tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1598173701000884942024-03-06T00:11:29.283-03:00Beneath the Southern Cross...A Family's Adventures in UruguayA chronicle of our family's 3 1/2 month trip to Uruguay and the surrounding countries...The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527871753866656701noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159817370100088494.post-86896977155207909252008-12-18T17:58:00.000-02:002008-02-06T18:35:45.602-02:00Our Final Days in PucónEven though everyone had had a full day the day before, we only had two more days in the Lake District and wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather. What to do? There were so many options. Due to some members of the family feeling a bit on the sore and tired side, we decided to go for drive to another lake that we had heard was warm due to the volcanic activity in the area.<br /><br />The drive was of course beautiful but when we arrived at the lake, we discovered that, although it was warmer than Lake Villarrica, calling it warm was a bit of a stretch. We did, however, find that there were kayaks, canoes and peddle boats for rent for about two dollars an hour. We saw some islands out on the lake and so everyone picked their watercraft of choice and headed off. Andrew and Chris got in one kayak, Morielle and Fiona in another, and Julia, Elli and I got in a peddle boat (I would have preferred the kayak, but Elisabeth was worried about capsizing). The kayaks quickly got way ahead of us, as we peddled our way towards our destination. Unfortunately, if you peddle there, you have to peddle back again. The kayakers were there and back within an hour, but it took us an extra half hour to finally make it back. We were definitely ready to eat.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4JM3SFBOI25rYaJu-yHWFQ1-JhWbvvpE5NSGjJpN9JSdbmfNutka9u_KDxC8bbhlzkFIHlfANHo8-J0AQ147g5AfJ250SPn16-dNRuFNWRH4Rdnz5n5x4dfPnrrVthmensM99Dix5Uk/s1600-h/100_0454.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4JM3SFBOI25rYaJu-yHWFQ1-JhWbvvpE5NSGjJpN9JSdbmfNutka9u_KDxC8bbhlzkFIHlfANHo8-J0AQ147g5AfJ250SPn16-dNRuFNWRH4Rdnz5n5x4dfPnrrVthmensM99Dix5Uk/s320/100_0454.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163963389662259890" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Elli in our peddle boat.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGR33lSh1-q9Lx_7cnotMdqE-IFmvxYPSTp7LTzUFysjHPpIeMZJrT8GqRSOGNI81WF9XGrR8J2oLRL12Zpjpxu39OJ5t7dW5M0S5Q2mkuNIi4mnY3EzyAv2zEUA4zZ7Zc42qbnxuKvc/s1600-h/100_0462.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGR33lSh1-q9Lx_7cnotMdqE-IFmvxYPSTp7LTzUFysjHPpIeMZJrT8GqRSOGNI81WF9XGrR8J2oLRL12Zpjpxu39OJ5t7dW5M0S5Q2mkuNIi4mnY3EzyAv2zEUA4zZ7Zc42qbnxuKvc/s320/100_0462.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163963402547161794" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">So much for finding a warm lake! That's the lake we paddled out to is in the distance.<br /><br /></span>We found a nice restaurant where we were the only customers. Since everything was cooked from scratch, we entertained ourselves with fancy napkin folding and were soon joined by our waiter who demonstrated some really fancy folds. We enjoyed our meal, and headed home.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjuZrgP1PsvrW3r0bPYpF25Nldb6v9Y6KTgpcCenB8fOtOjL4RwbsuzpAOGo90vxVQOvDLLQVptyl3Dzi-86NstHHPKkp0VfNkBeXwpdVLRVrEidkRY1Hrujh8WiXIvuwzk8E1igiYxTs/s1600-h/100_0469.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjuZrgP1PsvrW3r0bPYpF25Nldb6v9Y6KTgpcCenB8fOtOjL4RwbsuzpAOGo90vxVQOvDLLQVptyl3Dzi-86NstHHPKkp0VfNkBeXwpdVLRVrEidkRY1Hrujh8WiXIvuwzk8E1igiYxTs/s320/100_0469.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163963411137096402" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">At lunch with our napkin creations.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECKMBqigxV-Z2qZUh9r2BHmuraxLy5FvhubSDHjYInHOjkGm49C9pmT9M6Zj9AyKM8NSMzHnWH9oi_N-uMftHvSqi-i-iC9cykj2suVBfJFpZQ1PKfV1qkWz9syWjP4CTQIqjT9fgpoI/s1600-h/100_0484.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhECKMBqigxV-Z2qZUh9r2BHmuraxLy5FvhubSDHjYInHOjkGm49C9pmT9M6Zj9AyKM8NSMzHnWH9oi_N-uMftHvSqi-i-iC9cykj2suVBfJFpZQ1PKfV1qkWz9syWjP4CTQIqjT9fgpoI/s320/100_0484.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163963419727031010" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Our waiter entertains us with some fancy napking folding.<br /><br /></span>Our last day it was raining, so we took care of laundry, wrote some blog posts, played cards, and relaxed. Tomorrow we would begin our journey home.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF40Bc334xRd7nBoG6vgil4su3t8z8UyILuOUv27vPuMHhnZfYqU6b4DihUz_HqSQOB1zNn4aLU4VO0ElzW6VXvl8VUAYuQoTGiLDoCDwaadYDQ4D2CcIy4HizlSnqajbujHSdIZh2UPg/s1600-h/100_0496.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF40Bc334xRd7nBoG6vgil4su3t8z8UyILuOUv27vPuMHhnZfYqU6b4DihUz_HqSQOB1zNn4aLU4VO0ElzW6VXvl8VUAYuQoTGiLDoCDwaadYDQ4D2CcIy4HizlSnqajbujHSdIZh2UPg/s320/100_0496.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163968414773996306" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">With rain comes rainbows.</span>The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527871753866656701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159817370100088494.post-49979011114417318232007-12-18T18:38:00.000-03:002008-02-06T23:05:47.503-02:00Beginning Our Journey HomeThe next day was clear and beautiful again. We got ourselves packed and hit the road by noon. We were sad to leave such a beautiful place, but happy to be heading back home again. We’d been gone for almost three and a half months, and our cups were full of many wonderful lifetime memories and cherished experiences.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUC8WUQ907rcLLifthUSNe0iQ6alyCkP9CxRrj3-YN0NP5oO7gD6U3JZqjnxz2WEqvVbD-T79AOuVgGED9ai2DUk1ieaN8ALEov3alL46dsaQGMe-3W6xPX8LzLcLFUfxpYdSfAqoZhfk/s1600-h/100_0507.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUC8WUQ907rcLLifthUSNe0iQ6alyCkP9CxRrj3-YN0NP5oO7gD6U3JZqjnxz2WEqvVbD-T79AOuVgGED9ai2DUk1ieaN8ALEov3alL46dsaQGMe-3W6xPX8LzLcLFUfxpYdSfAqoZhfk/s320/100_0507.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163971769143454562" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Our beloved cabaña that made our stay in Pucón so comfortable.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMAiINrlFCNJf22fH4CROm3qAEBS_6TZ16EaSiB7UoSQjX3jvl08k1SwVLtlQAtTbWuTnpCE-Wrw0X2_ftHBqMYaGVnmVx489-U1jvjVVFIIMPcJFtUKRIjqilvgHR4L5YlYU5vUbfnaY/s1600-h/100_0503.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMAiINrlFCNJf22fH4CROm3qAEBS_6TZ16EaSiB7UoSQjX3jvl08k1SwVLtlQAtTbWuTnpCE-Wrw0X2_ftHBqMYaGVnmVx489-U1jvjVVFIIMPcJFtUKRIjqilvgHR4L5YlYU5vUbfnaY/s320/100_0503.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163971751963585346" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The kids couldn't resist a roll down the hill in front of our cabaña.</span><br /><br />We had decided to stay for the night at Casa Chueca again as it was at our midway point between the Lake District and Santiago. We arrived in time to swim, take a walk, and relax. The next day we checked out at noon, and since it was only about a four hour drive to Santiago and we didn’t want to be stuck in a hotel room in the city any longer than we needed to, we opted to take a side trip to some waterfalls. It turned out to be a really long side trip as we had to drive the last 45 km or so on a dirt road, but we did see some more beautiful waterfalls and a completely different part of Chile.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiXxucTY2C8tnONatJDObv97KoEOPz0xd_An3Ohzu1nlKzW4GDXYdcPCcUHq2jnTeFBvb2lhN4T6vXVS9-XE_jzG-mMb3hXNubvy1wV2E5ttoq_I-LKG7a0Fo3XCF0HzcjXqoUy_6bork/s1600-h/100_0520.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiXxucTY2C8tnONatJDObv97KoEOPz0xd_An3Ohzu1nlKzW4GDXYdcPCcUHq2jnTeFBvb2lhN4T6vXVS9-XE_jzG-mMb3hXNubvy1wV2E5ttoq_I-LKG7a0Fo3XCF0HzcjXqoUy_6bork/s320/100_0520.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163971747668618034" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">One of several lovely waterfall.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qIsMZB0hw8IBJaFiFiFLv-lRcI6fAENDytLzxoUoh6SXaxeo_EQCDgvTakdgVae_oOhTsQx2322dDYXLnEubUdADMCHDlN_vGtAeqLsXbpve8kkhBhRzm4eOiY88tQPtbh_yT7KhRPU/s1600-h/100_0525.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qIsMZB0hw8IBJaFiFiFLv-lRcI6fAENDytLzxoUoh6SXaxeo_EQCDgvTakdgVae_oOhTsQx2322dDYXLnEubUdADMCHDlN_vGtAeqLsXbpve8kkhBhRzm4eOiY88tQPtbh_yT7KhRPU/s320/100_0525.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163971734783716130" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Another waterfall that we hiked into.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP1aJqtR5ArSKn-2MS6ZwJqm686-lky9NIyml1n0AASNutNQnsKvxdQSMAtq5fVAO7dzyvYF_sR9nq1NLWSix9Q_tx-K4Aa1WGS5NJ7wFnUJDW0_mVywnzxola_jqQyMSjYujS-hCAQV0/s1600-h/100_0517.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP1aJqtR5ArSKn-2MS6ZwJqm686-lky9NIyml1n0AASNutNQnsKvxdQSMAtq5fVAO7dzyvYF_sR9nq1NLWSix9Q_tx-K4Aa1WGS5NJ7wFnUJDW0_mVywnzxola_jqQyMSjYujS-hCAQV0/s320/100_0517.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163971764848487250" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Danger!<br /><br /></span>We arrived in Santiago quite late and headed to bed. Tomorrow we would be flying to Buenos Aires and then taking the Buqueus back to Montevideo.The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527871753866656701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159817370100088494.post-60340595470232554802007-12-18T15:17:00.000-03:002008-02-06T17:58:15.235-02:00More adventures in ChileThe next day was a rainy one and we all took it easy with the exception of a shopping trip to Pucon to buy food and look at the local crafts. We stayed one more day at La Colina hotel before deciding to move towards Pucón at the other end of Lago Villarrica. Our hosts had recommended some cabañas overlooking the lake where we would have the ability to cook and spread out a bit. We had thought the view at La Colina was gorgeous, but the view from our cabaña was unbelievable! We decided to make this our home base for the next week and settled in. Sadly, I also came down with a nasty cold. I can’t, however, imagine a more beautiful place to be sick. I spent a day in bed resting, but that didn’t mean I was deprived. The view out my window of the lake and the mountains in the distance cheered me up and made my sick time more bearable.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wBkn0i0Z25GiFi4l37MllTgtdK0_YuHkFIhiUPM90dW0Obefy43eLKCDNY5D300P3SrQPPkDCObjjzNWUo64xB-Hng5z9kP207tTZXzRxYvkJnCfhfI9qgu7Dd_ktq9S0snXAndb7dQ/s1600-h/100_0385.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0wBkn0i0Z25GiFi4l37MllTgtdK0_YuHkFIhiUPM90dW0Obefy43eLKCDNY5D300P3SrQPPkDCObjjzNWUo64xB-Hng5z9kP207tTZXzRxYvkJnCfhfI9qgu7Dd_ktq9S0snXAndb7dQ/s320/100_0385.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163920079212046898" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">This is my view out the bedroom window!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie81ggrAIrXB49iBBDdzAH376KMftq-72pyJVolI5A2L8HLBFo3jQfD51P8iRJKEgx3cUAvtzjT7ICCgFWOzH_P3GE_mS8d-K12VONuFOtdEltpDdXz1ctA8s-cs_TsERvNcZQL1CYNNM/s1600-h/100_0384.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie81ggrAIrXB49iBBDdzAH376KMftq-72pyJVolI5A2L8HLBFo3jQfD51P8iRJKEgx3cUAvtzjT7ICCgFWOzH_P3GE_mS8d-K12VONuFOtdEltpDdXz1ctA8s-cs_TsERvNcZQL1CYNNM/s320/100_0384.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163920066327144994" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Another bedroom window view. </span><br /><br />On Monday Andrew took Chris and Elli fishing, catching two good sized rainbow trout. We cooked them for dinner and were amazed at how pink the meat was. It almost looked like salmon. We were told that this was because of what they ate. Everyone concluded that it was some of the best fish we had ever eaten.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS15-5K56AXEoih4ZtE-Y1Nv7xMI-ZD_W-Zybw6EoJnKjM4CF7cEWcfGig8C8-_Egc9q9_9vF5McNDUoEw0YOywTkByuApJ6nYNZHAZ-LHdalM9uNdMmg_QIGTG6Dzf-lgpIMp13vqUkU/s1600-h/100_1841.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS15-5K56AXEoih4ZtE-Y1Nv7xMI-ZD_W-Zybw6EoJnKjM4CF7cEWcfGig8C8-_Egc9q9_9vF5McNDUoEw0YOywTkByuApJ6nYNZHAZ-LHdalM9uNdMmg_QIGTG6Dzf-lgpIMp13vqUkU/s320/100_1841.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163932706415897250" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Elli and Andrew on their fishing trip.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4wyU6Od-To0M1Cx5wZWiK1b6tvqnpkGKRytYpEd_p4oSi8ZvoZaxpUEUo0UwgNdChb6B4NJLewesrQUQ2vVBDzUDStjZmCn2rGRQHoRutjJRB8Osnr5E0e4GU5VG4-VEVFgliKbUH4xU/s1600-h/100_1869.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4wyU6Od-To0M1Cx5wZWiK1b6tvqnpkGKRytYpEd_p4oSi8ZvoZaxpUEUo0UwgNdChb6B4NJLewesrQUQ2vVBDzUDStjZmCn2rGRQHoRutjJRB8Osnr5E0e4GU5VG4-VEVFgliKbUH4xU/s320/100_1869.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163927797268277874" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Chris with his fish.<br /><br /></span>On Tuesday, I took Elli, Chris, and Julia on a horseback riding trip and then to the hot springs, while Andrew took Morielle and Fiona to climb up the volcano. Fiona and Morielle have written about their experiences on their blogs, so I’ll just post my favorite picture of them at the top. The rest of the kids and I had wonderful day riding on the back roads through the mountains. In addition to the stunning views, I particularly enjoyed my saddle. The traditional gaucho saddle has got to be the most comfortable, practical one I have ever used. If I could have figured out a way to bring one back home with me I would have. As always, the volcano was almost always in view, but it was amazing to think that while we were riding, the rest of our family was somewhere up on that looming mountain.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1mAu7A_Zoz-AzSmMxw6WtLThEWxEvgPhhl0oHiHEGgM-NLPphqpmiKf72q8VsSur9pvDky-i0KpXF1VrzxIkjcO12KKalSzCaaStPEug3DvSnRZj9x3oklKK-hh2X7v4Cp7EyHPKseg/s1600-h/100_0449.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1mAu7A_Zoz-AzSmMxw6WtLThEWxEvgPhhl0oHiHEGgM-NLPphqpmiKf72q8VsSur9pvDky-i0KpXF1VrzxIkjcO12KKalSzCaaStPEug3DvSnRZj9x3oklKK-hh2X7v4Cp7EyHPKseg/s320/100_0449.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163927711368931922" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Elli and her horse.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uu1CyF323bjys0CirUeJ3iI7hJoHuiqYKJP2pzH5MS4WPcanPesHgqdq8Ga_odMSUMTyx2QngMrgUb0k3Xj_SJcp_xh6xI-byIpmriT4fb8j5fuXcAIxpRQAXRjmNQrDYycj_jOdg9g/s1600-h/100_0431.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uu1CyF323bjys0CirUeJ3iI7hJoHuiqYKJP2pzH5MS4WPcanPesHgqdq8Ga_odMSUMTyx2QngMrgUb0k3Xj_SJcp_xh6xI-byIpmriT4fb8j5fuXcAIxpRQAXRjmNQrDYycj_jOdg9g/s320/100_0431.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163932676351126146" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Along the trail.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFV67M88VFeUf6qnObWmoaACEdcNkg677crNv431JI27fWIqGebbi91KQPmEcvowmrewLRFgYPqFfzAQI_oFZhGaLxm30FY-vQPGaI9EhSfipjSSbDEnlaFYOMbH0MeBmRtqgK0a-HH50/s1600-h/100_0433.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFV67M88VFeUf6qnObWmoaACEdcNkg677crNv431JI27fWIqGebbi91KQPmEcvowmrewLRFgYPqFfzAQI_oFZhGaLxm30FY-vQPGaI9EhSfipjSSbDEnlaFYOMbH0MeBmRtqgK0a-HH50/s320/100_0433.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163927707073964610" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We took a quick break at this lake during our horseback riding excursion.</span>The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527871753866656701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159817370100088494.post-71386882011466566132007-12-17T12:27:00.000-03:002008-02-06T15:04:20.176-02:00Southern Chile at LastThe next day we hit the road again and made our way south into Chile’s beautiful Lake District.<br />The closer we got to the Lake District the more beautiful the landscape became. Looming majestically to our left during our entire trip south, the Andes mountains kept us in constant awe. Now, however, the vegetation gradually changed into pine and deciduous forests, and an array of wildflowers painted the meadows with many hues. At the town of Freire we left the Pan-American Highway and headed southeast toward the Andes. Our destination for the night was a hotel run by an American couple from Montana overlooking the Lago Villarrica and Volcán Villarrica.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiGlcUMjrrU_6oaRMn3cdO_ky_ZNNBdMdlCKLLByC_vDEQsYwfEOwbTf6pZ1vtd3ew8JwreGfZxEOzNRxnGLVuoV4OyD1Y_r9dkT92cfAvfD6uJS7n_Xxcj2sR_yVBAX8RN0gzLrGHcgQ/s1600-h/100_0382.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiGlcUMjrrU_6oaRMn3cdO_ky_ZNNBdMdlCKLLByC_vDEQsYwfEOwbTf6pZ1vtd3ew8JwreGfZxEOzNRxnGLVuoV4OyD1Y_r9dkT92cfAvfD6uJS7n_Xxcj2sR_yVBAX8RN0gzLrGHcgQ/s320/100_0382.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145430040673439074" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Dinner at La Colina, a Bed & Breakfast run by an American couple who have lived here for 17 years.</span><br /><br />We arrived just in time for a delicious dinner at their restaurant. The weather was decidedly cooler and we were glad we had brought our jackets with us. The next day we headed out to go exploring. Our hosts provided us with detailed maps of the area and we decided on a hiking trip to some waterfalls and then a swim in one of the many termas (hot springs) that can be found in this area. Sadly Julia wasn’t able to join us as she had come down with a nasty cold and needed a day of rest.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXhWrun4gebvpoTnJAa2uhbXB7kJMTPsk4x2IcyDmRN-zXwK8DAUt2A48Hc_1DUZ6vwRFlsOI9Jtra7XJY564NKr_oWeEXWFZgueE6Ov4DocUUiEZ59ptwnL9rREPYdgP7aUfMdz_O8U/s1600-h/100_0327.