Colonia, for the last time

Monday 21 January 2008

We all went over to Colonia, Uruguay, for the day today. Ryan and I have been visiting this little town once every three months for the last year and a half, to renew our visa. It was a little weird to think that this would be the last time. (At least for a long time.) It's a nice, pretty, quiet little town, and we had a relaxing day there.

Ryan

Tuesday 6 November 2007

We walked out to the river tonight and caught a gorgeous sunset.

Mary in the cemetery

Monday 5 November 2007

Man, what a wierd day we had today! We spent some time walking around the town of Paysandú, seeing the History Museum and whatnot. Then, on a whim, we decided to buy some crayons and paper and go out to the cemetery to do some rubbings. After all, there's a lot of history around here, we thought there might be some pretty old stones.

We got there, however, and it turned out there were not many old graves, those are in a different graveyard across town. This was a bit newer and richer cemetery, in the same style as we have seen in Buenos Aires - big mausoleums, fancy statues, and family tombs.

What made it a wierd day, however, were the caretakers. They saw us taking pictures, and so asked what the pictures were for, where we were from, what on earth we were doing in a graveyard on our vacation, etc. When they found that we were curious foreigners, they took it upon themselves to give us a tour of the cemetery as well as a lesson on South American death.

Some interesting facts: When they bury you down here (or set you in a drawer on a long wall, which is also common) you only stay in your coffin for four years. After that, they take you out, clean off your bones, and put them into a much smaller box. This is put either on a shelf in a storage building, with a little spot for flowers and stuff in front of it, or is put back into the family tomb. Very space efficient.

In fact, they were so eager to teach us all about it, that one guy came by with one of those little boxes to show us the bones inside! The dead man's cousin was there, also eager that we should see the bones and to tell us all about what he was like in life. They showed us where they clean off the four-year-old skeletons, as well as where they keep the bones of people who have no family - in a big square pit, covered with a stone! (The stone was also covered with fake flowers from people who believed a loved one might have ended up inside.)

I have to say - it is really really nice traveling down here where I speak the language. We never would have learned everything we did today if we didn't speak Spanish.

Church in Paysandú

Sunday 4 November 2007

As it's Sunday, I thought a picture of a big fancy South American church might be nice. This one is pretty darn old and ornamentated, and even survived a canonball attack during the war with the Brazilians. (I think. It might have been the Argentines. They both attacked this city, as well as the Spanish a bit earlier.)

And Ryan and I have found, the hard way, that we really have to plan Sundays as days of rest or travel or catching up, as NOTHING is open on Sundays down here. Absolutely nothing.

Slaughterhouse

Saturday 3 November 2007

First of all, I need to credit Ryan with this gorgeous photo. I forgot my camera today (I know, a terrible crime!) so he lent me a picture. We visited the old slaughterhouse in Fray Bentos, a town a little ways south of Paysandú, where we are staying. It was definitely an interesting trip, seeing all the old equipment and all. This factory produced canned and condensed meat products (they could fit the goodness of 32 kilos of beef into 1 kilo of beef extract!) to Europe for 116 years. Soldiers in both of the world wars carried their products in their rations kits. In fact, they were so efficient, they said, that they only part of the cow they didn't use was the moo! (They also produced fertilizer, if you're wondering where the bones went.)

Our tour guide said that in the fourth grade she was taken here on a field trip. They took 9-year-olds to a working slaughterhouse! She said she passed out from the smell of all the blood, although the sight didn't bother her. (Well, beef in all its forms is a very common sight down here, after all.)

Friendly Fire Hydrant

Friday 2 November 2007

In Paysandú, a small city on the western edge of Uruguay.

Puma water!

Thursday 1 November 2007

This is Ryan, trying to kiss a puma. No, you're right, he's not trying to kiss it, he's trying to drink its spit.

You see, Ryan and I went up to the Parque Salus today, just outside of Minas, which is where they brew the local beer, Patricia, and where they bottle the most common Uruguayan spring water. This is the spring, right here, coming out of the puma's mouth.

There is a ledgend that says that long long ago a puma discovered this spring, and decided to stay here and guard it. Today the puma is long gone, although they say that sometimes you can still see its shadow disappearing into the forest. Drinking this water is supposed to give you the strength and vitality of a puma, and it has curative powers. Well, I drank some today, so let's hope the blister on my toe miraculously goes away!

Passionflower

Wednesday 31 October 2007

Ryan and I arrived in the town of Minas last night, which is a small provincial capitol about two hours outside of Montevideo. We spent the day today wandering around a bit, seeing the small museum, the local pastry shop, and the zoo. This is a passionflower I spotted in the park around the zoo.

Sunset at the point

Tuesday 30 October 2007

Sunset from right out on the point. This is the cozy little town we've been staying in.

Uruguayan Pastoral

Monday 29 October 2007

Went out to a national park, Santa Teresa, today, where i saw this unbelievably Uruguayan scene in the rich light of the late afternoon. Yep, cows, palm trees, lush green grass on gently rolling fields - feels like Uruguay. This really is a gorgeous country.

