Tortillas

Being from California, originally, we naturally love Mexican (technically Tex Mex) food. Most people think of Uruguay as having that type of food. Not so. Uruguay caters more to Italian based pasta dishes and Mexican food is foreign food, and not very popular.

Corn tortillas are unheard of here. Not surprising since producing the masa (bleached corn meal) for the tortillas is a high energy and high polluting process. Millions of liters of water in Mexico City are polluted each day with the calcium hydroxide (limewater) solution needed to produce the masa. Little wonder that Uruguay would not wish to produce corn tortillas for a population that really has no taste for them.

However, a few years ago, flour tortillas began to show up in the markets. A few mexican restaurants have even sprung up, though to be honest, the food doesn't really taste like California. We recently went into town and had a burrito at the California Burrito Company in Old Town (pictured left). It was OK, but nothing to write home about. The "corn chips" pictured below were vile- really. Obviously made from regular corn meal and attempting to pass for corn tortilla chips. 

Up until recently, I have been satisfied with buying flour tortillas from Tienda Inglesa (our local giant supermarket). But 2 weeks ago I couldn't find the better brand ("Bimbos", if you can believe that) and had to buy another type. They look perfectly flat and gave the appearance of being made of cardboard, but I wanted tacos and so I bought them. When I got them home and used them, I realized that cardboard would have been an improvement. So, I wondered if I could make flour tortillas, myself. For years, in Seattle, we had made corn tortillas, since masa is readily available there. We had a cast iron tortilla press and cast iron griddles. So I looked into flour tortillas.

Interestingly, flour tortillas are very easy to make and despite the fact that this was my first effort, they came out surprisingly well. Here is what you need:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of white flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup warm water

I found this recipe that had the lowest amount of oil. Other recipes used as much as 1/3 cup. I mixed the dry ingrediants in a bowl and slowly added the water and oil mixture until it formed a crumbly, wet dough.

Then you form it into a ball on a lightly flour dusted surface, knead for 4-5 minutes and cover with a cloth for 20 minutes to let the dough rest.

You then pinch off golf ball sized bits of the dough, roll them round and cover them for another 10 minutes.

After that, you flatten them on the surface by hand to about 4", then roll them out with a rolling pin to about 7" or 1/8" thick. I actually didn't roll my thin enough, so they were closer to pita bread, but still came out fine.

Cook them on a hot griddle (or cast iron pan) until they bubble and brown (about 30+ seconds each side) and plot them on a plate.

They were fresh, warm and did not taste a bit like cardboard. Plus, I don't have to drive or walk into town and buy them, I use items I always keep on hand, so Denise and I can enjoy fresh warm tortillas whenever we want.

Cedula- A National ID

We are legal aliens! We got our cedula renewed!

When we were younger, Wally and I did a lot of traveling together and we also, lived in several countries. We did that last feat by doing what millions of tourists do, we went into a country as tourists but then we stayed! A US passport can get you into most countries for about a stay of up to 3 months. After three months time, many countries allow you to extend a tourist visa for a short time. You can also, just simply cross the border and go into another country, get your passport stamped then come back the next day, or so and start another three month stay. Countries don't really want "Perpetual Tourists" living in them this way, "forever" but many people choose to do this. Some people do this because they are part-time residents, spending only 6 months at a time in a country of their choice. When we lived in Germany, eons ago, we rather enjoyed these forced border crossings, in search of a passport stamp that would start the period over again. We visited such places as Denmark, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, France, and Belgium to name just a few. When we lived in Portugal we crossed into Spain.

However, when we choose to "retire" here in Uruguay, we knew we would be here to stay! We also wanted to do things the right way and get legal residency. After all, we were buying a house here and would live here 24/7, not dividing our lives between multiple places.

 So from the very beginning, we arranged to get our immigration papers in order. We hired some help. Before even coming here, our Birth certificates and our Marriage certificate had to be "legalized" at the Uruguayan consulate, in the US. Even though we were legally married in the USA, we had to be legal in the eyes of Uruguayan law. Arriving down here, we then had to have an FBI check and get fingerprinted. We got health tests done, and our marriage and birth certificates translated into Spanish. After all of that, we had to go to the Immigration department in downtown Montevideo, for our final approval.

We were then, issued our National Identity card or Cedula as it is called here.

A Cedula is somewhat like a cross between a "Green Card", allowing you to legally work here and a USA Social Security Card. However, the identifying number on it is NOT a closely guarded secret like your SS card would be. So it is also, used as a general ID card, which it is. On the back of it, it states that we are legal residents. It has our thumb print and our place of birth, the State and the country in which we were born. I still, have to get used to the fact, that in Spanish the "USA" abbreviation letters, representing the United States of America are instead written as E.E.U.U. This card also has an expiration date.

On the front of the Cedula, it has my cedula ID number, my name printed out and my signature. It has my picture on it, taken by the Immigration department. The photo is somewhat like a Driver's license photo. The card is light green. It says, Direccion Nacional De Identificacion Civil (DNIC), on it.