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXhWrun4gebvpoTnJAa2uhbXB7kJMTPsk4x2IcyDmRN-zXwK8DAUt2A48Hc_1DUZ6vwRFlsOI9Jtra7XJY564NKr_oWeEXWFZgueE6Ov4DocUUiEZ59ptwnL9rREPYdgP7aUfMdz_O8U/s320/100_0327.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145434490259557858" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Hiking into the waterfall</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-0_i0_U9JH7RumsHQgrODgDjM_q6BLoXgI3vRosOgwdjdTO8y-Q5tEy3kqDC-tvCYJVNDWRL5l3AK4A42ornrudtdq_5wsc8CshFUL395LXUr-l2NdP-rpwgqrQhmzgdTJxIlSxGGC4/s1600-h/100_0335.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-0_i0_U9JH7RumsHQgrODgDjM_q6BLoXgI3vRosOgwdjdTO8y-Q5tEy3kqDC-tvCYJVNDWRL5l3AK4A42ornrudtdq_5wsc8CshFUL395LXUr-l2NdP-rpwgqrQhmzgdTJxIlSxGGC4/s320/100_0335.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145434468784721346" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">This waterfall was tall and beautiful. Unfortunately my camera couldn't catch it all in one shot.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbDG6SB9XHZbTsndS3ew5IkmCJRQqOGz6uyEBSc64vlYzrUfMb3v822iC8CEChyse_sGyscBy-0smk_GLi9JH0TgPwOWXQyTpGsw11dGLOH7wAPz7cnZ_WTS5clu_4mik4QXJXTGBAaSU/s1600-h/100_0346.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbDG6SB9XHZbTsndS3ew5IkmCJRQqOGz6uyEBSc64vlYzrUfMb3v822iC8CEChyse_sGyscBy-0smk_GLi9JH0TgPwOWXQyTpGsw11dGLOH7wAPz7cnZ_WTS5clu_4mik4QXJXTGBAaSU/s320/100_0346.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145434498849492466" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Hiking in the forest<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2tBH3wyAEYKEOwEWyJmLPumUD4k6Nvnwfn5dTzO1tm3HkWg-YxH-Wx6P3KC__4w7EFwXLJ2GB4Fa5vhyZlgFl8yC8Obsg2oz1NW150u6ASqggEFVYqA_IQvMOtpdUybI97w0G4qi97eo/s1600-h/100_0353.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2tBH3wyAEYKEOwEWyJmLPumUD4k6Nvnwfn5dTzO1tm3HkWg-YxH-Wx6P3KC__4w7EFwXLJ2GB4Fa5vhyZlgFl8yC8Obsg2oz1NW150u6ASqggEFVYqA_IQvMOtpdUybI97w0G4qi97eo/s320/100_0353.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145430062148275602" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">An old steam engine we happened upon.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcf6Fi5-aQq0bvEBGM9QA_c3PWviz7-pfO917uqZeXPxycB1g8UUkixG2dT4BGQtEjxn-V2zzVWLI8c6y5GORmJCKX_u2_DJfioHf_qW-gp660YhxhY0KAFk-2e0vsSyhmRH0V2vfx6DY/s1600-h/100_0370.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcf6Fi5-aQq0bvEBGM9QA_c3PWviz7-pfO917uqZeXPxycB1g8UUkixG2dT4BGQtEjxn-V2zzVWLI8c6y5GORmJCKX_u2_DJfioHf_qW-gp660YhxhY0KAFk-2e0vsSyhmRH0V2vfx6DY/s320/100_0370.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145430053558340994" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Relaxing at the hot springs after our hike<br /><br /></span>As we drove the back roads and took in the vistas, I quickly came to the conclusion that this part of Chile is perhaps the most beautiful place I have ever been in my life. I’ve always been a “mountain girl” having lived and spent significant time in the Sierras of California, the Cascade mountains of Oregon, and the mountains of Montana. In all of these beautiful places, however, only plant life that can tolerate severe cold survives. In the Lake district of Chile it is much more temperate and a remarkable variety of flowers, bushes, and trees are found. And because of the year-round rainfall, everything is verdantly green and lush. It almost looks tropical in places yet there are numerous pine trees and snow covered mountain peaks at every turn. Dominating the landscape, however, is the Volcán Villarrica, an active volcano with streams of smoke pouring out of the top. It is absolutely stunning! I could go on and on, but I will stop here and post pictures instead.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArkqg5KiGmd4-MsOAonfbJa9e2yBHn8hQOY2Qd9QbomszWK1GkXGZmEYfOEgoytX7xJ-Qq4iagdbCvR5wwsAK_HZYcOmy2QA0aU3v1c29B9hhUo58e_nILFOQ-4aKcrjWf0GebmFif3A/s1600-h/100_0363.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArkqg5KiGmd4-MsOAonfbJa9e2yBHn8hQOY2Qd9QbomszWK1GkXGZmEYfOEgoytX7xJ-Qq4iagdbCvR5wwsAK_HZYcOmy2QA0aU3v1c29B9hhUo58e_nILFOQ-4aKcrjWf0GebmFif3A/s320/100_0363.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145434477374655954" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Happy cows</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofXNARq8ed0ZGUi1oblK7GRGeMtai-2XaIg7RTKvuOVRJy6ZEBIpT6TuB9aGRaVU103g4Ho5J9EvCuwtspYdup5RGicgU-03o_dJ9ZWdU3Qbi2mz8cJ56DUGVL9JIpDKEGUOPo9ANlzY/s1600-h/100_0378.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofXNARq8ed0ZGUi1oblK7GRGeMtai-2XaIg7RTKvuOVRJy6ZEBIpT6TuB9aGRaVU103g4Ho5J9EvCuwtspYdup5RGicgU-03o_dJ9ZWdU3Qbi2mz8cJ56DUGVL9JIpDKEGUOPo9ANlzY/s320/100_0378.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145434460194786738" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">These beautiful yellow flowers were everywhere. Unfortunately, we found out later they are a pernicious non-native weed.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAdtQJXXu2ATywvwiF4phMzkrAoQZ9qRbov_im8kKDUPTPWpkdKmqdtczotgTK3KI7jD_yEZ8XBpcpeAiN7qCP93Tj-FKp-a8-CG6lRC7SK5C3aGxcIZBXN4WbH_pCrJdUtLcCgMVE3o/s1600-h/100_1870.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAdtQJXXu2ATywvwiF4phMzkrAoQZ9qRbov_im8kKDUPTPWpkdKmqdtczotgTK3KI7jD_yEZ8XBpcpeAiN7qCP93Tj-FKp-a8-CG6lRC7SK5C3aGxcIZBXN4WbH_pCrJdUtLcCgMVE3o/s320/100_1870.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163912464235031042" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Volcán Villarrica</span> - <span style="font-style: italic;">If you look carefully you can see smoke coming out of the volcano</span>.The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527871753866656701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159817370100088494.post-8287327610520834352007-12-17T12:13:00.000-03:002007-12-18T18:21:35.130-03:00On Our Way to Southern ChileChile is a very long, narrow country and our destination in the Lake District was at least a ten-hour drive. We therefore opted to make the trip over a two-day period. This gave us a chance to appreciate the sites along the way. As we traveled back inland on our way to the I-5, we were again struck with how similar the landscape was to the central coast region of California where we live. Here in Chile there is also a coastal mountain range with small towns dotting the valleys. The climate is mediteranean and the land fertile. As we drove, we passed hectare upon hectare of grapes and other fruits growing, and saw an abundance of family farms growing an assortment of vegetables.<br /><br />About mid-afternoon we began to get hungry. There were no major towns ahead on the map so we pulled over next to a gas station at a rather run down looking restaurant that served the local clientele. I wasn’t impressed by the outward appearance, but by this time everyone was famished, so we went in. In the States, if you stopped at a gas station restaurant you would be assured of finding canned, fried, or microwaved food items. Here there was no menu, only the three or four lunch offerings for the day. Not really knowing what we were ordering we got a couple of each of the items they had available, including something called cazuela. When the food arrived, however, we were all duly impressed! This was real home cooking; nothing was canned or microwaved as it would be in a similar type of restaurant in the states. I for one decided that in Chile you can’t judge a restaurant by its exterior. Cazuela, a delicious traditional Chilean soup was to become a favorite during our stay in Chile.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqjlNzSOsqtsp7EZCzhy1Cd8558n9dRYVHy5C3huu4lPH-McO51eF1_GwLg9GWUQX-CWFm6mB4UUvqA0s9xtyZhKdm49XLF6bakKM4ELqYR96pfxwAOKQoYxzL96Q4gNsHqSGTvtdDxE/s1600-h/100_0254.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqjlNzSOsqtsp7EZCzhy1Cd8558n9dRYVHy5C3huu4lPH-McO51eF1_GwLg9GWUQX-CWFm6mB4UUvqA0s9xtyZhKdm49XLF6bakKM4ELqYR96pfxwAOKQoYxzL96Q4gNsHqSGTvtdDxE/s320/100_0254.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145399043894463762" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">This restaurant didn't look particularly promising, but the food was great.</span><br /><br />At one point during our journey south we got lost in a small town and accidentally took a one-way street going the wrong way. A police car just happened to be passing at the time and pulled us over. We had had several encounters with police in Argentina, all of them positive, but we didn’t know what to expect with Chilean police. The officer spoke no English, but was polite, explained that we were going the wrong way, gave us directions to our destination and sent us on our way.<br /><br />Around 7:30 we arrived at a place I had found online called Casa Chueca. It turned out to be a very nice, somewhat rustic German-run hosteria in the country just outside of the city of Talca. We settled into our rooms and some of us had a relaxing swim before enjoying a simple vegetarian dinner with our hosts and the other guests. After being surrounded by Spanish for the past three months, it was a little surreal to hear everyone speaking German. Many of them did speak some English so we were able to meet an interesting group of world travelers and trekkers. The next day we would complete our journey to the Lake District of Chile.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7E5MKZqLY4xszTf7S_FJqKR2neor74U2eubKd1ANqwmDKZUQ5wp3CA4yoKwDeHT5TvFiokf6zy3QIHzVpoX2ng2E-WAdFqt2UPABi310piug2sHdl3Hfu8mhjc6kIVqtysTalvQeRSk/s1600-h/100_0515.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7E5MKZqLY4xszTf7S_FJqKR2neor74U2eubKd1ANqwmDKZUQ5wp3CA4yoKwDeHT5TvFiokf6zy3QIHzVpoX2ng2E-WAdFqt2UPABi310piug2sHdl3Hfu8mhjc6kIVqtysTalvQeRSk/s320/100_0515.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145399073959234882" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The German owned Casa Chueca in the country outside of Talca.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbcvTOWBmygZZEoF5ButOqr5-4Cuqz24zMuwWi5fBezCT5fe4WZXCnDm0ONFxUIv5vfU_HlSnNlOgsaDNuQ_va_mZWq-u5jvJBrRoT7aaKLC6fByHQKa2gi0IztM7daTHErkXAFCBsOr8/s1600-h/100_0516.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbcvTOWBmygZZEoF5ButOqr5-4Cuqz24zMuwWi5fBezCT5fe4WZXCnDm0ONFxUIv5vfU_HlSnNlOgsaDNuQ_va_mZWq-u5jvJBrRoT7aaKLC6fByHQKa2gi0IztM7daTHErkXAFCBsOr8/s320/100_0516.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5145399082549169490" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The view from Casa Chueca</span>The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527871753866656701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159817370100088494.post-34878400028604991722007-12-15T00:32:00.000-03:002007-12-17T12:12:21.020-03:00From Santiago to the Pacific OceanWe left Santiago and headed towards <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Viña</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">del</span> Mar on the Pacific Ocean. Fiona's birthday was the following day and we decided it would be nice to spend a couple of days on the coast before heading south towards the lake district of Chile. We were now in a new country and enjoyed noticing the similarities and differences between Chile and the other places we had been. The first thing we noticed was how remarkably clean, well-kept, and high-tech Chile was. There were very few bars on the windows, and the homes and yards were generally well cared for, (at least in the areas we drove by). In fact, we felt like we were in California much of the time. The plant life, the topography, even the smell reminded us of California. There were even California poppies lining the highways. And then there was the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">autopista</span>, the South American extension of I-5 and part of the Pan-American Highway. This was the reason we had opted to go to Chile initially. We hadn't wanted to drive for 20 or so hours on the narrow highways of Argentina to get down to the Lake District. After six weeks in Argentina, we were quite happy to drive on Chile's well-maintained divided highways.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVVsYTTGaair8FvJQwU0nS_IDYtihVdIMYeiJW4igqc3eJKt8ckojpyV2SDlPqMDfZ3l0xkPdwsPVnHzUsqXiO7eb9Lqk4s1ovuzGD8STdnSE-A0lJPFhvRpmfn_N63K3PXQcfwdPfdE/s1600-h/100_0231.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVVsYTTGaair8FvJQwU0nS_IDYtihVdIMYeiJW4igqc3eJKt8ckojpyV2SDlPqMDfZ3l0xkPdwsPVnHzUsqXiO7eb9Lqk4s1ovuzGD8STdnSE-A0lJPFhvRpmfn_N63K3PXQcfwdPfdE/s320/100_0231.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144886181849648370" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Elli with California poppies. We saw them everywhere.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCudaqGaN7dJFxgLUCpLA81HHJOMn6MY3hxB5yMJtHdioosB4TCaGdhpZdTggjk5U5VGvwGJ3fgQYxEvEMrieMRe5Sk4iKB5YIUuJ_k93BNdpF742x6aK8lsGDyMekx86bGtd2sK-14q0/s1600-h/100_0230.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCudaqGaN7dJFxgLUCpLA81HHJOMn6MY3hxB5yMJtHdioosB4TCaGdhpZdTggjk5U5VGvwGJ3fgQYxEvEMrieMRe5Sk4iKB5YIUuJ_k93BNdpF742x6aK8lsGDyMekx86bGtd2sK-14q0/s320/100_0230.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144886173259713762" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Are we in the U.S.? Gas stations along the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">autopista</span> were quite upscale. This one had granite <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">counter tops</span> in the bathroom. The prices are in pesos per liter.</span><br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Viña</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">del</span> Mar was pleasant, but a bit too touristy for our tastes. We did the typical tourist things like eating in a restaurant overlooking the ocean, shopping in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">artesenal</span> booths along the streets, and taking a ride in a horse drawn carriage to see the local sites. The latter activity was quite embarrassing for some members of the family. Christopher and Elli, however, were thrilled because the driver invited them to sit with him and let them drive the carriage through the streets. This was definitely something that would not have happened in California due to "liability issues."<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT4Uh8lGRK2yPsUTz4fgw6rdRnJiDUSPFl24dvA_vKc6Y5RPZ8Iw6dNzR0AzQbUSwT42JkU9HW3xEJnaJCnqkeff7Zpab1DATirMQXZBQXyQeXF9EVv_qewVJzaZ4Q3_ryV6VPGGB0Lc8/s1600-h/100_0188.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT4Uh8lGRK2yPsUTz4fgw6rdRnJiDUSPFl24dvA_vKc6Y5RPZ8Iw6dNzR0AzQbUSwT42JkU9HW3xEJnaJCnqkeff7Zpab1DATirMQXZBQXyQeXF9EVv_qewVJzaZ4Q3_ryV6VPGGB0Lc8/s320/100_0188.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144648257841319042" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Fiona's birthday lunch on the ocean</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE90Fv09BgmjLWNnIS1wcqaG0qRNBOiWSCmWY4UFxcrYcHEeI_5U9BU_pnrK0rqj-ALQZsex6mPRsDTMMGnV5lomMfCWozLYjgJ8LZbnX1qtJ43AoBJAmEMfr34kh1qVQ5Aknq7pnKXJo/s1600-h/100_0210.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE90Fv09BgmjLWNnIS1wcqaG0qRNBOiWSCmWY4UFxcrYcHEeI_5U9BU_pnrK0rqj-ALQZsex6mPRsDTMMGnV5lomMfCWozLYjgJ8LZbnX1qtJ43AoBJAmEMfr34kh1qVQ5Aknq7pnKXJo/s320/100_0210.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144648317970861250" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Our touristy jaunt in a carriage driven in part by Chris and Elli<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaHWK6gIoz5aIKzLhDCGJAr62uHOb1RH6D4VoAM8at3RE3IcOOrxQ1cWPqKR_9AuSugssVgKBF8N9MhSdUVyb-365OQHPpNdwgtoAIGZAEICycpDXc_gO-XHDefY1YaCwKGulCIvlaSsY/s1600-h/100_0209.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaHWK6gIoz5aIKzLhDCGJAr62uHOb1RH6D4VoAM8at3RE3IcOOrxQ1cWPqKR_9AuSugssVgKBF8N9MhSdUVyb-365OQHPpNdwgtoAIGZAEICycpDXc_gO-XHDefY1YaCwKGulCIvlaSsY/s320/100_0209.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144648292201057442" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Elli at the reins<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWoA36EnP_BHaWuwz8Gg2A4ykY8OqNIiQY9dBfNV5peba5lwz3b4M1EaRTDi7zCPzL7lkaDRnCTltaI9UAkzFKT9YqHEgPoqOrGtwe-UDmFuGCFW5ewIk6nWQPkOihsK0u3KJkzQFPznQ/s1600-h/100_0217.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWoA36EnP_BHaWuwz8Gg2A4ykY8OqNIiQY9dBfNV5peba5lwz3b4M1EaRTDi7zCPzL7lkaDRnCTltaI9UAkzFKT9YqHEgPoqOrGtwe-UDmFuGCFW5ewIk6nWQPkOihsK0u3KJkzQFPznQ/s320/100_0217.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144886160374811858" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Fiona on her birthday with the lights of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Viña</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">del</span> Mar in the background.<br /><br /></span>Unfortunately, what we had hoped would be a relaxing few days became somewhat stressful when we discovered that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Morielle</span> had picked up a nasty lice infestation. It had been almost 15 years since I had dealt with lice and they’re never fun, but trying to deal with them in a hotel in a foreign country was definitely challenging. Since we had all been living in such close proximity I automatically assumed that everyone had them, but amazingly enough, after multiple inspections, it was determined that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Morielle</span> was the only one.<br /><br />Finally on Monday we were ready to begin our journey again. We headed south along the coast, passing the famed city of Valparaiso with its steep hills and elevator cars (the “San Francisco of South America”) on the way, before heading inland again through wine country. We had a long day ahead of us.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFTJtzbZu01SrrwZ3MW7EQj1JhA1541ZU46-0fFb-6oTN5sl8H6ruTOv1ss-Qyqfot_eWbJ6YPUPb6J0z8UU31uOm_S9PR-9Ips5zjT0z77bDkU0bafDeMKZ4XB8agmliGs_yjwmfJDA/s1600-h/100_0223.