colonia
- Liz with sea lions in Punta del Este
- Art work at Casa Pueblo
- Sunset
- Casa Pueblo
1 comment:
Wow... Liz... have you considered becoming a professional writer?
Reading your blogs is like reading a novel... LOVE IT!
Love the hair too Liz! VERY sassy!
Given how you both have had to adjust to a new lifestyle for the next few months, I thought this quote was appropriate....
Learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want -- Jim John
Take care
Jodi and Troy
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