A cedula is a very important card to have here, in this land of "red tape" and bureaucracy. Without this card, I would have to carry around my passport as many, facets of life, here are tied to having an ID number of some-kind. When I wanted to get a "points card" at the big supermarket here, they asked for my ID card, a Cedula or Passport being the only ID numbers accepted. A Driver's license with your photo would not be accepted as an ID, which would be in the USA. When setting up customer accounts with a company your Cedula is asked for. When we were buying lots of lights for our house remodel, the lighting store asked for our Cedula number. When you use your credit cards like MasterCard or Visa you have to write either your Passport number or your Cedula number on the credit slip. Your identity is really tied to this number and people keep files on you. This is a scary image for people from the US but it is just the way it is here.

As an example, on how well this system works, I'll mention what happened yesterday. When I paid our car insurance premium, (back in August) at a general pay center, I wasn't given a windshield sticker to put on my car showing that I had insurance, since the girl was new. Normally, Wally pays this, so I was "new" as well, to the routine. Wally realized yesterday, that I didn't have a sticker on the car. He went into the pay-center (this month of February) and explained that we were lacking the sticker. They asked to see his Cedula and then using the computer and his cedula number, they saw that a sticker hadn't been scanned out and assigned to us. They gave an insurance sticker to him "right then and there" (after scanning it).

A cedula card has an expiration date on it, unlike a Social Security Card. For foreigners like us, it expires every 3 years! Since it is a National Identity card, even Uruguayans have to apply and get a card. Children as well as adults have their own numbered cedula (ID card). For a native Uruguayan until the age of 21, a child has to get a new card every 5 years. After the age of 21, a native Uruguayan's cedula's expiration date is every 10 years, until they reach 70 years old. Then the card doesn't expire until they do, literarily!

Yesterday, Wally and I went down to the DNIC or Direccion National De Identification Civil office and renewed our 3 year cedula. The office closest to us is located in a shopping mall!

   In preparation for our cedula renewal we had to first, make an appointment. We did this last month as you are not allowed to schedule this appointment too far in advance of your expiration date. It may take several weeks to get an appointment date available, so a whole month ahead of time should be planned on. You can make an appointment by telephone by looking up the government office. However, unless your Spanish is excellent, this can lead to miscommunication, so that was not an option for us. You can get an appointment online (clicking this link will take you there) but you need a Debit card PIN code number from an ATM to pay for it and you need to have online banking capabilities in place before hand. Santander, Banred, Banco Republica, Antel, Abitab and Redpagos can all be done online. We found the online route "okay", then realized, we had never, "set up", our online bank account (ability) yet, so Wally exited that program. Finally, just like in the book, "Goldilocks and the three bears", we found a solution just right for us! We made our appointment,  in-person, by going to our trusty Abitab center (or a RedPagos center would do) We simply went to the counter and said to the girl "Necesitamos obtenir nosotros cedula renovación" All of those words are so close to English that you can figure them out and possibly memorize them. The woman behind the counter took it from there. It was so easy having her do all the work!  The only thing she asked us was, what day/date did we want to show up on. She asked us to choose (a date) by using a list of available appointments. We were allowed to peek at the computer and see the list of what available times (day and hour)  were empty. We were allowed to book the two of us, at the same time, on the same appointment day. You just let them know how many people you want on the appointment. She asked, if we wanted the appointment at Géant.

Géant is like a Walmart store. The shopping mall, where the DNIC office is located in, is known locally by that store's name.





It cost us about $145 pesos each, at the time of our making that appointment. That includes the cedula price and any charges by the center. You will be given a receipt and an 8x10 paper with the date and time of your appointment on it, stamped that you are paid up! Guard this reservation paper!

Second, before your appointment day arrives, go to the main Montevideo Immigration building shown in the picture (remember, this is where you originally went 3 years ago). That office is near the port and banking area (old town) on Missiones (street/calle) You are there to buy a, "Certificado de Llegado". That is a legal certificate saying you live here. That is the only paper and documentation you need. Nothing else needs to be legalized or translated. In case any problems arise, it is best to get this certificate before your scheduled appointment date. Go to the front desk, (for Tramites ) no number is needed for this line. Tell the clerk that you want to Renovación (renew) your cedula. This desk, then gives you a number. Sit or stand and wait for your number to show up on the large TV screen. It will post your number and show what number window to go to. When you go to that window or desk they will ask for your address. Take an electric bill or something else that shows your address. They write the address down, then they send you to the cashier to pay. Wally and I each needed to buy our own certificates. The cost was a total of he two certificates was $228 pesos or $114 for each one. After paying at the cashier, you wait near until they call your name and you approach that desk.That desk gives you your certificate right then and there! The certificate is very official looking! Keep all receipts!

Third, on the day of your appointment go to the Géant mall, if you booked that location. Stay on the main level.  There are benches in front of the door to the office, in the mall corridor, grab a seat. It's not worth arriving too early before your appointment time. You are not allowed to get in line, until your scheduled time!!!