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFTJtzbZu01SrrwZ3MW7EQj1JhA1541ZU46-0fFb-6oTN5sl8H6ruTOv1ss-Qyqfot_eWbJ6YPUPb6J0z8UU31uOm_S9PR-9Ips5zjT0z77bDkU0bafDeMKZ4XB8agmliGs_yjwmfJDA/s320/100_0223.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144886190439582978" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">It is hard to see in this photo, but there are two cars on the tracks. Because the city is built on steep hills overlooking the ocean, these tracks and cars are everywhere.<br /></span>The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527871753866656701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159817370100088494.post-88982892518672597052007-12-14T00:39:00.000-03:002007-12-15T00:24:41.981-03:00Over the Andes into ChileHaving determined which bus we wanted to take into Chile, we had to figure out how to get to the bus station in downtown Cordoba. Remember, our car fit only our bodies, not all of our stuff. We finally decided that the best plan would be for me to drive Andrew and Christopher to the bus station with all of our stuff. After we bought our tickets, I would drive back to Alta Gracia and pick up the four girls. We would then return the rental car and take a taxi to the bus station, leaving plenty of time to spare. Everything went according to plan, except that with traffic and few other minor problems by the time I arrived back in Cordoba, we were running about an hour later than we had hoped. I still needed to return the car, but we had allowed extra time, so I wasn't too worried. I had the address for the rental car agency and a good map. Unfortunately, we discovered that the agency wasn't actually at the address listed the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">internet</span>. What to do? I tried calling them, but my phone was having some type of technical problem that wouldn't allow me to make the call. Now I really started to get worried. I retraced my steps again thinking that maybe we had some how missed it. Unfortunately, as I tried to retrace my steps, I got lost in the maze of one-way streets in the downtown area. As we drove down a busy main street, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Morielle</span> shouted out that she saw a sign for Alamo. Frustratingly, due to traffic, I couldn't get over and had to go back around again. More one-way streets and I found myself lost again. Finally, we located the sign and sure enough it was an Alamo; not the one listed on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">internet</span>, but still an Alamo. I pulled over and went into the hotel where the office was located. It was closed! Now I was really in trouble. Our bus was leaving in less than an hour and the only other place I could return the car was at the airport a good 30 minutes away. I talked to someone at the front desk of the hotel in my best Spanish and he offered to call the Alamo office at the airport for me. The guy on duty turned out to Martin, the man who we had filled out our initial paperwork with. Fortunately, he spoke fluent English. I explained my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">dilemma</span> and he told me to just leave the car there at the hotel and he would take care of everything later. The man at the hotel desk informed me that the bus station was only seven blocks away. We'd make it, praise God!! We grabbed our stuff, walked rapidly to the bus station and arrived with about twenty minutes to spare. If <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Morielle</span> hadn't "accidentally" noticed the Alamo sign, I don't know what we would have done.<br /><br />Our bus was scheduled to leave at 10:00 p.m. We were grateful to have been able to get tickets because the bus drivers were planning to go on strike at midnight (the second time that week), and any buses scheduled after that wouldn't be running. 10:30 rolled around and we were still waiting. 11:00 passed and still we waited. When it passed 11:3o we started to worry. What if the bus didn't arrive before midnight? Would it still leave? Finally, at around 11:50 our bus showed up. We all climbed on exhausted but relieved, and got ourselves settled for our 16 hour bus ride.<br /><br />I thought the younger kids would fall asleep right away, but for some crazy reason they decided to show a cartoon until 2:00 a.m. It's pretty hard to sleep when there is a movie playing right in front of you. Finally, after the movie was over, we all fell asleep. The bus had "semi-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">cama</span>" seats, which meant that they reclined quite a bit. It was not super comfortable, but was better than trying to sleep in an airline seat.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bM-vTC9DCK4WNygUK2O0WZXjBHGniYhiO4ciPz0b1EcnusKkBT7Herotj3F2zyK6g1GZV4eTXg_4bMpVJsd253gT0-iEhR7bNAqfzrBfmwtSReZZytV9bfMjyYkx5x-yylybbxRXCjc/s1600-h/100_0102.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bM-vTC9DCK4WNygUK2O0WZXjBHGniYhiO4ciPz0b1EcnusKkBT7Herotj3F2zyK6g1GZV4eTXg_4bMpVJsd253gT0-iEhR7bNAqfzrBfmwtSReZZytV9bfMjyYkx5x-yylybbxRXCjc/s320/100_0102.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144015690762996738" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sleeping in our semi-cama seats<br /><br /></span>When we woke up we were coming in Mendoza, the last major city before heading up into the Andes. We got a quick break at a gas station to stretch our legs and brush our teeth.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMncMSUGsMnNmleM_0WQfKIux1k8qQHRI0V_5KoKLA5-BDCaZgIb9BixH5jr4omt5qW2iWeHA4YfIv8KkUHVEt3Zs_hxfQAOYn0Miq-Fy3sGPYK4hewarV_cvsIWrOmFhWuGtnDBVUO8g/s1600-h/100_0103.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMncMSUGsMnNmleM_0WQfKIux1k8qQHRI0V_5KoKLA5-BDCaZgIb9BixH5jr4omt5qW2iWeHA4YfIv8KkUHVEt3Zs_hxfQAOYn0Miq-Fy3sGPYK4hewarV_cvsIWrOmFhWuGtnDBVUO8g/s320/100_0103.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144015682173062130" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Andrew & Chris in front of our double-decker bus in Mendoza. Our seats were upstairs.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURdceFRo9qCxPrLcr__QnqVvbPnsJyrXl3qrWnan6d_NLI8iSF7aRXPQoSIu49QbyrXyRRlE-lxX7GaqSBCnpidWquj4YLC3i_bFURH0yrbWkLCVRo0vkwggLILns2gCpcXcZxZZ9FJE/s1600-h/100_0115.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURdceFRo9qCxPrLcr__QnqVvbPnsJyrXl3qrWnan6d_NLI8iSF7aRXPQoSIu49QbyrXyRRlE-lxX7GaqSBCnpidWquj4YLC3i_bFURH0yrbWkLCVRo0vkwggLILns2gCpcXcZxZZ9FJE/s320/100_0115.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144020355097480274" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Andes appear in the distance.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RDqkIIZXA0lnWVEMlK5p69Fwcu96YAuSyOfqKfFphuAJrpw4QLLmeKSjzm3MXk6eE3Czrm6s48tHXIY_4XxRQHhmCBxRUIOxe1pDhmfHTe1w6Gn3bWx1SBCskHP5RXlbtaCb1GhZ0Oc/s1600-h/100_0112.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RDqkIIZXA0lnWVEMlK5p69Fwcu96YAuSyOfqKfFphuAJrpw4QLLmeKSjzm3MXk6eE3Czrm6s48tHXIY_4XxRQHhmCBxRUIOxe1pDhmfHTe1w6Gn3bWx1SBCskHP5RXlbtaCb1GhZ0Oc/s320/100_0112.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144020372277349474" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Driving up into the Andes<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNODEjvD2b7x1mnPJrfyHNfqVvkzr2ZiDErdPUIBDWoMlxrEQRS8feaTgDczNUhCAuhR2jYQ8hmCg1wfp8t8Q8Kh1gQb3d3lAxD_gzDpYQhgAgaPIsyFF5gf_GuD3q5czECBWoBqFLrKs/s1600-h/100_0111.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNODEjvD2b7x1mnPJrfyHNfqVvkzr2ZiDErdPUIBDWoMlxrEQRS8feaTgDczNUhCAuhR2jYQ8hmCg1wfp8t8Q8Kh1gQb3d3lAxD_gzDpYQhgAgaPIsyFF5gf_GuD3q5czECBWoBqFLrKs/s320/100_0111.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144020376572316786" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">A really tall mountain.<br /><br /></span>We climbed back in and started our climb into the Andes. I was excited. I have wanted to see the Andes for as long as I can remember and now, here they were!!! I quickly decided however, that I had best keep my eyes on the mountains not the road. Remember my description of Argentine drivers? Well, our lives were now in the hands of an Argentine bus driver who passed trucks on windy mountain roads with a sheer drop off on one side. Lots of prayers went up over the next five hours and at one point I looked down one of these drop offs and saw a truck that hadn't made it. The truck was completely destroyed and they were in the process of trying to get the driver out as we drove by. I can't imagine that he survived. It was a sad and sobering moment.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Y2Qz6c9arH9vMbiNmJxVIgeOFvHfSrQ22a5SjOQHhh7L66o8Ibp62Kkg9G5WXSbUwuLjae3bFSJHjExAkElNShJ7XmpD4yTFMrctIn1MDU54QkGX3FypfmOEHPhtx9BFpSiQVHZv4cA/s1600-h/100_0125.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Y2Qz6c9arH9vMbiNmJxVIgeOFvHfSrQ22a5SjOQHhh7L66o8Ibp62Kkg9G5WXSbUwuLjae3bFSJHjExAkElNShJ7XmpD4yTFMrctIn1MDU54QkGX3FypfmOEHPhtx9BFpSiQVHZv4cA/s320/100_0125.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144015699352931346" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">A truck and truck driver that didn't make it.</span><br /><br />One of the challenges I faced as a parent as we drove over the Andes was the graphically violent and sexual charged R rated movie they chose to show as we traveled. I finally had to have the younger kids cover their heads with a blanket and look out the window. I just don't understand why people show this kind of material when there are children present. What are they thinking? The imagery was horrific and instead being able to totally enjoy the beauty out my window, I had to deal with unhappy kids who didn't enjoy having to travel with blankets over their heads. This was one of the reasons I had hesitated traveling by bus in South America. A friend had warned me that the movies were usually pretty bad, and now I was having my own first hand experience. At least the view out the window was pretty. They both finally fell asleep. My other kids ended up sleeping through most of the movie as well, so we survived.<br /><br />At last we reached the summit and arrived at the border between Argentina and Chile. We passed through customs with out any real difficulty even though two of our bags had to be searched. Then we began our decent in to Chile. For those of you who have never seen the Andes they are simply amazing. We took lots of pictures, but none of them do justice to sheer magnificence of these mountains.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9r6QadxZzLCWwUmTXaPcMahGzIKXd5CGFBY8wo3ykWr1d19aJkbLzI6wph17jfYWw3VfHmJ_X6nM6hk6wJYyF7BnIDYho9p8OUEtnGzIfA51B7sLTsj1eMntVM6uSOJXfs4ErHkVzZI/s1600-h/100_0149.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9r6QadxZzLCWwUmTXaPcMahGzIKXd5CGFBY8wo3ykWr1d19aJkbLzI6wph17jfYWw3VfHmJ_X6nM6hk6wJYyF7BnIDYho9p8OUEtnGzIfA51B7sLTsj1eMntVM6uSOJXfs4ErHkVzZI/s320/100_0149.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144015707942865954" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The border of Chile was at the summit.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTVy0cX1pLo0cMA5yGkDN4-rkvvU4maLoCfYGQ8oHqFgiuz3AFMIf1bPWHMcaUv9-o4XORrUzvwxnwL87jDCmaN7OeqfMF2oBkE9f-mEe2-HkXRGdHHpRdl6WKpO7heG74TQoOgEUW5xQ/s1600-h/100_0132.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTVy0cX1pLo0cMA5yGkDN4-rkvvU4maLoCfYGQ8oHqFgiuz3AFMIf1bPWHMcaUv9-o4XORrUzvwxnwL87jDCmaN7OeqfMF2oBkE9f-mEe2-HkXRGdHHpRdl6WKpO7heG74TQoOgEUW5xQ/s320/100_0132.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144020350802512962" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Another view of the summit.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9YBJJp1WdCngoQAiBrtjCS6y31qo1ak0HDHEGhaWyYzz-LIMthOc2VUjk6b6PB-F3wbBAWUnjixOaJQhcBtY9t1oLy1QZ00tbn5OEOKShKbaluHC0S0K-_FSySCqbt35tYJd-53PGFfY/s1600-h/100_0164.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9YBJJp1WdCngoQAiBrtjCS6y31qo1ak0HDHEGhaWyYzz-LIMthOc2VUjk6b6PB-F3wbBAWUnjixOaJQhcBtY9t1oLy1QZ00tbn5OEOKShKbaluHC0S0K-_FSySCqbt35tYJd-53PGFfY/s320/100_0164.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5144015716532800562" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Safely in the valley looking back at the Andes</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span>Finally we arrived in Santiago. We were exhausted but grateful to have made it safely. The next challenge was trying to figure out how to pick up our car. As we stood there looking very much like confused tourists, an incredibly helpful Chilean woman who spoke English quite well came up and offered to help. Since our phone didn't work in Chile, she offered to call the rental car agency from her cell phone. Once we discovered that it was more than a half an hour away from the bus station, we realized that our original plan of sending either Andrew or me to pick up the car and then get the rest of the family at the bus station was probably not a good one. Unlike the bus station in Argentina, there really wasn't any place to comfortably hang out while waiting; and unlike Argentina, we really stood out in the bus station with our lighter hair and fairer skin. There was no way we could pass for locals here. We decided that our best bet was to all take taxis to the car rental place. We enlisted the help of the guy who appeared to be assigned to the task of matching riders with drivers. He took stock of us and our luggage and went to talk to the taxi drivers. They decided that we would all fit in one taxi, luggage and all. We couldn't believe it. It was just too funny. But sure enough, with his roof rack and trunk, all of our stuff fit. Andrew sat in the front seat with the driver and the rest of us climbed in the backseat of yet another car that was designed for only five people. This time, however, instead of trying to cram five people into the backseat, we were cramming six!!! But, hey, were in South America. Here can you get away with piling eight people into a five passenger car. We all got very cozy and off we went.<br /><br />When we arrived at the rental car agency, we were thrilled to find out that they had another Hyundai eleven passenger van waiting for us! Finally we could spread out a bit and fit all of our stuff comfortably. We now were ready to begin our adventures in Chile!!The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527871753866656701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159817370100088494.post-24520200897178079442007-12-13T18:47:00.003-03:002007-12-14T00:37:57.719-03:00Our Last Few Days in ArgentinaIt's hard to believe that it is already December 13<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> and that I am writing this post from Southern Chile! Since I am more than two weeks behind in my posts, I've decided to post several shorter posts in an attempt to get caught up before we actually leave for home. So first let me wrap up our time in Argentina.<br /><br />As I mentioned in my last post, Andrew arrived to join us for our final month in South America. Before his arrival, I spent many hours attempting to solve our transportation problem. It's one thing to fit seven people into a small car, but cramming six people in a backseat designed to barely fit three just wasn't going to work. Besides, we wanted to be able to see more of South America. Fortunately, right before Andrew's arrival one of our local friends, upon hearing of my car woes, helped me to locate a larger car that we could afford. It wasn't big enough to fit us and all of our stuff, but it did seat seven, a big improvement! This would work for our remaining time in the Cordoba area. But since our goal was to travel to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Bariloche</span> area of Argentina, we needed to figure out the best way to travel there with our family and all of our luggage. Having already experienced the "joys" of traveling on the rural highways of Argentina, we decided that we would rather travel into Chile and go down the nice four lane <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Panamerican</span> highway instead. That way we could see Chile on our way before crossing over the Andes again into Argentina through Chile's lake district. After countless hours on the phone and online. we were finally able to locate a van large enough fit us, but it was in Santiago, Chile. We just needed to get ourselves and all of our stuff from Alta Gracia, Argentina to Santiago, Chile. Flying was out of the question due to the cost, so we opted to take a bus over the Andes.<br /><br />Genevieve had found an opportunity to volunteer at an orphanage (a dream of hers since the age of 14) and decided to stay behind. Before we left, we decided to visit her at the orphanage and say our final goodbyes. We also wanted to visit some friends of a former neighbor of ours in Garden Farms. She had grown up in Argentina and had many fond memories. It was our first chance to visit the area north of Cordoba. We headed north and spent a lovely hour or so with our former neighbor's childhood friends. They showed us typical Argentine hospitality and baked a cake in anticipation of our visit.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EQaIZa1EZ-RPGS6qowEh7DJK3H8ysuSWTmdc8yjdwY_Vc-twPSEDbX3zomFIu_U5PNnKCOKAFwUTbPosKu8zwGZymVt5ztNwi1cWBp0eHK06QYRFesoY7ZlPbAGNvnhD8H8HZnOqiSg/s1600-h/100_0080.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EQaIZa1EZ-RPGS6qowEh7DJK3H8ysuSWTmdc8yjdwY_Vc-twPSEDbX3zomFIu_U5PNnKCOKAFwUTbPosKu8zwGZymVt5ztNwi1cWBp0eHK06QYRFesoY7ZlPbAGNvnhD8H8HZnOqiSg/s320/100_0080.