Arrival

Well, we finally arrived on Thurs. Had a whirlwind tour of Atlantida, stores, restaurants, checked into the hotel and then went to sleep.

Yesterday, however, was our first full day in Uruguay. We took the bus to Parque Del Plata. It was quite an adventure. Used our limited spanish to find the bus. The bus, itself was beautiful! I have never been in a better bus ever! It was almost brand new and the bus driver made change easily. You need to find your seats as soon as possible, however. Even while he was giving change- he whipped the bus out and around and it was like walking the deck of a ship in a storm. But the seats were so comfortable. I think I will find out who makes the bus and see if they do furniture.

Today we look at houses.

On the Road

Well, the house is finally and fully sold! All items to be shipped to Uruguay have been consigned to the freight forwarder. We are finally on the road. Made it as far as the southern part of Oregon, where we are holed up for a few days to recover from the sickness that befell us. If it ain't one thing, its another.

We are in Grant's Pass, Oregon. And if I was feeling better, this would be a great place to stay. As it is, the bed and bathroom are all I've seen. Beginning to feel better, though. Will move on, when we can move on.

Of course, while I was laid up in bed, Denise took a terrific 4 hour boat trip up and down the Rogue River on a jet boat with thrills and spills (mostly water over the edge of the boat, drenching the passengers). They had a lively narrated tour of riverside flora and fauna, historical points and then a spread at a dining lodge, only used by the boat company (Hellsgate Jet Boats). She loved it and it managed not to rain.

Things Are Heating Up

We have sold almost all of the things we need to sell. A few more items and we are gone. The buyers had 4 large shipping/storage containers delivered with all of their furniture. They stopped by and are eagerly looking forward to owning the house.

One sad note. We found out that you can't bring in lawnmowers, pressure washer and other new items under the household goods allowed (one time only). So we are going to return a bunch of new items we purchased and buy them down there. Small price to pay for being able to make the move.

Last Garage Sale

This weekend will be the last garage sale, probably ever. Today (Saturday) was beautiful. One more nice day and we will have divested ourselves of all the worldly treasures we have been so faithfully hoarding.

Final closing on Wednesday...

The Signing

Today we go to sign the papers for the sale of the house. The buyers will sign at 4:00. We have been here before and so we will see what happens. The final closing is set for next Wednesday. By then we will have completed our shipping to Uruguay.

With advice from some expats, we have purchased some new items that will be hard to match there: BBQ, lawnmower, some stereo equipment, LCD TV and some others. We feel we are going to be as well equipped as possible.

More as the story develops.

To Ship or Not to Ship- That is the Question

Well, we come up the the eternal question, again. One faced by all expats. To ship a container load of your stuff to the new place, or to sell everything and buy there. I guess the big question is what do you gain by shipping?

Well, first of all, you would still have all your familiar stuff around you. This is a big plus. You've been sitting in that chair or couch or laying in that bed for over a year, and many more in some cases. You know that chair. It is your friend. Now you travel to a foreign country, to a house that you have never seen, surrounded by people that you've never met and who speak a language that you will be struggling with for years--- shouldn't you at least have one friend along? That comfy old chair?

Alas, the practical side of it is that unless you have very expensive and very exclusive furniture, that you are best off to sell off and personal items in boxes, then buy when you arrive. Even the things you put in your few pitiful boxes are really not going to convince you that you are not in a completely foreign environment. After all, you are traveling thousands of miles to accomplish just that- how could a few trinkets or even all of your furniture convince you otherwise?

Truth be told- when we arrive, receive our 20-30 boxes and unpack them, both of us know we are going to look at the stuff and say, "What did we bring all of this junk here for?" But at least it will be a few pieces of junk to soften the reality- for a while.

The Third Time

Well, this weekend saw the third (and final we hope) sale of our house. It was a full price offer, and that helps us to get on with our next step of moving to Uruguay. 

We've been getting help from a number of expats who run a discussion board in Uruguay- helping us to get a more realistic view of what we can do and what we can't do. I think the few months of disappointment will eventually end up in more practical decisions. Probably has given us time to think.

More later...