The office doesn't open until 3 o'clock or 15:00. The last group scheduled is at 7:50pm or 19:50 hrs. The office closes at 9 o'clock (21 hrs).  Our appointment (for the two of us) was at 15:40. We quickly realized that, that was not our exclusive time slot  but was a group slot. About 12 people will have that time slot.

A man will call at the door for the 3:10 /15:10 group (the starting group) then 12 people, in that time slot, will enter the office and check in. You will show your 8x10 appointment letter reservation with the stamp and receipts that you have payed. You (and the 12 or so other people in that slot) will take a seat in front of a large TV screen. You will wait for your Cedula number to show up on the screen and a window number. You see how unsecured your number is!!! The rest is easy!

 When you see your cedula number and window number displayed go to that desk area and show your certificate that you brought with you, of where you live, the certificado de llegado which surprisingly doesn't show your address! (It just says you live in this country) So tell the person your address, he will ask for it. I always keep it written down on a scrap of paper. Then he takes your thumb print and your picture (so show up looking good). He asks what you do for a living or your workplace information, I said, "I'm retired" and I am a "ama de casa" or a housewife. That was good enough. The one helping me was great! He even said that we were neighbors because he lived in Salinas which is next to my community. He spoke a little English and we hummed to the Beatles song which was playing. After taking my picture he showed it to me and said how nice I looked it it! Then he handed me some paper towels and directed me to a sink where I could wash the ink off of my thumb. He said I might have to wait another 10 minutes to receive my cedula I was to wait with a group of people leaning along the back wall, until my name was called . I waited about 5 minuites. They called my name and I received my new, laminated cedula card good for another 3 years!

The cedula renewal process is easy! Everyone in the country whether Native or foreign born has to do it.  So you don't feel like you are being picked on because you were not born here.

After getting our cedula s, since we were in a mall, we went into a store and bought some cat-food that was on special (oferta), 4 bags for the price of 3. Then we treated ourselves to an ice cream cone.

Here's some "on the cheap" advice. There's a special on at the McDonald's ice cream Stand. Our cones only cost $35 pesos each. The cones were filled with ice-cream from Lapataia, the dairy farm in Punta del Este. The ice cream is not the normal McDonald artificial stuff and the cones came with a chocolate covered cookie stick. What's more they were filled with dulce de leche, of course! Not bad for $35p.

All in all, it's nice to have our identities intact again!

Day Of Deliveries!

Today, the exchange rate is oh, so dismal! I've been trying to hold out for a better one but the $19.30 rate has been hanging around for a week. Today is February the first, the start of a new month and soon people will be stopping by our door for their due. So it's off to the money house (cambio) to exchange our Social Security dollars for Pesos. The Cambio house offers a better rate than the bank does. We might get 5 to 10 cents more per dollar through them or  $19.35 or $19.40 this month . It makes a difference!

A good exchange rate, say like the one in November, of $19.80 can mean a project or two can be accomplished around the Glass house. Hey, a good exchange rate can even add a night out at a restaurant or a Pizza, although I like the pizzas Wally makes at home with his greek olives and feta cheese!

I mentioned people stopping by our door for payment. You might not know this but the health insurance company sends a person to your house each month to collect the premiums in person. The person or in our case a lady named Miriam arrives early in the month with our monthly preprinted health cards. She knocks on your door and waits for you to answer, she carries change. They never call first! They just assume you'll be home! In the 3 years we have lived here, I've only missed her 3 times. I had to go to the clinic the first time and get her cell phone number, call her and rearrange for her to swing by the next day. So each month you have to get a new health card to show you've paid. I just thought you like to know that tid bit.

In the midst of my financial musings I got a pleasant surprise! A package was delivered to me from a childhood school chum of mine named Jennie. Jennie and I went to the same Junior high school in our youth  and later the same High School. We were on the same swim team in High School and had many of the same classes and yet we never really knew each other as friends back then. Rather, when I first joined Facebook, on a lark, I looked up some classmates names and friended her. It's funny how living here, a continent and a half away, if you count Central America as the half, I'm closer to Jennie now than I was when we spent 6 hours a day together in the same school!

Jennie is a new, up and coming photographer. She has taken classes, joined clubs and entered several competitions and won! While checking out her Facebook albums and photos I saw a print of hers that I feel in love with. It is of some palm trees on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. I love graphic quality photos, so this one, having been not only photographed by her but also computer manipulated by her as well, really struck a chord with me. It reminded me of my Southern California, Pacific coast upbringing. I gave her a thumbs up and mentioned how much I liked that photo of hers. Well, what a surprise I got when she offered to send a signed and matted copy of it to me all the way down here to Uruguay. What a sweet and amazing offer! I said Yes, Yes, Yes!

It arrived today! Her matting the 11x14 print (I so loved) made it an impressive 16x20"  picture. She also surprised me by including two other beach themed photos! Another, 11x14 one, matted as well and a fantastic pelican print, now a matted 8x10 size. All photos were taken by her!