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143588559368473346" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Our former neighbor's childhood friends</span><br /><br />We then headed even farther north to a small town where the orphanage was located. It is run by some nuns and provides a home to girls who have lost their parents or who have parents that are no longer able to care for them. It was a sweet visit as the girls prepared homemade pizza and threw a party for us. Some of them performed traditional folk dances for us and we took turns singing for each other. Fiona had a chance to play the piano for the first time in three months (although some of the keys didn't work anymore), and we stuffed ourselves on pizza. It was a lovely afternoon, but the inevitable moment came when we had to say goodbye to Genevieve, not knowing for sure when we would see her again. In addition to the job at this orphanage, she had found an additional job at another orphanage with infants where she planned to work at least until January. We all hugged and kissed goodbye, and headed back to our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">cabaña</span>. The next day we would begin our journey to Chile<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9l1VP1bARkhIzmMPVkceEcJCWglPIOrB0EfCI2KNKgFD3QiswmzF4a8uOk-OB4-8T9scUMSXjmNi3cGeksPQBO5e9CzvBmEPYGIZAZtad3ZSgUXtvMRuZCM9FAXIAkMABlQoLtCd4Eas/s1600-h/100_0095.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9l1VP1bARkhIzmMPVkceEcJCWglPIOrB0EfCI2KNKgFD3QiswmzF4a8uOk-OB4-8T9scUMSXjmNi3cGeksPQBO5e9CzvBmEPYGIZAZtad3ZSgUXtvMRuZCM9FAXIAkMABlQoLtCd4Eas/s320/100_0095.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143588567958407954" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The three sisters that run the orphanage for girls</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pCN-ZiC_rgJ4KK2nk7sN8ME7wMCleK1qkGAhu3rcxZyMYM3bzlv8TJPHsCuqPk_n6MKs6hyeKomap1e2nfPvM3KtViG8X8MOtWSf2iX7OskmvtawdYZn_gC1JbhaYvm0FJyKY-RW3Dk/s1600-h/100_0094.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pCN-ZiC_rgJ4KK2nk7sN8ME7wMCleK1qkGAhu3rcxZyMYM3bzlv8TJPHsCuqPk_n6MKs6hyeKomap1e2nfPvM3KtViG8X8MOtWSf2iX7OskmvtawdYZn_gC1JbhaYvm0FJyKY-RW3Dk/s320/100_0094.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143588572253375266" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">At last a piano to play! Fiona entertains the girls</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyftoldiwl0DnyB267ZU4djoG8hKeJVsE2nmtwwp2LU2ISYP43Q5WL-DB2R4NxVRCLA3tMitqvf6_u0MyhFjiuf2OnVx1PYlrWaAS8XtoRghbBIkU1G8hBuBU1mStktaKplf5EoqpuQ84/s1600-h/100_0100.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyftoldiwl0DnyB267ZU4djoG8hKeJVsE2nmtwwp2LU2ISYP43Q5WL-DB2R4NxVRCLA3tMitqvf6_u0MyhFjiuf2OnVx1PYlrWaAS8XtoRghbBIkU1G8hBuBU1mStktaKplf5EoqpuQ84/s320/100_0100.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143588585138277170" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The sisters, their helpers, and some of the girls with our family</span>The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527871753866656701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159817370100088494.post-28516040415627196042007-12-01T20:29:00.001-03:002007-12-13T18:46:53.804-03:00Thanksgiving in ArgentinaAndrew returned on November 23rd. Since he wasn't with us on Thanksgiving day and because many of our friends had inquired about Thanksgiving traditions in the United States, we decided that a wonderful way to show our gratitude to some our new found friends, and celebrate Andrew's return, would be to invite some friends to our cabaña for a Thanksgiving feast. We were excited but had some hurdles to overcome. First, as much as we wanted to invite everyone that we had met, we had to limit ourselves to under 30 people, which was challenging, as everyone had been so kind and welcoming. Our next hurdle was locating a turkey. Could we even get one? Turkey is not a common food in Argentina, but I went to my local carniceria and inquired about whether he could get us some "pavo". He asked me what size, did some checking, and sure enough, was able to find one. We wanted to make pumpkin pie, but alas it is spring in Argentina not fall and canned pumpkin is not available here, so we decided on apple crisp instead. Potatoes are readily available, as are "batatas" (sweet potatoes), so we added mashed potatoes and candied yams, both very traditional in our family, to our menu. I usually make my candied yams with maple syrup, something that you definitely can't find in South America, so I had Andrew bring a small bottle of maple syrup with him on the plane. Of course stuffing was simple to make. We also decided to serve carrots as they were easy to buy and prepare. Another one of our family favorites for Thanksgiving is sparkling apple cider. Amazingly, as we were walking through the main isle of the supermarket we noticed an end display with, of all things, sparkling apple cider! Our needed list of ingredients for our feast was complete.<br /><br />A couple of days before Thanksgiving, we had moved from one cabaña to another slightly larger one next to a river. The first cabaña had had no oven but fortunately the new one did, albeit quite a small one. Unfortunately, it was only able to cook on one temperature - very hot! There was also no hot water in the kitchen, only in the bathroom, so any dishes we used had to be washed in the bathroom sink. Since we didn't have enough pans, we borrowed some from our friends. We knew that this would be quite a challenging meal to make due to our limitations but remarkably, everything came together almost perfectly.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifo-E8kGMEMclPEs2euN45FMtw7F5ny7A_rd3U5kVfV_5YkUH7X2td-zoDosid7hyKtnUL4nQ1MdFU_0RNfH6WfrWeGLdKhT1dC2CzKTW4r1N9CQ5_GAN6Z6RqJvn1cOijDGOmuW4C8p4/s1600-h/100_0035.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifo-E8kGMEMclPEs2euN45FMtw7F5ny7A_rd3U5kVfV_5YkUH7X2td-zoDosid7hyKtnUL4nQ1MdFU_0RNfH6WfrWeGLdKhT1dC2CzKTW4r1N9CQ5_GAN6Z6RqJvn1cOijDGOmuW4C8p4/s320/100_0035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143567398064605874" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Stuffing the turkey - I had to use a needle and thread to hold it together!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioB__klO90rfdOiTUr8jH_8J3h9lJEVJ2UeZAhpDUij5dGKUOnm5wOJUvocksHcAEP8wRJ2LZOgfb7QyIXpc53B-dXASMz0loxeixol80r8VI-UV6Mnw8sqPtuVYNv6Hoq-9jxmOLteP0/s1600-h/100_0044.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioB__klO90rfdOiTUr8jH_8J3h9lJEVJ2UeZAhpDUij5dGKUOnm5wOJUvocksHcAEP8wRJ2LZOgfb7QyIXpc53B-dXASMz0loxeixol80r8VI-UV6Mnw8sqPtuVYNv6Hoq-9jxmOLteP0/s320/100_0044.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143567428129377010" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Apple crisp prep with a little helper</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje8zpq9cPrMo_XbarnCYPmkotqdFUpIsH86pRvqzJEvzrvHwdzad1ar-9V_TI7JR4ljfGn0uL1hC4IP91-i4WXtk-PFev8r8K_Gd3KVpB3OPNL4Ehpn24W2QpIdfKvqe9sK-aCfzOBcCo/s1600-h/100_0054.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje8zpq9cPrMo_XbarnCYPmkotqdFUpIsH86pRvqzJEvzrvHwdzad1ar-9V_TI7JR4ljfGn0uL1hC4IP91-i4WXtk-PFev8r8K_Gd3KVpB3OPNL4Ehpn24W2QpIdfKvqe9sK-aCfzOBcCo/s320/100_0054.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143567406654540482" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Not the most elegant looking Thanksgiving spread, but an accomplishment for us given our limited resources!<br /><br /></span>Our dinner was a big hit and we had a wonderful time sharing Thanksgiving with some of our new friends. We wished that we could have invited all of them, but with our limited space and ability to cook, the size group we ended up with worked out perfectly. It was a lovely, fun-filled evening, and a perfect way to show our thankfulness for our wonderful friends who had made our stay in Alta Gracia so memorable.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxfnmpFSyBAk5KIeB0Appq2hdNDihJwvQ-haN6O1uanhtCL96Pf1pFlY-mIbQ_RlOBqyghJ74w6SJIimZKE1CyrmjvVCTN0_7E6NdO5tKGMApSUYlqkpusrrAlacicxHBhHfsuOTWFJk/s1600-h/100_0072.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxfnmpFSyBAk5KIeB0Appq2hdNDihJwvQ-haN6O1uanhtCL96Pf1pFlY-mIbQ_RlOBqyghJ74w6SJIimZKE1CyrmjvVCTN0_7E6NdO5tKGMApSUYlqkpusrrAlacicxHBhHfsuOTWFJk/s320/100_0072.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143567410949507794" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Our attempt at a group photo - sadly some people didn't make it into the camera's range.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0hOHELLLXQRHpIVo4RrYVqL0Qe8CBhw1HMRVA2czlHFXGVT9bZlHhTckhCNg32X_MGH-wOPk_wUh_YCntX9dMDaW-oGWB_DP7Dc3MSNS4HahENFAUA532qUH6cg5VmIx_BlOBYkj3joM/s1600-h/100_0062.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0hOHELLLXQRHpIVo4RrYVqL0Qe8CBhw1HMRVA2czlHFXGVT9bZlHhTckhCNg32X_MGH-wOPk_wUh_YCntX9dMDaW-oGWB_DP7Dc3MSNS4HahENFAUA532qUH6cg5VmIx_BlOBYkj3joM/s320/100_0062.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5143567419539442402" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Everyone had a great time.</span>The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527871753866656701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159817370100088494.post-2757614532023961992007-12-01T19:51:00.000-03:002008-02-06T15:07:14.755-02:00Three Weeks in Alta GraciaAfter I arrived back in Argentina from Uruguay, I rented another car. Andrew and I had returned the large van in Buenos Aires because we didn't think that it was necessary to have a car that seated 11 while he was gone. Unfortunately the only cars available in Cordoba that weren't exorbitantly priced had five seats, and even with Andrew gone for a month, there were still 7 of us and our all of our luggage. This meant that we now found ourselves limited in our ability to travel. We had been planning, at some point during our trip, to study Spanish for three more weeks, and so I located a Spanish school in Cordoba. Since the school was unable to house a group of our size and we really didn't want to stay in a big city, we opted to rent another cabaña, this time in Alta Gracia. We found one on a lovely stream, close to a big park and moved in.<br /><br />Since Alta Gracia is about 30 kilometers from Cordoba, we had to drive in for class in our minuscule car. This forced me to submit to what I viewed as the very unsafe but extremely common Argentinean practice of piling lots of people into small cars without seat belts. I wasn't happy with this plan, but try as I might, I just couldn't locate a larger car that we could afford. The price almost doubled if you wanted a car that fit seven people.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPqzBUT1zz3zK6MlSv7Soz-BPYdkyO2VVoul2vJ2kzvFhQehVQdWo9_1vz5845jEUC7GytncZ9n07xFUHxTc40EL_9TlvEmG52sp3S1SivAdkrF7VKG5tUXiRHbYJawynXKHYSazRs6Ok/s1600-r/IMG_3149.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9zKyYbiROJxq08wduRihfOpz2hBXajeSQmYpoHIrnRc5Ibjlx5Nj48ye65sKvx2mhhffYbvCA545mXZUZ3kB0u5x8MebCyywMsIhfU8XjTHCuz9WL43MFcgyH6rh9U4hRQmpk-R-H0M/s320/IMG_3149.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139584580401744450" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Making the best of our little car</span><br /><br />The town of Alta Gracia itself wasn't particularly remarkable. It is a World Heritage site because of the Jesuit Estancia in the center of town.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bZrp4HYNw-gUvV0-Cj4ZwQnkMORhX_8vEtVc4vXQikFlhuXDXvrFDdrx6HXbHKAn77pW41Ov7NNk089hyphenhyphenZW8XnEpi7z-EKar0dXbw-PxZ3L0AhEJ8uyCt8wNBBRjBtdz-mg1AX6fsGc/s1600-r/IMG_3152.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYoJOJcf_0HPxnsf1An7aDHvhMZte7cDIyI-Tg4P8K_RpE28kywxNh2MCsLrED2M73702D2J3NdrFAi4a6ksMtW_q4OMaIogQhUbBlgqArJFyNB2XtC8MUc6obtzWoiltkGDoT1uJN64g/s320/IMG_3152.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139580693456341554" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">An unremarkable picture of back of the Jesuit Estancia's church in Alta Gracia<br /><br /></span>But the real draw of Alta Gracia for us was the people we met there. With the exception of the beautiful Mass we attended at the monastery in Merlo, we hadn't been impressed by our experiences with the Catholic churches in Uruguay, or in Lujan for that matter (priests changing the words of the liturgy, guitars playing out-of-tune cheesy songs, and just a general lack of reverence and enthusiasm on the part of the people). There was a church in Alta Gracia with a sung Latin Mass - something that some of us had never experienced before - so we decided to go. It was not a large church, but it was filled to capacity with with lots of vibrant, large families and many young adults. The music was celestial, and I for one felt like I had died and gone to heaven. After Mass everyone came up to meet us and lots of besos were exchanged.<br /><br />We were invited to numerous people's homes, but ultimately, we accepted an invitation to the home of the grandma of some of the people there. The house was filled with her adult children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Later in the afternoon, Chris was invited to play soccer with a bunch of the boys, Elli had a new found friend named Rosario to play with, and the older girls were invited to go to the river with the teens and young adults. The girls were gone for hours, and their arrival was heralded by the sound of Argentine folk music complete with guitars. Two cars and one truck pulled up completely filled with young people. The music was coming from the back of the truck where there were quite a few people with guitars playing and singing at full volume (some of these same people were cantors and had the most amazing voices.) It was a beautiful and charming scene.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXbbwN5-ICduHJc4wT8fbjyXbMmF7Zao1WfdZ6-h3lb_nLRMe_t6EUhyphenhyphenSiup0lIoQdPceF7i1MBMAx_3meuIq1H3fILHxpLkD_RyyeNJs5PLfkepN5_ALZrkUSPKMFNgc4ouELJrDRCVI/s1600-r/100_1628.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-EDe4Chl_2WtyiEnzdS6K88bZK7Fsc8sA435bT6mrgUQAtOtquQVkrFNTUWvozifLY9dpvt6JlCJ_W7SwyvEkvhGbDnYPHCfTDkqI7yW4FhIbmHDW4_4b3IA8oDw-6iXQqs0umJ4ts_E/s320/100_1628.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139573349062265362" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Some of the group arriving back from the river<br /><br /></span>Thus began our sojourn in Alta Gracia. The next three weeks were spent studying Spanish and getting lots of practice speaking Spanish with all of our new found friends who generously opened up their homes and hearts to our family.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOl8VFqlKKLCu8zgyXqdCp4VL6jKTpOZyjQm9B_t_oY1MKXhmhpvdswRO_f4zQid_EN8zZSsuAyxjCk7XIsPKYUni8UpaRwRnUDBLmTjvgdl93w0FsYWViBMzZIvM4vvQm4STyK6HI-Mw/s1600-r/100_1751.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ANEJv1kLRqcx2IT5mCiNA4MK21v_YU6bolXIx1znrabZkFWG1o9tsC4jFMblsiWPVnI0IdBBFqNbQSW0QRLq8NLYW1K_-2G6tUOktWsr3xsyxVX3ggbs4C4Ku6uYKrE_bXwfKsmDXGU/s320/100_1751.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139580684866406946" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Elli with some of her new friends<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEEwZ9IEoVCcy2HkvunGIBfgIgdzEObsQAduSeYVOdnrQHhCjixLcvnW4z5og3f269DkjZDHoi1dqnhlNMfSo_4-8JaPjgnREmWO1uFmQFdKiwGVDZYGBlecr1CeXBLKUgjpnH7YIH7U/s1600-r/100_1749.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijnRVAlKis-SFm6rnjSqRn2KZgbh5N50O7NwNuT2z4Ql2-TzxCVBeDOvfo3_ufwr2Aqs3sxWiqeF5h6K092liQP1uPlxSpFFi4A_R2P8iQtJEJKxsfYJC6CtUOaBzM5KKLCeeNLhPRy-Q/s320/100_1749.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139152863174052338" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Chris and his friend Jose - They enjoyed the bike course at the local park<br /><br /></span>During the next three weeks, because of our small car, we limited ourselves to site seeing in Cordoba and visits to various places close to our cabaña. The one exception was a day trip we took to San Carlos Paz, a city on a large lake that our tour book had recommended avoiding. Probably because it was not yet summer, we actually found the place relatively quiet and quite scenic. We stopped at a lakeside heladaria and bought ourselves some ice-cream cones which we ate overlooking the lake. Then we did some exploring. The town's architecture was quite charming overall, with one notable exception, one of the local Catholic churches! We had thought that the new cathedral in Los Angeles was a monstrosity, but this one was in our opinion, was even uglier.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jnxF6y4EIxkV4qbfSw1gFnhfhSCswit49EZ-8raS3bTpzh6VLx6E5bTpTVq5Knx15UYeIDWSahbSzbL4eYXgJViue_OlGspmm2Lrl2D4TX_irtITv_mhpR7VHGAJVMITzFzQzoCb2Jw/s1600-r/100_1722.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijT0l6SnmY6cY5BEKtDNqmOWL7_f8Io24stXeWvWetngHMCjS5ZXxTEUdOdnEa4hj7S_U0zaOEEPtEnaAq01VBnpE_C7WqCWW9ZdvcXHYzlDPDA7I3tSDppQvmSUWoXhygmWzUW2ifII0/s320/100_1722.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139152871763986946" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">What on earth was the architect thinking?<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_hzOVcZwUrMC5rlgW5NAuMbJQsF31O3KATRaNUxNzluERv0W9bSMfG7_9aLkQdU_ItJOrolYlwvEXi2-gXmP7_6Pu35X5nHbYsJcN87TS7bsNyK71SGNnJbrtbg7-0004chBJJ4C3qoY/s1600-r/IMG_3170.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWu6zAjf5n6P83_N9fGhUgXNtW-dw0rQdctio4tTZqckTnrxCPvqrLxFJo7tMBvO-wYohH7f63j2WZuUIwJKX4CODy2dllfNHMZNkJfoGXMmqYDHR8LKMWKuLPqY_bKH4N3hrMYu1waJA/s320/IMG_3170.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139591194651380322" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Enjoying ice cream by the lake in San Carlos Paz</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span>We weren't initially impressed with the city of Cordoba, but once we found a parking place and explored the center of town where the school was located, we were impressed with some of the beautiful old architecture (there are some absolutely amazing churches there) and were charmed by the design of the downtown district with it numerous pedestrian only areas overshadowed by canopies of flowering trees, and filled with a plenitude of interesting shops.