The main attraction to the park is an old Spanish fort, giant, imposing, and covered in slightly orange lichens. Unfortunately, it was closed today. But we certainly enjoyed strolling through the eucalyptus forests and open fields, taking lots and lots of pictures of the beauty around us. (It really is getting hard to choose just one picture for every day!)

Tidepools

Sunday 28 October 2007

There are two main beaches in Punta del Diablo, separated by the point for which the town is named. This point is mostly rough rocks which are perfect for climing and exploring and jumping around on while breating in the clean ocean air. (oh, the air here is just delicious!) They also hide thousands of little tidepools, where bright treasures can be found. Here is just one of them!

(Oh, and by the way, who can tell what brand of camera I use just by looking at this picture?)

Punta del Diablo

Saturday 27 October 2007

We are in Punta del Diablo right now, which is a tiny (but quickly growing) fishing village on the east coast of Uruguay. It is a lovely quaint little place with no paved roads, and where the catch still comes in fresh to the beach every day. Here are some of the fishing boats on the sand in the afternoon, after a long day's work.

Oh hey, and guess what we saw today? Dolphins!! Out in the water, splashing and jumping and playing, a black one and a gray one. Oh, I was so excited to see them, probably jumping up and down like a little girl on Christmas. It was the first time I've seen dolphins in the wild! I did get pictures (thanks to my new camera!) but aesthetically I prefered this photo.

Mercado del Puerto

Friday 26 October 2007

Before heading out today, Ryan and I decided to go for lunch at the Mercado del Puerto, one of the main attractions here in Montevideo. When we got there, we were quite surprised to find that it is no longer a market at all, but just a collection of restaurants - most of them quite expensive restaurants, at that (at least for our budget). Not wanting to completely pass up the opportunity, however, we opted for the rather cheaper empanada stand near the entrance. And boy, was that a good choice! We had a cheese, onion and leek empanada, a meat, olive, and raisin one, a squid one, and a mussel one. The seafood was a little strange - it was almost a shock, raising an empanada to your lips then tasting seafood - but they were all absolutely delicious. We got a chocolate cream and an apple and raisin empanada for the bus, and they were both wonderful as well.

Artigas' Ashes

Thursday 25 October 2007

Ryan and I are in Montevideo, the capitol of Uruguay, today. This is the hidden chamber under the statue of Artigas on horseback in the main square. General José Artigas is the founding father of Uruguay, the guy all the schools and streets are named after. His ashes are here in this room, under constant guard. And around the walls are all of his important deeds and dates, in giant concrete letters. (In my opinion, a little colder and less classy than the eternal fire and marble angels that his Argentine counterpart General San Martín gets, but definitely more intimidating!)

5 de Oro

Monday 6 August 2007

Yesterday, Ryan and I took our last visa run over to Colonia, Uruguay. (Yes, I know, I'm a day behind. It's because I posted that blue-eyed horse picture yesterday to satisfy people's curiosity.) I saw this sign in the yard of a house, and I thought it was neat. 5 de Oro means the five of gold, or of coins, and is a card in the Spanish deck. It's like having a sign in your yard that says "5 of spades."

Strays

Tuesday 8 May 2007

In Iguazu, in Mendoza, and now in Montevideo, we have made many new friends. Stray dogs who decide to follow us around for an hour or so, faithfully walking just in front of or behind us, for no explainable reason. This photo, however, explains all. It's Chad's fault! He is befriending strange dogs and enticing them to follow us with no intention of giving them food!

Clearly, I had nothing to do with it.

The Gaucho and Money Museum

Monday 7 May 2007

We visited an interesting museum today, which presented a rather odd combination. The bottom floor was a coin and money museum, devoted to the currency of Uruguay. These little cards were neat - I guess for a few years many businesses around Montevideo printed their own cash, little coupons good only for their own services. This was quickly declared illegal.

The best coin there, however, was a little gold one called a "gaucho," because it had a gaucho, or cowboy, head on it. There was also a half gaucho, and a quarter gaucho, whose names made me giggle a little.

Upstairs was the gaucho museum, full of whips and knives and swords and mates and livery and other gaucho things.

Montevideo!

Saturday 6 May 2007

No rest for the wicked! From Mendoza, back to BA for a night, and then over the river and through the . . . Uruguayan pampas, to Montevideo we went. Yep, we're spending a few days in the capital of our dear beefy neighbor to the north. (Yes, believe it or not, they actually eat more beef per capita in Uruguay than in Argentina.)

More Colonia

Monday 16 April 2007

I was really really really sick today. I stayed home from work and didn't get out of bed all day. I have been running a high fever and feel terrible. So, here's another picture from Uruguay!

Fried fish

Sunday 15 April 2007

Colonia, Uruguay, yet again, for visa renewals. We sat for a while at our usual restaurant, but no beer and chivitos this time, I was feeling rather under the weather. We also tried something new, the Colonia Aquarium. It had all local fish from the river, so nothing too colorful, but this one was interesting. It is an electric fish! They had a TV screen next to the tank showing the level of electricity in the tank as it went up and down. Evidently, the fish use this ability, not to stun prey or for defense, but to communicate with one another. Pretty neat, huh?