This being a blog about Uruguay you might be interested to know that the 19x24 1/2" box (6 inch deep) packaged up through her local UPS store arrived safely and was delivered through our post office to our door. In addition to the matting costs and whatever the UPS store charged her, It cost her $40 US dollars just in postage to send it down here from California, USA. It took a month to arrive. She mailed it December 27th (after Christmas) and it arrived today Feb. 1st. I just thought you blog readers, who like to know the price of mundane things, would like to know how long it took to arrive and the cost to ship such a package. Because the package was light in weight, it was able to be delivered to my door by post. I have heard horror stories of larger packages having to go through customs and being picked up in downtown Montevideo at the port. A 60% custom charge is accessed on what customs thinks the item is worth.

I wasn't charged anything today and got the pleasant surprise of not one but three photos! So I am including Jennie Duncan's photo site and a second site at http://jensphotogallery1.shutterfly.com/  so you can look at her photos. So in the midst of my fretting over the poor exchange rate today and how poor I would be this month, I was suddenly made rich! Rich in beauty and warm feelings of friendship!!! Thank you so much Jennie! You are as beautiful a person in spirit as your photos will be on my wall!

I got a second delivery today, my first firewood order of the year. Every year, I tell myself, we will start ordering wood in the summer for our winter usage but we often spend the money borrowing it for other projects. Well, I finally held some money back and we bought and received a ton today. I tried looking around for a better price but the $2700 peso price ordered from the same guy as last year (Eduardo) was the best I could get. Expats call each other with news on various prices and while I was told to look up this guy or that guy and to go here and there, the reality was that everyone I contacted had a different issue making my purchase difficult. So, I settled back on last year's guy. Back in 2009 we paid $1900 Pesos a ton or Mil but he got out of the business last year. Still, we called him just in case. No, he still was not in business. Last year, I felt I was taken advantage of by a price of $2800 pesos because some pieces of wood were too large to burn safely in my wood-stove.

So I went looking and wandering last year and found Eduardo. This year I tried a few new places first. One guy said that no wood would be available (of the size we needed) until the end of February as he was too busy selling wood for BBQ or Asado which is smaller. One guy wanted $2900 Pesos a ton and he said he would not stack the wood nor come onto your property but would just dump it in front of your house for that price.

 Eduardo said he would charge me $2800 Pesos but I talked him down. I left Wally waiting in the car as he is not as willing to bargain as I am. So $2700 pesos was decided on and that included the free delivery, coming onto the property and neatly stacking the wood in my wood storage area. One ton of cut wood generally takes a pickup size trucks's bed and a small trailer full, as seen in the above picture. All my orders of a ton of wood from the many different companies all hauled in the little trailer and the pickup full of wood. So that insight might help you judge your order's worth. Astillas is the Spanish word you need for the cut open type of wood versus the word Rolos for the cut log type of wood. I always get the person to write out the price we have settled on, on a piece of paper. It helps get clearly in my head and theirs what the price was in the midst of delivery day.

Since Eduardo remembered last year's routine he remarked how quick the delivery and stacking went this year. Still in looking back over last year's post the cost went up $200 Pesos. I paid Eduardo $2500 per ton last year. As we pay our bills this month we hope to have some more money left over for a second wood order. A better exchange rate would have changed the wording "we hope to" in that sentence to "we will".

We have space now to store 3 tons of wood covered. I added the 3rd storage area while Wally was in California. We use no more than 5 tons per winter and we had about 3/4 of a ton left over from winter.

 I've said it before, Uruguay is not a cheap place to live in and the prices keep going up! My health insurance went up from $1494 Pesos in June of 2011 to $1587 Pesos in the month of January, 2012. I don't know if it will be more this month. I'll have to wait for her knock. Still, richness and beauty in life can be found if you keep an eye out for it and are willing to say yes to it's delivery.

Sold Out

Well, after almost 3 years of blogging, we have put ads in the side panel of the blog. I slightly rearranged the elements, to allow space. Supposedly, if any of our readers click the ads, some pennies will flow into our "ad sense" account, and when it reaches the grand sum of $10, they will issue a check. We will see.

Giving a generous estimate of possible earnings, it may give us $10 a year (or less), not enough to retire to some South American country and live near the beach......  Wait, we already have that.

Montevideo On The Cheap!

Montevideo is only an hour away from us by a city bus ride costing 35 pesos each. Wally hates driving in that city's traffic so we bus it instead. Still, these days we tend not to go into that town unless business  or paperwork calls on us to do so. I guess basically we are either too lazy or just too comfortable in our little beach community to want to go into the "big city" unless we have to. Well, paperwork called and we had to go. Next month, I'll post about renewing our cedula. It's been 3 years since we have moved here to Uruguay and it's time to renew our residency for another 3 years. So, I'll post on that when the process has been completed.

Since we had to go into Montevideo anyway I wanted to make the best of it. After completing some paperwork I dragged Wally around the city trying out my new camera that he brought back from the States as a gift. I had done a post last year on a friend's Quincho house and I liked the "Cannon SureShot" camera that Wayne (the house's owner) had so much, that I  mentioned it to Wally over the telephone (using Skype). I don't get that excited over stuff so he knew I really wanted one by my tone.