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhH2g03u3pMts3HlnojzPAW93jLClPxGFTgTXgyDE76w89fSh51R1waHuRTIuJkDQHUkkUMjubTZMecjojtoH1JYC0hHqXhZ0mKCAlif4-TYKIYYrRVr80GHbT4VhLnvlxE8fG-1YHDm0/s1600-r/IMG_3238.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQAO3mALR8vBL3oqiwdjkfG7aLdYDaUTNVhkoQXlsZkeCgSw4Cm70W75cM1cSr76GMQ6WBOXbvXS89_qFvJbAbTcVXFSAhne2QvST5BxGI5XrqY_qkZe8DfWdWCn3NbmH-S1jBI7tLCXY/s320/IMG_3238.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139584653416188498" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">One of many amazing churches, but sadly the only one I have a picture of.</span><br /><br />Our time in Alta Gracia passed quickly, and before we knew it, it was time for Andrew's return.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEEwZ9IEoVCcy2HkvunGIBfgIgdzEObsQAduSeYVOdnrQHhCjixLcvnW4z5og3f269DkjZDHoi1dqnhlNMfSo_4-8JaPjgnREmWO1uFmQFdKiwGVDZYGBlecr1CeXBLKUgjpnH7YIH7U/s1600-r/100_1749.JPG"><br /></a>The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527871753866656701noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159817370100088494.post-77680144880929018512007-11-24T19:11:00.000-03:002007-12-02T21:48:30.700-03:00From Merlo to the Valle de CalamuchitaOur next destination after <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Merlo</span> was the valley of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Calamuchita</span>, northeast of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Merlo</span> and south of the city of Cordoba. According to our guidebook this was a beautiful area with lush vegetation, lakes, rivers, and even Alpine-style villages (there were many Swiss, Austrian, and German immigrants to this area). On the recommendation of Fernando, our host in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Merlo</span>, we took a short cut over the mountains. This took us past an observatory and enabled us to by-pass the city of Cordoba altogether, bringing us directly into the town of Alta Gracia, the site of an historic Jesuit <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Estancia</span>. From there we headed south through the valley towards Santa Rosa <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">de</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Calamuchita</span> where there was a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">cabaña</span> that Fernando had called ahead to reserve for us. Everyone was happy to see the change from a drier landscape to a more lush, green one, and there were many oohs and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">aahs</span> as we passed scenic rivers and a picturesque lake on our way.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD7GtDq4SqwIjexn2qFVUJhu7FwtHNHNGa2tPI6iV8krh3ab_4b2RV6Ff11OJ5g-duSfI46FaWD8o2v9UIXJCMM_TsnxUrySjwQ95CgapUrW_8AQEeixCkdC6Yn6EvlhtgJ_65d9RnuXc/s1600-r/100_1513.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBKJEpEhlx33-vFu0DPNprQtpGb-_-CKzTT0W908JQGwG4yOh32wrYWFXwWwkmMe3ecs4m29jEG8sjWMCFrfVf9Si-h1qRP1UY1Dfa_IqtJZhmbt8Yulx9nD4gHbuq9HnY0AeTd7ln1_U/s320/100_1513.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139137255262898610" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">A scenic lake in the valley</span><br /><br />We got as far as Villa General <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Belgrano</span> (which is the town before Santa Rosa) and it was already getting late. As we drove through the town, we spotted some nice <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">cabañas</span> a few blocks from the center of town with a pool, and since we were hungry and really wanted to explore the town, we decided to check them out. They turned out to be much cheaper than the one that had been reserved for us, so we decided to stay.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEpZMQ4M1KLIXVH_Vf9rDFF4sRws-kjo4GO60w0udn54uCv32bJ35Mt8ILOaR2TFHXUw_Dv5dBkkGo6-ktMiFVG8N_eJF05pBZvkaiyPK5r8bCK6YMJbChByPZqQK1nR0g56KK9Am-_AQ/s1600-r/100_1531.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJutSoqUaXnU1W_-MOaBXTCDzdFUyknXv_JqVl3td8Qa4vZ87_gAfZC4rglqSIDV5X82UC4U51GbtzeGI1xcd20ChK18uQkIF59eZRUd_nhX1STBp-5LPuXRpktFrvOZ-Jm4u5ui4sf-E/s320/100_1531.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139139591725107666" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">cabaña</span> in Villa General <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Belgrano</span></span><br /><br />Here let me interject a little side comment about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">cabañas</span>. If you ever travel in Argentina, I would highly recommend staying in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">cabañas</span> when you are in the more rural areas. They are clean, well-equipped little houses with kitchens and include the pots and pans, dishes and linens you need to have a comfortable stay. Some, as in the case of our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">cabaña</span> in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Merlo</span>, even included a homemade breakfast. They are very affordable (we have paid between $40-$80 a night depending on the location) and they usually sleep between 6 to 9 people, which definitely makes traveling with a larger family more affordable.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7eqnqK7snAoMM8Fn6t_68lWUhK37PXvx_AeBVcmpLh6MwdK1F4wD8VK85nbkQJ439SA7F-_1OxCHCtvO0DIA51l5Ukp4ldJMzjSDVTpZCPIZ9YIYTksx96pQmi_Bu9gvbTVxTMmDsMw/s1600-r/100_1522.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm7X6q_XBMF7u4wWfiEP7mPOgn6TFukv6BAxv6kvkddrEsdpigtk27gIAusrcEv1TAB8Z1g_eBbTZk7zOhkK-i_OfVFluVDUA65C12h0W8g6cRsuJ0qnVZJ-4jiDEAU8buk3EjQyPv644/s320/100_1522.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139137268147800514" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Fiona & I climbed to the top of a hill with a shrine on top overlooking Villa General <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Belgrano</span><br /><br /></span>After we unpacked the car, we walked into town to look for some dinner. Villa General <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Belgrano</span> was originally settled by German immigrants. This gives the town a decidedly German flavor both in its architecture and in its food and trinket offerings. If you are looking for coo-coo clocks or beer steins while you are in South America, this is definitely the place to go. They even have an Oktoberfest every year.<br /><br />Since Julia’s birthday was eminent and we <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">didn</span>’t want to be on the road for her special day, we decided to use our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">cabañas</span> as a home base for exploring the area. Our guidebook had suggested a day trip to a remote “alpine” village called Villa <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">de</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Calamuchita</span>. Although it was only 35 km from Villa General <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Belgrano</span>, the road was dirt and gravel the entire way, so it took us over an our to get there. It was, however, a beautiful drive. The village itself was closed to cars and was definitely geared towards tourists with many of the people who worked in the businesses dressed in Austrian style attire.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS94v59k9ayyJFqfPsU8rHdHx3a3uVZrCWaiZ5z4fS2FJRkvCwlc4qI5vpnCv7qorHt69j-0W0MhC9u-87fkonRNz1N8RN3jrcKK2rb_-jJDqKLcTmpxsDQAyqOZo5fExQMI5J6Tf2R6E/s1600-r/100_1534.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjccftX-oBAkxKvDApD6fzByM0VmHoxD1WXKh_qmx9PjM5IrEim09PjKIv4wlLln2THLkgvR_SkV2B7h0zxIgSz7FkhA3yhyGPgVKQ4abMGpAMRPX3rbbC5ZpFLWcgbBJSNa9lg12jvpNI/s320/100_1534.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139127724730468690" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">No this is not an Austrian village but Villa <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">de</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Calamuchita</span> in Argentina</span><br /><br />As we entered the village, we were handed a brochure about a place on the edge of the village called <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">Peñón</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">del</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Aguila</span> - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Aventura</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">Alpina</span>, where there were zip-lines, places to go rock-climbing, and a river to swim in. We all decided that this sounded like a fun place for us to go to celebrate Julia’s birthday and it sure was! The park was located in an amazingly scenic location with zip-lines that went all the way across a big canyon.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjb994PDkT9HCzwfk_LvWJ4hNXcwO2MCJALzMy2vd79IXeCyYlcVzXif75m2FvcDp5qcRcxH1e6mh2iB6ws5cbSrfvkHbGWpMXJLXRn8Px8HOxb4lmdDQ_DCGVY2WHAIV8wKjFy2yq5Rw/s1600-r/100_1551.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWUvVFmgZfXAnfYLgLvHiDLjitSsua86IqK_TXevaAPBjUBcbabxveF0BFGcP1p5h0b7Wt6Q5_RWaNqv1wG6GH2BaSGeGTnvC-P_97fS7GZZyYoG74ygn4Y2jYullvKFeadBafaE_HKso/s320/100_1551.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139127741910337906" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Harnessed up and ready to go on a rope course through the trees</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xQzA5epk937nNxEqDvJjHz8YLS3gpl4xMlNuzs5cF40tHN4tORzdkhCIiKnwvfWzUqWhWOLGCXYkGmvuARtM0735PZhuxFadC31V4QaED4y5687_tzjozKehSBC0ODAs4Vv5gffdbH8/s1600-r/S5001008.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_xsSzXoOz3Dm7tA9VmeUnB6TNFGdyjCp69Lyp_W4ytgxPy0A3twhVwZ0BdkBMyGYBKACdz_sUhKGusYncqtDLgyuxm8H0YoYD8XBQf5fcam3DH9h4ov7Q4vyfKxmJwSLOSLgb8PDdiM/s320/S5001008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139127711845566786" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJnUgt0CNIveS1MPkMjGL610YiputJJNpF51eAXsWZF8pDl4mILXW_POaXrxw1NOEzTEhTDPHj7RVpv4quVOXUvas6b2Ps8ZuFLG6WNKsK20S5miUYMK2NCP2ay5GHfGKn7Y1iIxlkoU/s1600-r/100_1573.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZmOzXuEZxIEzkgmrPMUJsFi9hyL0latcwyQP3gvyRjOXByZJWZ8g8T4xOUIWRqdlYfXNi7Eys1BPDFWbquU9jx54OOBq7XiTuaji7fXb5WCGIop87XlDGGTjUbK_XsLCVxHyBZy46Uwg/s320/100_1573.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139137190838389122" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Zipping across the canyon<br /><br /></span>Andrew and the kids got harnessed up and zipped across the canyon in several different locations. Since, I had been fighting a headache all day and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">didn</span>’t feel up to flying across canyons, I volunteered to be the photographer. Everyone had a great time and overall, we had a fabulous day, which we decided to complete with a delicious dinner at the fondue restaurant in Villa General <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">Belgrano</span>, and ice-cream at the one of the local <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">heladerias</span>.<br /><br />The next day we were ready to find a new place to stay in a new location. Sadly, it was time for Andrew to head back to the states for a month. I needed to go with him as far as Uruguay so that we could pack up our extra stuff. When we left Uruguay, our intention was to return to the house we were renting in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">Piriopolis</span> while Andrew was gone for a month. But now that we were in Argentina, we really wanted to stay longer. The kids fell in love with the town of Santa Rosa <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">de</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">Calamuchita</span>. It was a quiet little town with a nice down-town and and a river flowing through it. We located a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">cabaña</span> close to the downtown area and river and got them settled before Andrew and I headed back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">Buenos</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">Aires</span> to return our large van, pack-up our stuff in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">Piriapolis</span>, and get Andrew on the plane back to the states in Montevideo.The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527871753866656701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159817370100088494.post-49126211293570760762007-11-22T21:40:00.000-03:002007-11-27T18:51:50.966-03:00On to MerloWe set out from our overnight stay in Laboulaye, an unremarkable town surrounded by agriculture, and headed for our destination near the city of San Luis. As soon as we entered the province of San Luis, and long before we actually got to the city of San Luis, we were surprised when, quite unexpectedly, the road improved and became a four lane divided highway. After a day and a half on two lane highways where we had to constantly keep an eye out for crazy drivers, this change was welcome indeed. The other welcome sight for all of us was real mountains! Uruguay is mostly flat with some rolling hills and a few larger “cerros," and the pampas of Argentina are completely flat. Since we love the mountains (most of us spent years living in Montana and Idaho), we were all thrilled when mountains finally appeared on the horizon.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspH0i3h5sgGjdvY3t4g8jP7QuOVAVhE6w-HzDJiRC_ZTyukKxTaOWE4CvV2DCC1Q3LQSj5LHC3lcDyX_YAQ7n_d-Uz-kWWfi722d2ak7otZhMHWklJ48d_RDX2vu_A9_GlToAEtbP_Tw/s1600-h/IMG_2998.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhspH0i3h5sgGjdvY3t4g8jP7QuOVAVhE6w-HzDJiRC_ZTyukKxTaOWE4CvV2DCC1Q3LQSj5LHC3lcDyX_YAQ7n_d-Uz-kWWfi722d2ak7otZhMHWklJ48d_RDX2vu_A9_GlToAEtbP_Tw/s320/IMG_2998.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135833418939645986" border="0" /></a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Mountains at Last!<br /><br /></span>Our plan was to stay near the city of San Luis for a day and do some exploring, and then head north toward Cordoba. However, when we actually got to the city San Luis, we were not really impressed with the area (it was pretty dry with sparse vegetation) and decided instead to head north right away towards the famed town of Merlo for the night. We left San Luis and headed north, into a dry and beautiful mountainous areas with very few houses or towns in sight, but still on the wonderful four-lane divided highway. I kept remarking to anyone in the car who would listen to me about how incredible the road was (it even had lights all along the way as well). I just couldn’t figure out why, in the middle of nowhere, the roads were so good. Later I found out that the former governor of the province built them with an eye to the future. He just ran for president in the recent election here but lost. (In my opinion, the roads of Argentina have suffered a great loss!)<br /><br />We arrived in Merlo, a cute touristy sort of town, after dark and looked for a place to eat. Since we hadn’t actually planned to stay in Merlo, we didn’t have any idea of where to stay for the night. So at the restaurant, we asked our waitress (in broken Spanish) for some suggestions. A friend of the owner who spoke good English happened to be there. Amazingly enough, he and his wife had just opened up some cabañas that past week. He gave his wife a quick call and then drove us to his place. In addition to the cabaña itself, which was very nice, there were horses for the kids to ride, a swimming pool, a beautiful view of the mountains, and the most amazing homemade breakfasts. Our one night stay expanded into a three-day visit, and we had lots of fun riding horses, hiking and relaxing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5FRhxJl36STVJVXTquyG4pFw3IWZMtisZweU5csMX6TUEEUYOBpnhfB-qZ_vaGvysulWIDyyWdrd0-98bxw8s_yXo7OeLXpvLUN3ND_sqRLO4NtqIjf9KApWqKxshU2s-j-_UPC8d7Gg/s1600-h/IMG_3015.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5FRhxJl36STVJVXTquyG4pFw3IWZMtisZweU5csMX6TUEEUYOBpnhfB-qZ_vaGvysulWIDyyWdrd0-98bxw8s_yXo7OeLXpvLUN3ND_sqRLO4NtqIjf9KApWqKxshU2s-j-_UPC8d7Gg/s320/IMG_3015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135832031665209330" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Chris and Elli were overjoyed to get to go riding again<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZz8fdVdYeFsihTS_2r3ZEqKo61Bx-3WPbiivmJPo5wN1V7rwr_SMk9AEoSmwxvsihAgUxP8ZdCoWhNLEhseZ3ihqj4KjxIQBzlJyExmm21cPmBVQTUbQi0gnjeNo5GTvafsgB1StZowQ/s1600-h/IMG_3009.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZz8fdVdYeFsihTS_2r3ZEqKo61Bx-3WPbiivmJPo5wN1V7rwr_SMk9AEoSmwxvsihAgUxP8ZdCoWhNLEhseZ3ihqj4KjxIQBzlJyExmm21cPmBVQTUbQi0gnjeNo5GTvafsgB1StZowQ/s320/IMG_3009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135832001600438226" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">This was our daily breakfast fare, all freshly homemade!!!<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hDV0wjnrX_R3HKXPUODnsmcsenncFJVmGC0Kx_BMd_BBp78t0x0_-br4KXasrCHgEFeUsp6socA4keNTlH8Q1PowQkLLTMyXT1ylcnswemQKkLqIITtw7Wo8bMJq7o2zJbZIAc1UybU/s1600-h/IMG_3011.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hDV0wjnrX_R3HKXPUODnsmcsenncFJVmGC0Kx_BMd_BBp78t0x0_-br4KXasrCHgEFeUsp6socA4keNTlH8Q1PowQkLLTMyXT1ylcnswemQKkLqIITtw7Wo8bMJq7o2zJbZIAc1UybU/s320/IMG_3011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135832044550111250" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Here we enjoying our breakfast feast!