We left Washington D.C. on Tuesday, August 25 (Dan left at 2:30 in the afternoon for Sao Paulo, Brazil and then Montevideo. Bonnie left late that night at 10:30 pm for Buenos Aires, Argentina and then Montevideo) and arrived in Montevideo Wednesday around noon (Dan at 11:30 and Bonnie at 1:00). Where the heck in South America is Uruguay? Take a look:
Uruguay is at the tip of Brazil with a river as the border between Uruguay and Argentina. Paraguay is north towards the interior and is landlocked. Uruguay was created in 1928 following the three year Argentina-Uruguay-Brazil vs. Paraguay War.
Here is a good picture of where Montevideo is relative to the mouth of the river and the ocean. It appears to be a huge bay but technically it is an estuary which is defined as a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries are subject to ocean influences, such as tides, waves, and the influx of salt water; and river influences, such as flows of fresh water and sediment. Estuaries are often called bays, sounds, fjords, etc.
Here is a picture similar to what I saw from my airplane. The river water was not this brown, but it extended much farther out into the ocean. In this photo you can see Montevideo at the top left of the land just past where the water turns blue. Buenos Aires is about 20 times larger and is on the right at the beginning of the bay (estuary).
This is a great NASA shot showing the entire city. The large natural harbor is evident in the lower left quadrant. The original and old part of the city is located on the peninsula at the bottom right of the harbor. The entire area between the harbor and the ocean is like a large peninsula and is the part where we have been looking for an apartment.
This picture shows the private golf club behind which we have looked at many apartments.
This is the very small Positos harbor which is on the Atlantic side to the right of the point of land in the previous photo. One of the apartments we were looking at had a great view of this small harbor.
The first building I could see from the airplane was this huge dome roof. It turned out to be the roof of the new airport which is just about finished.
This is our hotel proudly advertising their daily rate of $54 American dollars. This is in American dollars for tourists, but interestingly, most large amounts are priced in American dollars. For example, the apartments we are looking at list the monthly rates in dollars. We had budgeted about $700 per month, but it looks like we will have to spend about $800 per month. In addition to the monthly rent there are annual community fees which are posted in pesos. Community fees range from 25,000 to 45,000 pesos (about $1200 to $2000) per year to cover gas, water, security (ranging from a 24 hour "doorman" to electronic entry controls), elevator fees, hall and lobby cleaning, etc.
This is the view out of our hotel window. We are in room 504 of the Hotel Ibis which is about a block from the American embassy.
There are always large ships on the vast horizon usually ranging from 7 to 20 ships in view at all times. I took this picture in which you can see three ships, one of which appeared very strange to us.
This is a photo of the strange ship as it came closer. It appeared to be headed for the port. Anyone have any idea what the function of these large structures might be?
A picture of the shoreline a little to the south of our hotel.
This is the "Ramblas" which is the road and large sidewalk which follows the shoreline all around the city.
I caught this American beauty strolling along the Ramblas. You can see the fishermen behind her. We saw lots of people fishing and lots and lots of fish jumping (some very large) but we have yet to see anyone catch a fish. I'd like to give it a try just to see what kind of fish are here. One fisherlady told us there are huge catfish, which I thought was more of a fresh water fish. Of course she also told us the fish were jumping because they liked the sun, so we're not sure how credible she was.
This is a False Killer Whale, one of the larger members of the dolphin family and is found in these waters. Bonnie read a little about it and found it shares the aggressive characteristics of the Orca ("killer whale") including hiding in waves right near the shore! Although the two species look somewhat similar, they are not closely related. I think the red eye is a little intimidating.
This will give you a little perspective on the above picture.
This is the supermarket about a block or less away from our hotel.
This was the last picture I was able to take before being firmly informed that pictures were not allowed to be taken inside the store. The lockers to the right are where people can leave their bags and personal items while they are shopping. We wanted to take pictures of the signs in front of the fruit and vegetables so we could learn their names. I hope I don't end up in jail when I go back and use my secret agent talents to take some furtive photos!
Ugh. Who is this fat man about to enter the LDS chapel? Speaking of fat, if there are fat people here, we sure haven't seen them. What is really noticeable is there are NO fat children.
While strolling through a park we were intrigued by these "acrobatas de tela" or "fabric acrobats". Apparently there are several schools in the city that teach these skills, and it appears to be quite a workout. One acrobat explained when the weather is good she (and many others) come to the park to "work out". I asked if she did it just for exercise or to be part of a circus or something. She responded she did it because she liked it. I guess that's about the best reason there is. I would love to give it a try, but I could not help but notice that there were only females practicing this art.
Just thought I would snap a picture of a public toilet (aseo). It costs 7 pesos (about 35 cents) to get in. I have no idea what it costs to get out (j/k)!
Now this is what I would call a true "mini-van". I think they are very cute. I want to put one in my pocket and bring it home!
There is quite a variety of vehicles including lots of Volkswagen Beetles. I have seen several older American vehicles such as the above. I am surprised at the number of newer 4-wheel drive crew cab pickups we have seen. I'm guessing they are the latest "status symbol" vehicle. Most Americans would think the driving here is a little crazy, but I like it and it is very efficient. More courteous than I have seen in Europe (they actually stop for people in sidewalks and for red lights). Lane lines are still only guidelines, however, so if four cars can fit abreast on a two lane road they will do so. What fascinates me is that with this "crazy driving" of the thousands of vehicles we have seen, I have only seen three with crashed or crumpled body panels. One was driving down the road, one was stuck on the bumper of a bus (the accident had barely occurred) and the third was parked on the street in front of a body shop! I wish we could afford a motorcycle because it seems like motorcycles get to drive anywhere they fit and as fast as they want to! There is a great bus system and fares are about $1 to $1.50 and taxis are fairly economical. I think the most we have spent on a taxi so far is less than $10.
Just thought I would capture this picture showing how famous our daughter, Mindy, is (Mirinda is her full name).
This is the Carrasco temple, which hopefully we will be attending a week from Wednesday with the ward of the area we would like to be located in. Assuming I can print off a passable temple recommend before then (j/k again).
Some of the local scenery; The Obelisk of Montevideo built in 1930 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first Constitution of Uruguay which was adopted in 1830 after the previously mentioned Argentina-Uruguay-Brazil vs. Paraguay War (even though the constitution was replaced in 1918). Uruguay is now on its 6th constitution. It's still a wonder what our founding fathers were able to accomplish. It made my spine tingle when I was in Washington D. C. and was able to look at the Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, and the "Star Spangled Banner" from Fort Henry (I was astounded at how huge that flag is).
Wish us luck in finding an apartment and come visit us! If you want to call and leave a voice message you can reach us at:
Dan- 720. 310.2052
Bonnie- 720. 310.2053
Uruguay time is three hours earlier than Denver time, so if it is 9:00 in Denver, it is 12:00 here.
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