People often say that the Capital city of Montevideo has a slight European quality and amidst the elegant decay that is somewhat true. You won't find Southwest style adobe huts for instance.

I am a visual type of person so with my new camera in hand I looked around Montevideo yesterday with a  "new" photographer's eye. I love architecture so the above photo of an ornate building was a given, that photo was a definite subject to take. Still, I'm a bit quirky, so I looked round for some off the wall or more unusual subject themes to shoot. How about an old cannon embedded on a street corner?

I found this young construction worker interesting. I probably noticed him because I was also hungry. It was lunch time and I started to smell the aroma of the construction worker's lunch being cooked. This being "the land of meat", no ordinary brown bag sack lunch would do for these workers but rather a full-on lunch time Asado/BBQ was being prepared in the street (see the meat, chicken and chorizos and etc.. piled on the BBQ drum on the right?). When the workers saw I was taking this young man's photo they surprised him by dumping cold water (as a joke) down on him from above. Since I was with my husband at the time, I thought it best not to take too many photos of him peeling off his skirt! Remind me, to try coming into the city by myself, next time (smile). 

The sidewalks are treacherous in Montevideo, broken and uneven from the passage of time and lack of repair. Even the relatively larger granite slab sections are dipping down from each other. You could easily break a leg or at least trip and fall flat out on the ground (Medir el suelo). Unlike in the USA if you were to fall, there is no "suing" the city. Here in this country, they feel if you are too stupid to watch your step, then that is your fault, not theirs! So keeping one eye on the ground for safety sake lead me to this interesting discovery.

On several different streets, I saw these little personal attempts or statements (?) at repairing the sidewalks. I don't know what they mean but a little mosaic tile square can be found in almost every neighborhood block. That would be an interesting scavenger hunt, photographing and finding the various tiles!

Since Wally and I are not only retired but rather poor, I try and find Cheap or preferably free things to do when we go out. Montevideo has many things to see and do that won't put a strain on your finances.

I plan to occasionally mention such things to see and do in some future posts. So here's a preview to my "On the Cheap" info.

The plaza Fabini, is a beautiful plaza with an intricate fountain featuring horses and people. The plaza is located in downtown Montevideo between the streets of the 18th of Julio and Colonia.
Usually it is filled with book sellers and people eating outside under umbrellas set out by the restaurant located there. Park benches and nice music played on large speakers can be enjoyed. The park is surrounded by some beautiful buildings that make for some nice photos.

Besides just being a lovely park to hangout in, it also has an underground artist gallery.
"The Subte" meaning underground, isn't a subway station but instead features an ever changing artist exposition. It's free! Just go down the stairs located in the park. There is also a bathroom downstairs in the gallery, that's always an important fact to know and it's free to use as well.

Here is what the entrance looks like and a picture of Wally going down the stairs.

This month's exhibit was a mix of photos, drawings and the featured expo was of several short films projected on the wall. The subject material was, of course, odd and artsy. All films played continuously and simultaneously so you could walk around the room and sit in front of what you wanted to see.

 One film was a slightly disturbing one, featuring a blind man carrying around a woman with no legs. She directed him and he walked the city streets carrying her. That was the whole film, showing him carrying her and wandering around. Only a few times did he brush up against any walls so they made a good team. Wally and I watched the film for quite some time waiting for them to reach some kind of destination or for a point to be made but they never did arrive anywhere. We finally got up and went to another film. We talked about the first film and our conclusion was that it showed the endlessness of their situation. Although, I must admit , I tend not to be overly emotional and so I couldn't help but question why she just didn't get a wheel chair and him a cane or guide dog and hang out together that way! Still the film made you discuss why it was made!

The next short was called, "The Great North" and showed several non-smiling women working in an Ice factory in a snow bound place. They didn't talk  either but just turned some large wooden handles and mills extracting cylinder shaped ice. There was also a "live feed" of a blue wall and window somewhere in the city and sometimes a car would drive by the window or people would peek out of it. I caught an old lady looking through it but missed taking a picture of 2 kids peeking out. So they were living art.

In a back room were some photos of trees that have become part of buildings and walls. This is either because the buildings have been built around them or they have grown through and been kept as is.

These photos have inspired me to be on the lookout for other such incidents of "tree impactions" that I might come across in the future. So, on leaving the art gallery, I took a picture of a tree breaking up the sidewalk.You can see it in the third picture above. I know it's kind of lame, but maybe, it's a start to me joining such an exposition one day. Maybe, I'll try and find more mosaic tiles embedded in the walkways and have an expo called the sidewalks of MVD!

A Grumpy Old Man Showed Up At My Door

This would probably be the title of Denise's post about my return home. I had planned on arriving back home on Thursday. I didn't actually return home until today, Sunday. On Thursday, however, a grumpy old man showed up at Denise's door. Tired and frustrated from the return trip home, I was no picnic. Having lugged around way too much baggage, through San Francisco, Dallas, Buenos Aires, Buquebus terminal, Colonia and finally Atlántida, where I found a taxi home- I arrived far less like myself than I have ever been.