<br /><br /></span>On Saturday, we asked our host about where to go for Mass on Sunday, and he told us about a local convent where the sisters sung “angelically.” So early Sunday morning we hiked up to the church, which sat against an amazing mountain backdrop. It turned out to be a cloistered order with lots of young nuns in traditional white habits. When we first entered the church it almost looked as if we had entered a Byzantine Catholic church. Beautiful hand painted icons adorned the walls and the altar. But the chant was Gregorian and the Mass a mixture of East and West. In talking afterwards with the sister in charge of greeting guests, we found out that they are a French order that combines both Latin Rite and Eastern Catholic spirituality. We were very impressed by the beauty, reverence and holiness that we experienced there.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXxuRDLb7HDnkKM3IdAoGN_0LTlEw4Cl2GJAPEKWn3dBqK-FkFRwKohCiQ6GmVjxyF_aCIly01xLhQFHdYYHzw_QloZZu8UnPVRn5Ukx21NPT1FqWKzr-Vka0onkwmfzr0GC7yQsH0Dbs/s1600-h/IMG_5191.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXxuRDLb7HDnkKM3IdAoGN_0LTlEw4Cl2GJAPEKWn3dBqK-FkFRwKohCiQ6GmVjxyF_aCIly01xLhQFHdYYHzw_QloZZu8UnPVRn5Ukx21NPT1FqWKzr-Vka0onkwmfzr0GC7yQsH0Dbs/s320/IMG_5191.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137637945154093154" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">A beautiful place for a convent - This is their church.<br /><br /></span>On our final day at the cabaña in Merlo, we had another “dog incident” with Elisabeth. Poor Elisabeth was finally overcoming her reluctance to pet dogs after her experience in Lujan when she was unexpectedly attacked by a German Shepherd at the cabañas. To be fair, I don’t think the dog was being vicious, but rather seemed to be having some pain in its ears. But Elli, in her attempt to befriend it, made the mistake of trying to scratch its ears. Once again I heard Elli scream, but this time I turned to see a German Shepherd on top of Elli with its mouth biting into her head (definitely one of those traumatic moments for a mom). Fortunately Chris, who was standing close by, acted quickly and kicked the dog off. Apart from some scratches and bruises, Elli only received one actual puncture wound on her forehead. This time, since we had just gotten her a tetanus shot and the dog was current on its shots, I opted to not call the doctor. I decided instead to minimize any further trauma by fixing the wound myself with a butterfly bandage. Praise God, Elisabeth was fine, but she may end up with one small scar to commemorate her visit to Merlo, Argentina.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsrY-BijXGN-JmqZqoRg4l5JIwcHluHADmjUZ2sCQYkjvgEUwRF15ZWLfDpiTc9sZ2RHnJ9ApzZTztAeHUKGiL_oLMp_LqDaPDue4_VvQ2E0c5AU9Lp3P37q7Vyn9JnEUUNo3PBPVubJs/s1600-h/IMG_3019.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsrY-BijXGN-JmqZqoRg4l5JIwcHluHADmjUZ2sCQYkjvgEUwRF15ZWLfDpiTc9sZ2RHnJ9ApzZTztAeHUKGiL_oLMp_LqDaPDue4_VvQ2E0c5AU9Lp3P37q7Vyn9JnEUUNo3PBPVubJs/s320/IMG_3019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135832018780307426" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Fernando and his wife at our Cabaña - They were wonderful hosts<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX5E2z8dUlVK7NbP6IRz3Hb4l1meFQ9CbTU_u0xuQft1rRw1i6JXLw5Kalu3YhzVzvxYMZzxkDVW_-5Ngoe0upY4RbWcdVvLFVI-p53SQ0KLG_KDAZhdLtZ5qgGdrmh778ZUc4spjJW-Y/s1600-h/IMG_3020.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX5E2z8dUlVK7NbP6IRz3Hb4l1meFQ9CbTU_u0xuQft1rRw1i6JXLw5Kalu3YhzVzvxYMZzxkDVW_-5Ngoe0upY4RbWcdVvLFVI-p53SQ0KLG_KDAZhdLtZ5qgGdrmh778ZUc4spjJW-Y/s320/IMG_3020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136035814978502706" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The view behind the cabañas - the actual view was far more spectacular than this photos shows</span>The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527871753866656701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159817370100088494.post-18326466721903579142007-11-17T16:12:00.000-03:002007-11-18T18:37:57.953-03:00Across the PampasWe left Lujan around noon and headed out across the pampas towards the province of San Luis. Our first stop, on the advice of our Argentina guidebook, was the "gaucho town" of San Antonio de Areco. The town was a nice, quaint stopping place for a cup of coffee, but we really saw nothing even remotely guachoesque about the town and concluded that if we really wanted to experience what the author of our guidebook had experienced, we would need to return during the annual gaucho festival in November. Chris and Elli were a bit disappointed, but we knew that they would have plenty of other opportunities to see real gauchos in Argentina.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsGyOu8PMXUnLqARCGDHTKxBZcMLhN3E3DERxJ5dWi3gUp4hJGSoKEnAzx752932YVz_OWjKsNnx5rlWijtywAxHu7i9khxN7OwBdULAGMcuhq3elnFVazN0RgzMiiKLMUidqggV9Ecv4/s1600-h/100_1177.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsGyOu8PMXUnLqARCGDHTKxBZcMLhN3E3DERxJ5dWi3gUp4hJGSoKEnAzx752932YVz_OWjKsNnx5rlWijtywAxHu7i9khxN7OwBdULAGMcuhq3elnFVazN0RgzMiiKLMUidqggV9Ecv4/s320/100_1177.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134295958086631314" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Kilometer after kilometer of the pampas went by<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7z7BVlNnpKxYoV_kXG-b9-eQfYGcNakAOGN4nBUYAq76jP76BDZPzRaa3xLFwmuhnB3dByOCrx6lrlFkpukrYsdKA793qmbVGeNTOGGAVz5s3IVZhydiaHjSUAns-YM23weCcch_VGk0/s1600-h/IMG_2982.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7z7BVlNnpKxYoV_kXG-b9-eQfYGcNakAOGN4nBUYAq76jP76BDZPzRaa3xLFwmuhnB3dByOCrx6lrlFkpukrYsdKA793qmbVGeNTOGGAVz5s3IVZhydiaHjSUAns-YM23weCcch_VGk0/s320/IMG_2982.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134295975266500546" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">More of the pampas<br /><br /></span>It didn't take too long for us to begin to get a sense of the vastness of Argentina. It is the 8th largest country in the world, and after driving several hours across flat lush farmland our position on the map of Argentina had hardly changed at all. This might be a good time to mention a bit about driving in Argentina. Argentine drivers tend to be very aggressive and drive very fast (unless they’re in old cars in which case they drive too slowly). As far as I can tell, traffic signs in this country serve as suggestions rather than as rules to be followed. Since there are very few four lane divided highways, especially in rural areas, driving across Argentina means driving on two lane highways with large trucks and drivers who have no qualms about passing on curves, at the base of hills, and when the sign states that passing is prohibited.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEige2s_RWUl6VI1OgQ7YrkATRxUoACityK63TVsZCnQ0kpUnBuJkr9Z0yn7RCjAFkz0dDTAMwzqWGSFhu11aUsOhjSbtbfNJwld99iw-EqIZ-tOXIDlRbmOCQkhFmYFpppiXR4VKUSQPBI/s1600-h/IMG_2988.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEige2s_RWUl6VI1OgQ7YrkATRxUoACityK63TVsZCnQ0kpUnBuJkr9Z0yn7RCjAFkz0dDTAMwzqWGSFhu11aUsOhjSbtbfNJwld99iw-EqIZ-tOXIDlRbmOCQkhFmYFpppiXR4VKUSQPBI/s320/IMG_2988.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134292139860705106" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">This truck has just passed us even though we are going over the speed limit.</span><br /><br />We had one “near death” driving experience on our journey to San Luis. I started to pass (with plenty of room) what I thought was one large truck. However, once I got into the other lane, I realized that there were actually 2 trucks with a small car in-between. Since I'm not as bold as Argentine drivers and didn't want to pass 2 trucks and a car, I attempted to go back into my lane behind the truck. Unfortunately, there were now several cars where I had been and they wouldn’t let me back in. I attempted to speed up and pass the first truck so I could move over between the car and one of the trucks until it was safe to pass again. But, alas, once again no one would let me in and the oncoming car was now almost upon us. My kids were now starting to panic (I was too focused at that moment to panic and my husband, bless his heart remained calm). What to do? As I didn't have enough time to pass both trucks, I had no choice but to go off the road on the left side just before the oncoming car passed us by. Thankfully the shoulder was wide and I was able to safely come to a stop and then proceed on a little wiser for the experience.<br /><br />On a more positive note, we were quite happy to discover that even in “Podunk” places, the gas stations in Argentina have espresso machines with great coffee, as well as clean bathrooms. After traveling for about 6 hours, we decided that we would stop in the city of Laboulaye for the night, and continue on to San Luis the following morning.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElHYrurgjVyntYVBRySUG4b5jig6Z0BpeS6gSfTSCRuuvYeAMzx7jeLgGjpQ_XBdTh6lsS7XrqcFZZ3TfwQVNnlH8hRGri6mnmL-cLcslbz-Ykb9Ps7e0lO2ibFDxiiKqRkp7z69zTeA/s1600-h/IMG_2976.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiElHYrurgjVyntYVBRySUG4b5jig6Z0BpeS6gSfTSCRuuvYeAMzx7jeLgGjpQ_XBdTh6lsS7XrqcFZZ3TfwQVNnlH8hRGri6mnmL-cLcslbz-Ykb9Ps7e0lO2ibFDxiiKqRkp7z69zTeA/s320/IMG_2976.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134295970971533234" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Taking a Frisbee break at a gas station</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAsMFqfj5S_-UTn-SVjgB9vnXwNccLpW3VKs5zmcEwZPKvNB-ElTCJ9ukl5odDy2v3tB5RePsVMJ7HvUmjXzPV8pbDoaOgWwUjH0N7OnPBw0ntZGxlVXgNqg39wnb7beUglhx8FHx0is/s1600-h/IMG_2990.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAsMFqfj5S_-UTn-SVjgB9vnXwNccLpW3VKs5zmcEwZPKvNB-ElTCJ9ukl5odDy2v3tB5RePsVMJ7HvUmjXzPV8pbDoaOgWwUjH0N7OnPBw0ntZGxlVXgNqg39wnb7beUglhx8FHx0is/s320/IMG_2990.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134292144155672418" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">We were really glad we brought this magnetic chess/checkers game with us. It was great for the long hours on the road.</span>The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527871753866656701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159817370100088494.post-29231322345270277122007-11-05T22:11:00.001-03:002007-11-17T17:36:32.347-03:00Our First Few Days in ArgentinaTo get to Argentina we took the fast ferry from Colonia, which meant an hour ride on the very comfortable Buquebus. We had a bit of a challenge trying to get our tickets (their machine was having issues) and we ended up being the last people to board. During our voyage, some members of the family had lots of fun talking with a large group of very friendly dairy farmers from southern Brazil. You could have plopped these guys down anywhere in the mid-west and they would have fit in perfectly, (except for their Portuguese).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pAJkcvSz-hTn2WkQgBvDZ_6LAsmSSvA8i1JLgZkF1E_tRGxm2qJsNrKjH4ifOX0NiyY6ACUN614uyrB1aEm13gfkbe3dmJzwwcJBXNPCtWp-x1Ozher7Kn4fvM3sZ5hHEdMzRzjm4k0/s1600-h/000_0005.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pAJkcvSz-hTn2WkQgBvDZ_6LAsmSSvA8i1JLgZkF1E_tRGxm2qJsNrKjH4ifOX0NiyY6ACUN614uyrB1aEm13gfkbe3dmJzwwcJBXNPCtWp-x1Ozher7Kn4fvM3sZ5hHEdMzRzjm4k0/s320/000_0005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129536606290594402" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Julia & Fiona in the Buquebus station with the ferry behind them<br /><br /></span>We arrived in Buenos Aires around noon. We had all read and heard quite a few horror stories about the experiences people had had with crime in Buenos Aires. On top of that, we're not particularly fond of large cities (Buenos Aires has over 12 million people), so we were all a bit nervous. Fortunately, our fears proved to be unfounded. We rented a van at the Buquebus station and headed off through the city Buenos Aires to the town of Lujan, our destination for the first day. We were all quite amazed at how clean and beautiful the parts of the city we saw were. In fact, from what I saw, Buenos Aires is actually quite an amazing city. I can understand now why it has been called the “Paris of South America.” I’ve decided that I would love to spend a few days there sometime, but probably not with all of my kids in tow.<br /><br />As a side note: I mentioned that we rented a van when we arrived in Buenos Aires. Let me add here a quick comment about my experiences with cars in Uruguay and Argentina. I am now convinced that there is a "conspiracy" in our country that keeps us from being able to buy cars that get good gas mileage. I rented a Renault van in Piriapolis that seated 7 and got around 40 miles to the gallon, and the Hyundai van we rented in Buenos Aires seated up to 11 and got close to 30 miles to the gallon. The Hyundai was one the nicest, most comfortable vans I have ever driven in. Granted both vans were manual and diesel but I just don't understand why I can't buy a van like those in the states - O.K. that’s enough venting on cars.<br /><br />Lujan, our first destination, is about an hour outside of Buenos Aires. From what we had read, the cathedral there is evidently the most visited Catholic shrine in the world. Our plan was to visit the shrine for an hour or so before heading towards the San Luis & Cordoba areas where we planned to spend the bulk of our time. We located the amazing cathedral (pictures below) and went to Mass. During Mass, however, an unfortunate, yet providential event occurred. One of the city’s many street dogs came in and plopped himself down in the isle. Elisabeth was sitting in a row behind me and suddenly I heard a cry of pain. Turning, I discovered her bleeding and realized she had been bitten in the arm by the dog. The dog also managed to hit her in the nose with its head, causing a large nosebleed. We rushed her out to the bathroom to clean her up and survey the damage. Unfortunately, the dog punctured her skin deeply on the arm. The ladies who were working in the restroom called the traveling doctor and put some iodine on her arm. The doctor arrived in about 20 minutes, checked her out, and told us that she didn’t think we needed to worry about rabies, but that she did recommend a tetanus shot. She gave us a prescription for the shot, gave us all hugs and kisses, and didn’t charge us a peso.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-7L7o_d-a342rJ5TtN7GAmArdxf4NNhCWT1D55n0DpfYx-ilRwJEHzs4FDKkUL3AkDEO32mFXU4QTkCpiAH0MMjpX1ebUmntYUHmDHOhX4OTW463M4guKgBEeCU_U35obR1ruiRjEu0/s1600-h/000_0019.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-7L7o_d-a342rJ5TtN7GAmArdxf4NNhCWT1D55n0DpfYx-ilRwJEHzs4FDKkUL3AkDEO32mFXU4QTkCpiAH0MMjpX1ebUmntYUHmDHOhX4OTW463M4guKgBEeCU_U35obR1ruiRjEu0/s320/000_0019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129536597700659794" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Elli with the very kind traveling doctor</span><br /><br />By this time we noticed that there was something starting to happen in the plaza in front of the church. A band started playing Argentine folk music, people started dancing, and a hot air balloon was being inflated in the middle of the square. Lo and behold, we had happened upon the 257 anniversary of the town of Lujan! We decided that we would stay the night in a local hotel and enjoy the festivities.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-LOllILifkwOHwE9WGrTeBXzi8QUllQy-I8BoMsdX12VokSujbHmqfl4uyBAPv_eRLbqSIoP1nqnAtyz23oyvtwlEpOawCNW73tskI3MduOGfY5kJC5kEsC62LsR0WbeWc4EeZat1kh8/s1600-h/IMG_2969.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-LOllILifkwOHwE9WGrTeBXzi8QUllQy-I8BoMsdX12VokSujbHmqfl4uyBAPv_eRLbqSIoP1nqnAtyz23oyvtwlEpOawCNW73tskI3MduOGfY5kJC5kEsC62LsR0WbeWc4EeZat1kh8/s320/IMG_2969.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5133908856979210034" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The cathedral at Lujan with a hot air balloon to celebrate the town's anniversary</span><br /><br />After checking into the hotel, we headed back to the plaza just as a well know Argentine folksinger, Abel Pintos, started to play. Wow! We were all totally impressed! It was a wonderful evening that ended with a fabulous display of fireworks directly overhead rivaling anything I’ve seen in the states. We all thanked Elisabeth for getting a dog bite or we would have missed a fabulous evening. The next day we sought out the needed tetanus shot, which Elisabeth was given (again at no charge), treated ourselves to gelato, and headed towards San Luis. We all came away from our first two days (the dog bite excluded) absolutely in love with Argentina – the country, the people, and the culture - and very excited about the weeks ahead of us.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWHfEP0Bu5lSEQfDNxZligci_v-RQGR-oyG7qvVO1mXxRe-2X4_1eIAjUEgMSFlEopH2BwvGESh1vMxBYBEzD3DN9Z0WlIx4pIgq1WIrDcPzmj9Lhyphenhyphena7_BgJ0ccbV9VGeX9Br7p_C1toE/s1600-h/000_0020.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWHfEP0Bu5lSEQfDNxZligci_v-RQGR-oyG7qvVO1mXxRe-2X4_1eIAjUEgMSFlEopH2BwvGESh1vMxBYBEzD3DN9Z0WlIx4pIgq1WIrDcPzmj9Lhyphenhyphena7_BgJ0ccbV9VGeX9Br7p_C1toE/s320/000_0020.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129536610585561714" border="0" /></a><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">In the first of MANY Heladerias in Argentina</span>The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527871753866656701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159817370100088494.post-56738678100067373722007-11-03T17:18:00.001-03:002007-11-04T19:25:22.718-03:00Our Remaining Time in PiriapolisI apologize for the long gap in posts. I have been finding it quite challenging to find a large enough block of time to get a post completed since I have to be online to blog. So, first let me wrap up our time in Piriapolis.<br /><br />We spent a total of 2 1/2 weeks in Piriapolis and had some good times, but the weather was pretty cold and rainy and we found ourselves housebound much of the time. This was o.k. as the kids spent the time getting caught up on schoolwork and reading, but by the time Andrew arrived on October 12th, we were all itching to go someplace new. We were all overjoyed to see him and decided that we wanted to spend his 2 week visit traveling around Uruguay & Argentina.