After a brief greeting and hugs and kisses (way too brief), I proceeded to unpack all of my goodies. I had dropped the new Macintosh laptop on the tile in the Buquebus terminal in Argentina. Upon powering it up, I found that the charger no longer worked. then I hooked up my new Yamaha electric keyboard to my virtually new Fender amplifier, only to find that the amplifier was busted. Needless to say, the grumpy old man quickly turned into a certifiable idiot.

What should have been a wonderful happy occasion turned into an unpleasant side note.

The next morning I awoke and was faced with 9 months of maintenance issue with the house. First I went to charge the battery of the car with my brand new battery charger, only to find that the battery charger didn't work. Ah well........  So I took it apart, reconnected some wires and got it charging. I decided to back up both of our old computers and then completely reinstall new systems, to speed things up. ABI (a bad idea)! The next 8 hours was spent figuring out how to get things working again and wondering why I always seem to want to improve on things that work. After a nice cup of coffee and talk with Denise, I calmed down some. She pointed out how my return had fallen far short of her expectations. Hey... they had fallen far short of mine. Friday was a better day.

Saturday, I got the car running, the computers back to operating condition, mourned briefly the passing of my "new" laptop and we settled in for a nice relaxing day.

This morning, Sunday, I woke up next to my loving wife, the birds were chirping, the sun was peeking through the window and a cool breeze was coming in. As I lay there, completely contented (and Denise was also), I had finally come home. It had taken several days, but I was home.

By the way- if you ever see that grumpy old man around the neighborhood- kick him in the ass for me!

Punta del Diablo!

Well, I thought that my first blog post for this New Year would be of welcoming Wally back home here in Uruguay but I have had such a busy first month that I thought I'd better start posting a few items instead. Don't worry though, Wally, is in fact, due back, THIS WEEK, Yeah!

As promised, this new year started out with a bang! The neighborhood really out did themselves this year and I got to watch a great display of huge, colorful and loud showy rockets from the privacy of my own back yard. No need to go anywhere but stay home to see them.

The year didn't start out very promising (in a good way). Normally, I have to admit to sleeping in, as I'm NOT a morning person but for some reason it was so clear and bright that new year's morn that I was up and outside at 7 o'clock in the morning unlocking my shutters,  My cat got out, when I opened the door. He normally stays by my side because of past mishaps! Well, I got distracted smelling my Gardenias, which was not hard to do, as they were in full bloom and the next thing I knew I heard and saw 2 dogs (not mine) barking and running down my drive way. I could hear their paws thumping and pounding the pavement and I saw a grey and white blur being chased up my street and into a neighbor's yard, several houses away. Well, I went running after the group, up the street in my PJ's (pajamas) shouting NO, NO, NO! realizing that in Spanish NO! means the same thing, as in English. I could see no red, on that blur of a cat up ahead and I saw that he was well ahead of the gang but still, I was thinking, Why? "Why, did I have to get up this morning?"Why couldn't I have just slept in as usual?" Long story short, I tried not to worry, my new resolve and by 11 o'clock PM, Nathan came home unscathed! Whew! So at midnight, an hour later, I happily watched the new year's fireworks (with Nathan locked in the hallway) much relieved and glad that my fortunes had changed for the better! Maybe, this new year wouldn't be so bad after all!

I finally got to see Punta del Diablo! I went with Melva and Steve, They're a couple who live in Montana  and they came back to Uruguay on another scouting trip to see about retiring here. You have never heard about them before because when they first came here in June, 2011, their trip didn't go so well! In fact, they last wrote me that they were going to check out Mexico instead, over the December/ January vacation holidays.

Here's what happened to them the first time they visited Uruguay. By the way, they are an unconventional couple, she is 70 years old and he is 53? She says, she feels more like 49!

Often people write to Wally or I asking us questions (privately) through our email address when they are seriously considering moving here to live. We are happy to tell them both the pro's and the con's of living here, that they as foreigners will meet.

Steve and Melva, wanted to come to Uruguay for a first-time visit specifically in winter to see what the country was like realistically and not when it was in tourist mode. So I thought, that was sensible of them. I told them that despite their being from Montana (snow country) that they should dress really warmly since hotels, houses and even businesses aren't insulated according to US standards. I have lived in New York City before and Germany and I have lived through some rough, cold winters. One time in Germany, I hung some clothes up, to dry on a clothesline. Since it was in wintertime, the clothes were strung up, inside my house, in front of a lit wood stove. When we were late in returning home that night the fire had gone out and my clothes had become frozen solid in my living room on that line! Stiff and hard, like plastic toy clothes! I just thought you should know, I know about cold winters! I told Melva to bring knit hats, gloves, scarves and socks and a heavy robe and that she would probably have to sleep in them, to feel  and stay warm. I said that even-though the temperature might read 40 to 50 degrees farehneit (in 50 degree weather, Seattleitjs wear shorts and bathing suits!)You'll be cold!  The reason you are so cold here, is that you never recoup your heat loss. So the trick is never to lose your warm body temperature in the first place! I stressed this weekly, as the days for their arrival drew near!

She promptly got a chest cold upon arrival!

I repeated over and over again, that since the plane trip was so long, that they should relax for a few days in their Montevideo hotel sightseeing and enjoying that city. This way, they could get rested up and get acclimated to the weather. Besides, they should see old town and enjoy eating in the Puerto Mercado.

They said they would drive up to see me, the next day instead! As I live up the coast, they wanted to get started on seeing what properties looked like, outside, of the city, They're not "big city type" of folks. They saw me for all of 15 mins. She gave me a compliment, that she knew I would be a clean house type of person. Thank God, for advance notices! Then they drove on up the coast toward Punta del Este.

At the end of their trip, when I asked why, they would not come back to Uruguay again but were now going to checkout Mexico instead, They said they wouldn't come back to Uruguay again because nothing was open for breakfast! That wouldn't have been a problem in Montevideo!

To be honest, things started out badly for them on that first visit.  Kinda like, the same way it started out for me this January (referring to Nat, the cat). June, 2011 saw another volcanic eruption in Chili. So from the start, their trip was effected when their plane was rerouted to Brazil, since planes weren't able to fly over Chili due to the volcanic ash. Brazil does not allow any US citizen to enter that country without a visa obtained well in advance and obtained from outside of the country! So the plane's passengers were met by the military and escorted off the plane. Kinda scary for newcomers, Huh?.

They waited for several hours, then were told that the airport would pay for a hotel overnight stay in Brazil with military escort only. Right when everyone was about to board the hotel bus, an announcement was made that planes could now fly out. Everyone rushed back, barely in time to re-board the plane. Of course, this meant that they missed their checkin time in the Montevideo hotel and the car rental place at the airport where their rental car was, was closed!  So, they had no known place to stay that first late night and no car to find another. However, a very kindly Uruguayan woman, also on board the plane, invited them to stay that late night with her family! A big plus for Uruguay, that they would later look back on. They keep in touch with this woman.

They finally checked into a second hotel, slept a few hours then came to see me as promised. Not knowing how far it was to Punta del Este they left my house in a hurry in order to drive to that night's hotel. Can you see why that first trip left a bad taste in their mouths?

They checked out the various coastal towns (not serving breakfast) then made it up to Rocha and Punta del Diablo. Then their short trip ended and they left not wanting to come back. Until months later that is, when upon feeling better, Melva looked at her photos of their trip! They saw how beautiful Uruguay really is. They recalled the extra ordinary kindness of the Uruguayan people here. Not only of that woman but of most everyone they met here. Kind, encouraging people willing to help them . They recalled that they went to Punta del Diablo twice! That how by the end of the short trip, they finally started to wind down and relax.

They wrote me that they were not going to go to Mexico after all (in December/January) but were coming back here to Uruguay! They want to live in Rocha! They loved it so! I warned them it's isolated and few live there full-time in winter but they want slow and far away!

This time they came back and spent several days unwinding in Montevideo first. Then they wanted to have me join them and visit the Santa Teresa Fort in Rocha. They liked my post on it. By the way, I now know that the fort is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and doesn't open until 1:00 Pm (1300 hours)! I think the guard said in a few weeks it would be open for those days due to the high high season but the sign says different! So we toured outside the fort. Then I mentioned, I hadn't seen Punta del Diablo yet so we went there to check out the town and some lots for sale since they want to buy and build a house there.

Here I am standing in the middle of the town of Punta del Diablo (Devil's point).  The town is a fishing village. A very 60 hippy type of vibe exists there. The reason they liked it and I see why certain other people do, is because it seems to be the most foreign type of place in Uruguay. When people say they are going to, Ooh, South America, this is the idea of what a non-USA town should be like. Similar to a Mexican Beach town. On traveling here most people find Uruguay rather white bread/ European. "Meat and potatoes" versus Hot and Spicy "beans and rice", similar to places in the Caribbean or Mexico. So, In Punta del Diablo you feel a little more like a key west , flip flop wearing, Margaritaville singing, "JImmy Buffet"  Parrothead, type of person rather than a cardigan, zipper sweater wearing, "Won't you be my neighbor" singing, "Mr. Rogers". ( a little nostalgia trip on my part, sorry!)

The above sign post reads "Avenue of the fishermen". In the second photo, you can see a working wrench that is used to pull fishing boats ashore. The third photo shows some people pulling their boat ashore. Can you see how blue the water is (versus, my town's brown water)? That's because this town sits on the true Atlantic Ocean,  my town for example, is really bordering on the last river-water from the Rio de la Plata.

Looking up and down the main drag of one of the two streets of the "downtown central" area, you can see how "funky" this town is!

Since I'm such a visual person, I'm adding several photos to give you an idea of what I saw (and felt ) upon looking around.  Since coming to Uruguay this was the first time I felt I was in a "Latin American"  type of place (meaning foreign 3rd world). I could see the appeal.! I felt like I was on a tropical island rather than on the mainland. As a side note, I have also lived in Hawaii (Maui), lived in Guam and visited Jamaica so I know an island "type of feel" atmosphere.

People watching is always interesting no matter where you go. In the first photo above this colorful character seemed content to just sit and stare out to sea. The area behind him was called the town's feria (market stalls). Someone, down the center boardwalk, at the very last stall had quite an enterprising scheme. They held the keys for the area's public toilet. They charged 10 pesos a person (or, a head; a bad pun). Everyone pointed me further down to her stall.  She walks you to the bathroom, holding on tightly to "the key". I always, have to go, so I'm used to asking "¿Dónde está su baño?" or "Where is your bathroom?" Necessity, often forces you to be quite bold!

The fishermen really do bring their daily catch into town. So since we were hungry, we went to the town's other "downtown" street and sat down at one of the many outside stalls to eat. We wanted some fish. I had Paella. Melva ordered me a rum and coke, much obliged since it was their treat. I think, on my own, I would have ordered a Mojita as I've never had one not made by Wally. I would like to know if he ever really got the recipe down right, taste wise. But hey, free is free, right? Believe it or not, they had a Mexican restaurant with tacos and Frijoles also in this town! So I will bring Wally back here for some tacos as well! This is a new phenomenon growing here in restaurants, Mexican food, It's still very rare!

I wish I had taken a picture of the Churro stand. It smelled so good I bought my own! It cost 25 pesos. They were extruded fresh out of the mill, where they then dropped into the hot oil waiting below. They were fried before your very eyes, talk about fresh! Also, they were filled with your choice of a filling. I got a cream akin to a napoleon, but they had Dulce de leche (of course) and an apple filling, a cheese filling (probably like a blintz) and I think at least 5 or six types in total. It was rolled in your choice of sugar! All for 25 pesos! Yummy!!!

Okay, I digressed! We went to see some lots (more like sand dunes to me!) A lot of building is going on here. It's been "discovered" Still it's somewhat far away. So I'm thinking it's more like a second home kinda place.

 Have you noticed? Kinda seems to be my word of choice for this post. I think it's because as I write this a few weeks later I find that it's terribly hot today and that my brain is melting. Today, was a whopping 97 degrees Fahrenheit! It's not usually this hot here in Uruguay, at least, in my neighborhood!

So we left the funky downtown area and went out to where the building is taking place. Higher quality homes are starting to be built among the more bohemian places and the lot prices are going up! Now it's like 50 thousand US dollars ($50,000) to 80 thousand ($80,000) for a 500 square foot lot! Eighty grand, will get you a lot size of about, a 1000 sq. ft.  I'm talking about a block from the water. The farther back you go, the cheaper the lots become.You had better get a high elevation lot, as I hear that in the months of September through November, some lower streets and lots are flooded. However, I saw giant coverts being put in along the roads as some of the parcels are being developed. I saw and toured a house "for sale" that was $270,000 US!

Taking about some bohemian houses, there really isn't a design code in place. So build what you want it to look like! As evidenced, in the photos below!

The second photo's house looked like it was inspired by a boat! If you look closely at the third photo of an apartment building, you'll see green glass bottles lining the outside wall! (They looked like wine bottles to me). Behind that building, (not seen) is a second building, exactly like the first, with more green wine bottles! The forth photo shows a building made out of industrial sheet metal (tin).

Steve and Melva want a higher elevation lot, both for the view and the flooding issues. I've mentioned that being just off the water's edge and sand, can make a great difference in weather related problems, like extreme wind and sand intrusion. So they agreed and looked at just off the water lots. That's why a view is so important to them. Notice, the forth picture in the series below. I think that in the states that little knoll would be 'bull dozed' down to ground level but that's an example of an elevated lot in Punta del Diablo. A house, will be built on top of that lot! We hiked to the top of several little knolls.

I know, that some people would be disappointed upon seeing Punta del Diablo in person after reading so many different articles about the place. Being hyped up too-much about anything can lead to disappointment. I just found the place to be exactly what it is. A little bit funky, a little bit bohemian with a beach shack feel. Also, a little up and coming and pricey! However, Melva and Steve loved it there. They have already talked to an architect who lives there. It was hilarious that they had me translate for them on what they wanted to be shown, lot wise but I did okay conveying the basics. (Ever remember the movie, "Little Big Man" with Dustin Hoffman?, I was like that).

They will have professional help with any house being built and are in contact with them already. They're hoping that by next year they can start to move here. The architect says that the 1800 sq.ft home they want to build will take at least 10 months to build using a local  crew and that buildings are very "rustic" In Punta del Diablo. Most homes have stone floors to prevent the cracking that building on sand can cause to tiles.

So if you ever want a little less tame feel, come and visit Punta del Diablo. Get a "churro" while there. You won't regret it! Maybe you'll see Steve and Melva there in the future when they come back!