<br /><br />We spent his first couple of days seeing a few places we had been wanting to see close to Piriapolis and visiting with the Campbell family, our friends from Montevideo who came to Piriapolis for the weekend. Chris and Elli were quite happy to have some English speaking friends to talk and play with. On that Sunday we headed up to Minas, an area in the hills we had been wanting to see, but when we got home that night our unanimous opinion was that we all wanted to see Argentina during the rest of Andrew's time here, so the next day we got ourselves packed and organized, and on Tuesday morning we set off.<br /><br />We took a bus from Piriapolis to Montevideo and then caught another bus to Colonia where we spent the night. Colonia is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was built by the Portuguese in the 1500's and is a great place to spend a day if you're in Uruguay. It is also one of the places where you can catch the Buquebus from Uruguay to Argentina. The Buquebus is a ferry that crosses the Rio de la Plata between Argentina and Uruguay. We spent the afternoon and evening touring Colonia, ate dinner (late of course), and headed to bed. The next morning we would finally have a chance to see Argentina.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdpH7gR3t8egImSt6KjL-AE83zUyYbWO8K-BWjh-gzDPLwfTGeHX1fDZtaK2VABJam7Pbv5yyDX7hq2tQk3CH13WhxsiTmDgJvC_1sSR2qqFNJNnLI6b_NvEsRPJYktavn8y34yotq52o/s1600-h/100_1069.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdpH7gR3t8egImSt6KjL-AE83zUyYbWO8K-BWjh-gzDPLwfTGeHX1fDZtaK2VABJam7Pbv5yyDX7hq2tQk3CH13WhxsiTmDgJvC_1sSR2qqFNJNnLI6b_NvEsRPJYktavn8y34yotq52o/s320/100_1069.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128723779434858898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />A giant statue of Artigas on a hill overlooking the town of Minas<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSo-hPUE2GL1fUII0606Nl_HQCBimUtnIgJl1brFGBVY5YHAzwTRRcX2fPqoi3eKTi0u_cTC0rE4oZnGx-ZAhvaK_Ni6q-9z1oNf4fScV-lCuUb0ko1uQoo9FW7M1bSk3b0NFH4TWoS-4/s1600-h/100_1073.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSo-hPUE2GL1fUII0606Nl_HQCBimUtnIgJl1brFGBVY5YHAzwTRRcX2fPqoi3eKTi0u_cTC0rE4oZnGx-ZAhvaK_Ni6q-9z1oNf4fScV-lCuUb0ko1uQoo9FW7M1bSk3b0NFH4TWoS-4/s320/100_1073.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128723805204662706" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The town of Minas in the distance<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAteQv70U2WVV0d-bnJxdkygtToPYVeTkAFfloBeBJK9PSAkA1dEVsFkbte7bV-yQAZbUTvi5sZGzZQRfk0jB6xATmysB8ZyzIruEr-fXtsJcZf1iUULTX8BrpqNrrziCXb71s0g0IIg0/s1600-h/100_1076.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAteQv70U2WVV0d-bnJxdkygtToPYVeTkAFfloBeBJK9PSAkA1dEVsFkbte7bV-yQAZbUTvi5sZGzZQRfk0jB6xATmysB8ZyzIruEr-fXtsJcZf1iUULTX8BrpqNrrziCXb71s0g0IIg0/s320/100_1076.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129111348693715474" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Rural traffic near Minas</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEaNZhyphenhyphensfqnTnZADq9_YKf5o7YQ2P1oN_yDLJqvAX7HNI-3c5Wb64QqBzzL3h3SnR7TyhqY-rHBdL3CAN_WgvPjSqhjAwunHqO94HfcJ1vEvk_m8G6XCmfluYDoUKte4GXE5ouIchoGM/s1600-h/100_1049.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEaNZhyphenhyphensfqnTnZADq9_YKf5o7YQ2P1oN_yDLJqvAX7HNI-3c5Wb64QqBzzL3h3SnR7TyhqY-rHBdL3CAN_WgvPjSqhjAwunHqO94HfcJ1vEvk_m8G6XCmfluYDoUKte4GXE5ouIchoGM/s320/100_1049.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128723818089564610" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Argentino Hotel where the Campbell's stayed on the Rambla in Piriapolis</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJFBo8nDvClZn3LsDo__Ku-xYW_5ToPzwp6DUavBtygw4M5fjNxycftmHb8vimZALfyTLPuu5d6Qe3jjYxRJ9Uk6hQjrDg-k0JkLfe7a5f9uaj82XjU2RpY2VQqhwTNj19lGEGzyvqLBY/s1600-h/100_1047.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJFBo8nDvClZn3LsDo__Ku-xYW_5ToPzwp6DUavBtygw4M5fjNxycftmHb8vimZALfyTLPuu5d6Qe3jjYxRJ9Uk6hQjrDg-k0JkLfe7a5f9uaj82XjU2RpY2VQqhwTNj19lGEGzyvqLBY/s320/100_1047.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129111335808813554" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Tori & Emma tossing coins with Elli & Chris on the steps of the Argentino Hotel<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWk-xm0MLPr32Y5DSyc4NINvFPdVzDL_gkqaBzjcdlkU0F63dyJV0TjgFPlriCaUNo0JdakohXFrgdsOjarZ9_yl7nIkqKO43fbEL-2wZFwjmeiEvB6BjXncs5iAgXV3XVoFU5H2OQLYQ/s1600-h/100_1057.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWk-xm0MLPr32Y5DSyc4NINvFPdVzDL_gkqaBzjcdlkU0F63dyJV0TjgFPlriCaUNo0JdakohXFrgdsOjarZ9_yl7nIkqKO43fbEL-2wZFwjmeiEvB6BjXncs5iAgXV3XVoFU5H2OQLYQ/s320/100_1057.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129111344398748162" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Piria Castle built by the founder of the town of Piriaopolis<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjshV_9TlDnjdPGx6bIowm93whbPUY-MtVCD9wxl1sysybQ5HI-giSE-PjY34BBrAdokZ5c4Wdz-mg539C544FO6pGVjqkiPgAdazoXLvZeNoPxSodDXOM7i-qum076oxkAScrr_0ZVPwY/s1600-h/100_1058.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjshV_9TlDnjdPGx6bIowm93whbPUY-MtVCD9wxl1sysybQ5HI-giSE-PjY34BBrAdokZ5c4Wdz-mg539C544FO6pGVjqkiPgAdazoXLvZeNoPxSodDXOM7i-qum076oxkAScrr_0ZVPwY/s320/100_1058.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129111357283650082" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Pan de Azucar with the cross on top that you can go up into as seen from the Piria castle</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizIgL7PEBQQFu2P0saR9qqqKpeMbAueK90SG4R010BSEqZTdt-xRKvJeXSafKJM0IWMIjMOpiFl9E_bUsnbP1pM5jFlX2vv9QuIc7lNMmk_O3qSa6vC_wv3GEF8vjhth1gvGdN6_ESUcE/s1600-h/100_1080.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizIgL7PEBQQFu2P0saR9qqqKpeMbAueK90SG4R010BSEqZTdt-xRKvJeXSafKJM0IWMIjMOpiFl9E_bUsnbP1pM5jFlX2vv9QuIc7lNMmk_O3qSa6vC_wv3GEF8vjhth1gvGdN6_ESUcE/s320/100_1080.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129111361578617394" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">One of the thatched roof houses that are fairly common in Uruguay</span>The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527871753866656701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159817370100088494.post-43219064067505413492007-10-09T10:20:00.000-03:002007-10-29T00:15:28.124-03:00From Montevideo to PiriapolisAfter 3 weeks at our Spanish school in Montevideo we headed towards the coastal town of Piriapolis. This was my children's first opportunity to glimpse rural Uruguay. The day we left was the first warm day we'd had in several weeks. The sun was shining and because it's the beginning of spring, the trees were leafing out and there were flowers everywhere.<br /><br />The bus ride was quite comfortable. Uruguay has an excellent public transportation system. The 7 of us (with a total of 12 pieces of luggage) were able to ride 103 kilometers on a clean, almost fancy bus with air-conditioning and reclining seats for under $700 pesos (approx. $30 U.S.). And these buses will take you almost anywhere you need to go in this country.<br /><br />We were met at the bus station by Santino and Claudio. Santino and his wife Dot live in Piriapolis. Andrew and I met them by chance when we visited Uruguay in March. We were eating lunch at a restaurant in Montevideo and heard a woman speaking English. I immediately made a beeline for her and introduced myself. It was quite a providential meeting. They are a wonderful couple with hearts of gold and have been very generous and helpful to us. We were brought to our rental house and discovered much to our delight, that it has a great view of the ocean below. After 3 weeks in the city, everyone was overjoyed to be somewhere with a slower pace of life. The house is only 3 blocks from the beach and 5 blocks to the store. We unloaded and headed to the beach and rambla with Dot and Santino. <br /><br />On Sunday we headed up the coast to Punta del Este and then up the Atlantic coast as far as San Ignacio. It was a great day with beautiful weather. I've posted lots of photos of the day. We plan to stay here a few weeks until Andrew arrives for a 2 week visit.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbMqrFtDdkscYyNLT7Mr_zzcfujshu7jSiXAWOlaBvfpmnWLM5WayOmY79eIARiDF5BWlHGnGo945LomadOssfK7ujMb687lbfTee5MqjVggYiiNcifS6W3dTAFyOsYIeztny-H3D8vM/s1600-h/100_0911.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggbMqrFtDdkscYyNLT7Mr_zzcfujshu7jSiXAWOlaBvfpmnWLM5WayOmY79eIARiDF5BWlHGnGo945LomadOssfK7ujMb687lbfTee5MqjVggYiiNcifS6W3dTAFyOsYIeztny-H3D8vM/s320/100_0911.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117900169925756866" border="0"></a><br />Here is the house we're renting in Piriapolis<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxxVwbzYCCr3tg7RQjtR0FtN-TTXnxOGQ3XQSPaRJ_8devdAZH4ekOiD6anx2Wb0R0jnCQ0FWv3nagJaNQSK9Z9HJYFlWJUUmpGy0I9gEqC5GR1BcSH0lZ5DPkMQet6ky0sXg8b-kU-0/s1600-h/100_0987.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxxVwbzYCCr3tg7RQjtR0FtN-TTXnxOGQ3XQSPaRJ_8devdAZH4ekOiD6anx2Wb0R0jnCQ0FWv3nagJaNQSK9Z9HJYFlWJUUmpGy0I9gEqC5GR1BcSH0lZ5DPkMQet6ky0sXg8b-kU-0/s320/100_0987.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126588970235349330" /></a><br />This is a little shrine on the ocean in Punta del Este commemorating the first Mass celebrated "in this new land" in February of 1516 <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIH23nsU8C_CZ0oeydz-uz-5Svc6QWPCosAMYshV5fOv9eQqV7DCJq7HhQNteAe95nYelQ5nB7GgshoOyRgqvruDbMp_1PTG6_poDIIlUbo1fRHKYwZN1Wfixq7UDLStJAehTvIlw-mQU/s1600-h/100_0989.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIH23nsU8C_CZ0oeydz-uz-5Svc6QWPCosAMYshV5fOv9eQqV7DCJq7HhQNteAe95nYelQ5nB7GgshoOyRgqvruDbMp_1PTG6_poDIIlUbo1fRHKYwZN1Wfixq7UDLStJAehTvIlw-mQU/s320/100_0989.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126588991710185826" /></a><br />The classic Punta picture of "La Mano" on the beach in Punta<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAuaq-63BQ5Ct-Vi2JKgmj9lg8ttrhu8rYIUUyFBbN9zX8KmoMLpHlNCdt_CwqgiLVytdhy_lcHKb9KgarSMs1hezAW7pIhJ20mO-ymgjTZJX_F_fV4VhJ6GzMmemJbQh5TkdcYtNU3lM/s1600-h/100_1014.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAuaq-63BQ5Ct-Vi2JKgmj9lg8ttrhu8rYIUUyFBbN9zX8KmoMLpHlNCdt_CwqgiLVytdhy_lcHKb9KgarSMs1hezAW7pIhJ20mO-ymgjTZJX_F_fV4VhJ6GzMmemJbQh5TkdcYtNU3lM/s320/100_1014.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126589021774956914" /></a><br />A very unusual bridge on the way out of PuntaThe Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527871753866656701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159817370100088494.post-78148250759282228322007-10-05T13:48:00.001-03:002007-10-09T11:20:42.534-03:00Our Final Week in MontevideoIt’s been two weeks since my last post due to difficulties getting access to the internet. At our Spanish school there was wireless access, but now we’re renting a house in the beach town of Piriapolis where the house has no phone or internet connection. (Of course this has its advantages as well:-). In this post I’ll wrap up our stay in Montevideo, and in my next one, share with you about our life in Piriapolis. <br /><br />Our last week in Montevideo was filled with Spanish classes, preparations for the next leg of our trip, and a day trip to a large city park called El Prado and the area surrounding it. For out trip to the park, we piled into the Campbell family’s old VW bus and headed across the city. Having lived in the city awhile, Aaron Campbell was a great tour guide. On our way we passed Uruguay’s Capitol Building, and were struck with the very low level of security compared to our own country. We saw some guards with fancy uniforms at some of the entrances, but there were young people sitting on the steps drinking mate and chatting, and you got the feeling that security is not a huge issue here. Uruguay really doesn’t have any enemies. There is a conflict going on with Argentina about a pulp mill that Uruguay is building on the river that separates the two countries, and there have been ongoing protests at the border, but no real violence.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaM6FDwQ40OMEiiljQgqaUD61V99kaaKmOEBz4jIGfStFVQYkPPPu1bV9upLv7F4HMNLdmLNujkr1H5WnmG7PgkVC6fMlQaVfJVhFWKiE9n_1OkAuwVlbipn355-Ee70mRZv9-O8XL0lQ/s1600-h/100_0868.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaM6FDwQ40OMEiiljQgqaUD61V99kaaKmOEBz4jIGfStFVQYkPPPu1bV9upLv7F4HMNLdmLNujkr1H5WnmG7PgkVC6fMlQaVfJVhFWKiE9n_1OkAuwVlbipn355-Ee70mRZv9-O8XL0lQ/s320/100_0868.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119329011055855570" /></a> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The Capitol Building</span><br /><br />El Prado is a huge city park, with a beautiful rose garden, an arboretum, a lake with paddle boats, a small amusement park for kids, and lots of open space with trees and assorted statues, crisscrossed with walking trails; sort of a slightly run down version of Golden Gate Park or Central Park. This is the location of the yearly Prado Expo, Uruguay’s equivalent to our local Mid-State Fair with concerts, contests for the best animals in the country, and lots of booths and displays to facilitate local and international trade. The expo was just wrapping up when we arrived in Uruguay, but we didn’t make it there. After going to the park, I regret not making an effort to go. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6FaObVWk2OBEnMQ9uR6cVAhlaut7wIoD4ZhyeN_UZU6dGX6RWA8qOhwkfN_ZSOU8ZZDaT_RrmyTWRC18WZsPd1M4y0k5SVSnzjIdqhiA291jH7dKsC5kHatXTzt4dAjd2eo1ypndeEvs/s1600-h/100_0869.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6FaObVWk2OBEnMQ9uR6cVAhlaut7wIoD4ZhyeN_UZU6dGX6RWA8qOhwkfN_ZSOU8ZZDaT_RrmyTWRC18WZsPd1M4y0k5SVSnzjIdqhiA291jH7dKsC5kHatXTzt4dAjd2eo1ypndeEvs/s320/100_0869.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119332618828384226" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Christopher on one of the many statues in the park</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVR3PTtFuuvNcIk2dOpSgMJvMJNEV7owDvkKBpFbgqGpyNhe_3qT6CabPScxa1y26MBir1LxhyphenhyphenD_Z9KgzdTjcMo4iN2TTHrj3sbWeTbn2SS2A4t_3JtZwq7L0v_v0gUh_tteVs47fE4U/s1600-h/100_0873.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVR3PTtFuuvNcIk2dOpSgMJvMJNEV7owDvkKBpFbgqGpyNhe_3qT6CabPScxa1y26MBir1LxhyphenhyphenD_Z9KgzdTjcMo4iN2TTHrj3sbWeTbn2SS2A4t_3JtZwq7L0v_v0gUh_tteVs47fE4U/s320/100_0873.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119332627418318834" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">A young Uruguayan family at the park (notice dad drinking his mate - a very common site)</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicd41meO_2VXPJIZ3YWzIfxDc4Jc69oEIyn_Cbwkm5Ge2AD7nLihuKCJ6kPiNf6nw-18sb310DPWgd9FLSEXhelUl8UQ0vECTAvm8vyrwqUnIsILyLAfHbxqTyV7BsL1DgJxLEpUphtRg/s1600-h/100_0874.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicd41meO_2VXPJIZ3YWzIfxDc4Jc69oEIyn_Cbwkm5Ge2AD7nLihuKCJ6kPiNf6nw-18sb310DPWgd9FLSEXhelUl8UQ0vECTAvm8vyrwqUnIsILyLAfHbxqTyV7BsL1DgJxLEpUphtRg/s320/100_0874.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119332636008253442" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Elli and a friend on the swings</span><br /><br />When we arrived at the park we saw, in the distance a neo-Gothic cathedral, one of the few, I believe, in South America. After several hours at the park we headed over there. The church was in one of Montevideo’s older neighborhoods where the very wealthy built their homes before it was fashionable to live next to the river. In the neighborhood, there were some amazing large old homes and in the midst of these loomed the cathedral. It was smaller than its European counterparts but still quite impressive. Unfortunately, my pictures don’t do it justice. The church,which I forgot to get the name of, was dedicated to the Carmelite saints and carved into the stone next to the front doors are images of St. Dominic, St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Teresa of Avila, and many others. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6tgvuhyNaeg-f06ir5KbqbawTN3P1UTg7ux25IhLB6G8j7VJ_6TzXQth6QEHHN5u3he2VsUFqt2gutqX1sP95Ga39tuD_BMRIPSh22JNbrRTezWEQbsJ3x1WAw_c6o4XWhm9_0aWrs8/s1600-h/100_0890.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6tgvuhyNaeg-f06ir5KbqbawTN3P1UTg7ux25IhLB6G8j7VJ_6TzXQth6QEHHN5u3he2VsUFqt2gutqX1sP95Ga39tuD_BMRIPSh22JNbrRTezWEQbsJ3x1WAw_c6o4XWhm9_0aWrs8/s320/100_0890.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119332644598188050" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0jZkKvL6y-SxhvUb3p0M-vd_Zxmvhoy4jaPtMCufWpuKX35tHtrfnlGQGUNWCmLwYAgkXBkiw-Ue8I94Jltf5IpTBsOC8DMNU6ZsiT07isrxPxovGrMk5unIfrKw65xtpBImJ0v10KFA/s1600-h/100_0878.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0jZkKvL6y-SxhvUb3p0M-vd_Zxmvhoy4jaPtMCufWpuKX35tHtrfnlGQGUNWCmLwYAgkXBkiw-Ue8I94Jltf5IpTBsOC8DMNU6ZsiT07isrxPxovGrMk5unIfrKw65xtpBImJ0v10KFA/s320/100_0878.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119332648893155362" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I couldn't get far enough back to get a picture of the whole cathedral, but if you look closely, you can see images of various Carmelite saints carved into the walls on either side of the door. </span><br /><br />Just around the corner from the cathedral was the residence of the president of Uruguay. He chose to remain in his own home when he was elected rather than move into the presidential mansion. Outside his rather unassuming home stood only one guard! This is clearly a president with very few enemies, unlike others we know. <br /><br />On the last day of Spanish classes, the school had a party for us and the other students who were leaving. We all really liked the teachers at the school and will miss them. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQnYUd-i-63wEvxLsrBh4ojt_7POzn8DpVPNT7yISitQwRZGJH4keSj1u3KqEYUUHTGGHvV2WOW-bMLmyg98ZXGiF4jACng60l_YDqbFr6UOgYAW_CiaDTz0NXROtoB2h5pmtbK5uzT34/s1600-h/100_0897.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQnYUd-i-63wEvxLsrBh4ojt_7POzn8DpVPNT7yISitQwRZGJH4keSj1u3KqEYUUHTGGHvV2WOW-bMLmyg98ZXGiF4jACng60l_YDqbFr6UOgYAW_CiaDTz0NXROtoB2h5pmtbK5uzT34/s320/100_0897.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5119339297502529586" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Elli with her favorite teacher, Daniel<br /></span><br />Friday night, after helping Genevieve exchange some dollars at the cambio, I had dinner with some local English-speaking ladies (American, Canadian, Brazilian, and Ukrainian). This wonderful, diverse group of women get together every Friday at a local restaurant or in someone’s home. I very much enjoyed my time with them before heading off to the mall to look for sheets and a local cell phone. With sheets and cell phone purchased, I headed back to the school to pack for our bus trip to Piriapolis on the following day.The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527871753866656701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159817370100088494.post-72026883330335562862007-09-22T17:30:00.000-03:002007-09-24T01:23:16.374-03:00Our Second Week - Daily Life<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzGygviJ3y4Kl1sx30FfB4RIyIv511FrwddEasFM7y2OTF2hEv1hJdfGXq9mmcNwvbP65r4Vo32H-UL9WBcqmvAIPEE34y9YkeVUyeMNYaHoa904wjR-wdRZHWPKDnhZ3ZLhE4nrRGEII/s1600-h/IMG_2740.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzGygviJ3y4Kl1sx30FfB4RIyIv511FrwddEasFM7y2OTF2hEv1hJdfGXq9mmcNwvbP65r4Vo32H-UL9WBcqmvAIPEE34y9YkeVUyeMNYaHoa904wjR-wdRZHWPKDnhZ3ZLhE4nrRGEII/s320/IMG_2740.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113597841055811362" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Staff & Students at La <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Herradura</span> School<br /><br /></span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We've now successfully completed our second week at La <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Herradura</span> Spanish language school. I'm finding it easier to understand Spanish - at least the carefully spoken Spanish of our teachers - but I am discovering that speaking the language is a whole lot more difficult. This week I have had ample opportunities to practice my Spanish though. First, since the fridge at the school is not very large and is shared by other students, I have to go shopping almost everyday. Within an 8 block radius of the school I can find just about everything we need. There are lots of little fruit and veggie stands in the neighborhood, and then there is the Disco, an Uruguayan supermarket chain. I'm getting a bit more comfortable with asking basic questions, but I had my first very embarrassing experience when, after they had rung through all of my groceries, I discovered that I didn't have enough pesos. Of course there was a nice long line behind me as I fumbled through the assorted pockets in my purse and coat, to no avail. Ultimately the checker had to call over the supervisor and we had to put back some items. This is an unpleasant experience in the U.S., but when no one speaks your language and everyone is asking you questions in rapid fire Spanish, it is doubly so. Needless to say, I now always check to make sure I have enough pesos before going anywhere.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkBJcBzLwxhP31hVdCBDBw0HqI58KdAFUBGuCX8GotdpImmjTZXZgSsZAA3ycgmoddk0HxygaSV7NSyv5hGMgJZpSCStNljZzQSvFsPxoIIJXuNZOZSoA-hd30P1bPBhV5Hfu5gemdio/s1600-h/100_0778.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkBJcBzLwxhP31hVdCBDBw0HqI58KdAFUBGuCX8GotdpImmjTZXZgSsZAA3ycgmoddk0HxygaSV7NSyv5hGMgJZpSCStNljZzQSvFsPxoIIJXuNZOZSoA-hd30P1bPBhV5Hfu5gemdio/s320/100_0778.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113597832465876738" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Genevieve at the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Ecotienda</span> food coop)<br /><br /></span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I was happy to discover that there is a little health food store in the neighborhood. However, I had to first figure out how to get in. The sign said it was open but the door was locked. There was a sign with an arrow and some words I didn't recognize pointing towards the corner. Maybe there door was over there. No luck. I decided that they must be closed and decided to try the next day. The next day, same thing, I could even see the girl behind the counter. Fortunately at that moment someone came up and rang an outside bell (that's what the arrow was pointing to!) and in we went. Health food in Uruguay is the way health food was in the 1970's in the U.S. - very few convenience items. Everything is either put by the store into small bags with the weight and price, or is kept in bulk in large bins. Some of the items require trying to explain to the salesperson how much is needed. I was able to find rolled oats, unsweetened corn flakes, cornmeal, rice crackers, and some herbs and spices that I had been unable to find at the Disco in this store, so I was happy. Later in the week we discovered about 15 blocks away from our school, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Ecotienda</span>, a natural food coop. This store, in addition to the types of items found in the store close to my house, had fresh homemade yogurts, breads, cheeses, and assorted fruits and veggies (all organic). Again, shopping there required lots of communication. Which type? How many kilos? etc. Very few people here speak any English, so I'm forced to figure out how to explain everything using my limited vocabulary. Language issues aside, however, I have to confess I am really enjoying and appreciating the rhythm of life here. For those of you as old as I am, remember the mom and pop stores of your childhood? - the neighborhood candy store, bakery, dime store, toy store, etc? - well it's still like that here. No <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Wal</span>-Mart or K-Mart that you have to drive across town to reach, there are mostly just smaller shops here, and almost everything you need for everyday life is within walking distance. In addition, almost anything you want can be delivered to you at almost no extra cost. (I haven't attempted that yet.) People walk everywhere, at all hours. Walking home at 10:00 or 11:00p.m. feels perfectly safe, there are lots of normal looking people still about on the streets. Even though this is a city of 1.2 million people, it really has more of a small town feel to it.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Houses in Montevideo, An auto garage, Looking across the street from the roof, Laundry drying on our roof)</span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZ1G9VhBhu8bd9zCkHCw5jDO6tHHwow7vuTfqtGv5WmdtxaH3u0sfbsbua7CQ2zP1N2ACAp4-4KJMTzk8MUmVffVHzq8YqvFxIKuDOmpMyrmzwso1V-Si5QG6Hy4w7xG8iGdKhPgYFqA/s1600-h/100_0767.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZ1G9VhBhu8bd9zCkHCw5jDO6tHHwow7vuTfqtGv5WmdtxaH3u0sfbsbua7CQ2zP1N2ACAp4-4KJMTzk8MUmVffVHzq8YqvFxIKuDOmpMyrmzwso1V-Si5QG6Hy4w7xG8iGdKhPgYFqA/s320/100_0767.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113602187562714930" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzOsJRnba5-YLyj08eP7eRicHMiQ7iMozgiYh3jOpdzpvrHOIDtIinRNYipAEfANSY4BnGI2BY8fT_2tGM-EXQxi-r-JfoXZ0nOMoCbGS6mwWChNA2kpsVzM-ULPPx9aX0QswimIFeH8/s1600-h/100_0780.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzOsJRnba5-YLyj08eP7eRicHMiQ7iMozgiYh3jOpdzpvrHOIDtIinRNYipAEfANSY4BnGI2BY8fT_2tGM-EXQxi-r-JfoXZ0nOMoCbGS6mwWChNA2kpsVzM-ULPPx9aX0QswimIFeH8/s320/100_0780.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113597841055811346" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <br /> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7GR82qTv6CWeQfbs3R0cCqkCOBnM1eA3lPWswvKDzQxObd6Bab3GaZdUFPYoAA0PA8QJ0-zyLfk6oO0B0ypxnfslw4nQGFxdveq_47u7u09t6_NUCF5AZvytmoaXan0xM4VyeKxuev5s/s1600-h/100_0777.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7GR82qTv6CWeQfbs3R0cCqkCOBnM1eA3lPWswvKDzQxObd6Bab3GaZdUFPYoAA0PA8QJ0-zyLfk6oO0B0ypxnfslw4nQGFxdveq_47u7u09t6_NUCF5AZvytmoaXan0xM4VyeKxuev5s/s320/100_0777.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113617219948250978" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLAqFv_fbWHmjrjdQx6rXfSBnQayX1Z18dcINIbdUXrFz5MzJ6nq1MxKlVp2OMP7qBotIV_DZxrq54GSMK6EicnC73Xt1WR4jaPw2dCj8W1GjRLb4q_ZahABgcLO3GaQiHin5sG4-T7s/s1600-h/100_0774.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLAqFv_fbWHmjrjdQx6rXfSBnQayX1Z18dcINIbdUXrFz5MzJ6nq1MxKlVp2OMP7qBotIV_DZxrq54GSMK6EicnC73Xt1WR4jaPw2dCj8W1GjRLb4q_ZahABgcLO3GaQiHin5sG4-T7s/s320/100_0774.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113602196152649538" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Another big difference between home and here is the process of doing laundry. Most people don't have dryers. They are an expensive luxury. Instead, they dry their clothes outside. In the city, that usually means using the roof. At the school there is a washing machine, but no dryer. This past week was quite cold and wet. (Like some of the damp winter days in San Luis <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Obispo</span>.) However, I really needed to get some laundry done. Finally on Tuesday it was sunny when I woke up. I ran a load of laundry, hung it up on the clothes lines on the roof and started another load. This second load was not dry before the end of the day, so I left it up over night. Big mistake! That night we had a "La <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Tormenta</span>" (think thunder and lightening with gale force winds.) All night I had difficulty sleeping knowing that my laundry was up on the roof and that by morning it might be half way across the city. Sure enough, in the morning when I checked, most of it had indeed blown down and was drenched and dirty. Fortunately only one towel blew away, and that ended up on the neighbors roof. Julia recovered it for me. By the end of the week, the weather improved and I was able to complete my laundry, but doing laundry here definitely requires a bit more planning and thought.<br /><br />There is lots more I could say, but I don't want to make my post unbearably long. At this point I think that one or two posts a week are about all I'm up to writing. Perhaps I'll have time for one more tomorrow, otherwise, next week I'll write again. Until then, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">chau</span>!!The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527871753866656701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159817370100088494.post-57625490438296482762007-09-15T09:32:00.000-03:002007-09-16T23:10:36.746-03:00Day 4-12: Getting Settled in and Adjusting to Life in a Foreign Country<span style="font-family:arial;">After the trials and tribulations of our first 4 days, it was so wonderful to have a welcoming place to stay for a few days. The Campbell family, Aaron and Emily and their five children, have been living in Montevideo for the past 9 months. Aaron spent a couple of years in </span>UY<span style="font-family:arial;"> when he was younger and always wanted to return with his family. Andrew and I met them when we were visiting Uruguay in March, and we have kept in touch. Chris and Elli became email pen pals with their children, and when I was trying to figure out the best place to stay for the several days between the time we arrived and the time we could move into our rooms at the Spanish school, they very kindly offered to let us stay with them.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Uruguay has had very cold weather this winter. (Remember, the seasons are reversed in the southern hemisphere.) Fortunately, they got a warm spell when we arrived. So after we woke up Friday, we all went exploring and took in some of the sights and sounds of the city.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZt4yt6kDLdkLC_bbnZkcDa_t4OFBmvOthWtwB_Tks90i3J77Z12w7zKzz9brQt4f12wxjErT7FEa7VRMw21t3JBKbofRGYLX_9hgFgukr5vh4FM8kkNyd2INGYayBYzl38U82xWm61M/s1600-h/P1010047.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZt4yt6kDLdkLC_bbnZkcDa_t4OFBmvOthWtwB_Tks90i3J77Z12w7zKzz9brQt4f12wxjErT7FEa7VRMw21t3JBKbofRGYLX_9hgFgukr5vh4FM8kkNyd2INGYayBYzl38U82xWm61M/s320/P1010047.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110620078538258146" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2A3aD7hHJnBWXWVRcYG7Do4gAwl2ROylb_NBM5OK7_3WtZdHMPwP3DZMt0C5ymQPmb7dFlxVvYud0uOI6iQBBfxoBlfLRIEKZTmjO3-RbzgGFRh3LeM2jXNjQBP_p3_RVfg0p4mOpLw/s1600-h/P1010008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2A3aD7hHJnBWXWVRcYG7Do4gAwl2ROylb_NBM5OK7_3WtZdHMPwP3DZMt0C5ymQPmb7dFlxVvYud0uOI6iQBBfxoBlfLRIEKZTmjO3-RbzgGFRh3LeM2jXNjQBP_p3_RVfg0p4mOpLw/s320/P1010008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110620009818781346" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilDyEBhyphenhyphenBKws97FB5WBomfXoIJ1C8TJMWMyn-YUCe_qx3ZxPUcSlRpCWED7aJazjm_dpJDOhSjqGiokDpqXNEpK0jLTpuSr6go2hvebFN_p_Fb8IVrUKKDIMxcW6zu4nyGCA-IeB5sBpo/s1600-h/P1010010.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilDyEBhyphenhyphenBKws97FB5WBomfXoIJ1C8TJMWMyn-YUCe_qx3ZxPUcSlRpCWED7aJazjm_dpJDOhSjqGiokDpqXNEpK0jLTpuSr6go2hvebFN_p_Fb8IVrUKKDIMxcW6zu4nyGCA-IeB5sBpo/s320/P1010010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110620039883552450" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbORDXB_866kd_oSHywbAPJM_Ty61cpmSFfZ6Aq8DRVpHxsHbEjSc98pKqp2BGX0FkDtTSAzefOdIdPMb3l9dQ_PMRzB2LpCKIDRE33oOdJCFC8efORnUW6r5EVAW-UIJZtGAS6YbJAGw/s1600-h/P1010009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbORDXB_866kd_oSHywbAPJM_Ty61cpmSFfZ6Aq8DRVpHxsHbEjSc98pKqp2BGX0FkDtTSAzefOdIdPMb3l9dQ_PMRzB2LpCKIDRE33oOdJCFC8efORnUW6r5EVAW-UIJZtGAS6YbJAGw/s320/P1010009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110620035588585138" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOwv5ofemiGw5cgit7NB2QaZkpXNb6v2zcqVSWLrhZzaFsId8_MVKCHKvG8e1qqL32eiIGqxCzmUYbhs94ReUFLjgXYlaebgqa9-EsWAM2y0YwDHuipplgC4mbrFKwHQRaeel2YoG75lc/s1600-h/P1010014.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOwv5ofemiGw5cgit7NB2QaZkpXNb6v2zcqVSWLrhZzaFsId8_MVKCHKvG8e1qqL32eiIGqxCzmUYbhs94ReUFLjgXYlaebgqa9-EsWAM2y0YwDHuipplgC4mbrFKwHQRaeel2YoG75lc/s320/P1010014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110631400072050450" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5MlsCbyltE8KVsVGGGMc-XlpFjUUvONHfxsA-Kkxm7m02LoOYEr5cSx_DR8D8L6Kq4-TxgwTw13a0b_LkPdZ7FOJTtkZdq80qFUV_U0FxpOniXBXeOlucOy3pLfattIgws6j_rI9hFE/s1600-h/P1010027.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5MlsCbyltE8KVsVGGGMc-XlpFjUUvONHfxsA-Kkxm7m02LoOYEr5cSx_DR8D8L6Kq4-TxgwTw13a0b_LkPdZ7FOJTtkZdq80qFUV_U0FxpOniXBXeOlucOy3pLfattIgws6j_rI9hFE/s320/P1010027.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110613352619472498" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWHbCboY3GgrUKBHo-cEEEcgKOP_pDfPCEnca5SyBadq9cN6r5EqashhKh-SgldSkhG-gJ1YL0-l3TXrARCCbxFP7CPyVExp71pT_OQ54C1hlJMYswHt_i0sbkhG4ge9kCYJJgLZ1y-M/s1600-h/P1010016.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWHbCboY3GgrUKBHo-cEEEcgKOP_pDfPCEnca5SyBadq9cN6r5EqashhKh-SgldSkhG-gJ1YL0-l3TXrARCCbxFP7CPyVExp71pT_OQ54C1hlJMYswHt_i0sbkhG4ge9kCYJJgLZ1y-M/s320/P1010016.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110613344029537890" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIvsIykPBde3Ihp7AT3nvzXw9ZOgGXXqa6TBPEP42Y1W8iJ3sQBb-gYOTx7fbRIFr4gw9kk7fUu1023zyOpOb8MK3npWz6RBUB-TUZCTXjZL28SqRVIMCx759p1Mo29kFUwV6CFVpRdU/s1600-h/P1010034.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIvsIykPBde3Ihp7AT3nvzXw9ZOgGXXqa6TBPEP42Y1W8iJ3sQBb-gYOTx7fbRIFr4gw9kk7fUu1023zyOpOb8MK3npWz6RBUB-TUZCTXjZL28SqRVIMCx759p1Mo29kFUwV6CFVpRdU/s320/P1010034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110631395777083138" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmiX3hLnaL8bixuQbbv9JGUGZv_Fvpis-UF_pe6D8W8AscAGUC7Js2Pv3CrCS2EDswiFu8Ugl28I5QAS-3hyphenhyphenjVlHcRQ3QLbHxRryjLvK0H4R3EEVvn70x1SZRUEbUDdurF31w5Dhp7gk/s1600-h/P1010028.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYmiX3hLnaL8bixuQbbv9JGUGZv_Fvpis-UF_pe6D8W8AscAGUC7Js2Pv3CrCS2EDswiFu8Ugl28I5QAS-3hyphenhyphenjVlHcRQ3QLbHxRryjLvK0H4R3EEVvn70x1SZRUEbUDdurF31w5Dhp7gk/s320/P1010028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110631387187148530" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gcQE8YUgowCoaLIuAcxzBfqSWyHhcrRRN_hxul3U6_wHpswonondmLa8dJn2o64arX1zBxhREstltnC3GDp88uvckq10oyqzz-yCRCY4DLOnBmrssJgz8b8twK02NmQC0DBeGtPxvLo/s1600-h/P1010038.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gcQE8YUgowCoaLIuAcxzBfqSWyHhcrRRN_hxul3U6_wHpswonondmLa8dJn2o64arX1zBxhREstltnC3GDp88uvckq10oyqzz-yCRCY4DLOnBmrssJgz8b8twK02NmQC0DBeGtPxvLo/s320/P1010038.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110613361209407122" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhunp5A6w4ttMWZ_7zBP-IukyXOTfUy339ur8JPzLNSfXy_728OGpLzODjnG9w1CEI85NHzS3UOWp1dV5lmHfadO2awe2es2a7yf81BQY_73xSPmuF9ZPGM7-SS_DZrwq19nzpWVAkotYI/s1600-h/P1010013.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhunp5A6w4ttMWZ_7zBP-IukyXOTfUy339ur8JPzLNSfXy_728OGpLzODjnG9w1CEI85NHzS3UOWp1dV5lmHfadO2awe2es2a7yf81BQY_73xSPmuF9ZPGM7-SS_DZrwq19nzpWVAkotYI/s320/P1010013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110620069948323538" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">About the photos: </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >These are assorted photos of the local park and Rambla. The first photo is a typical neighborhood fruit stand, the next three are of the local park, and the rest are from the Rambla. The odd looking castle is sandwiched between two apartment building across from the Rambla.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;">First we went to a local park nearby (the city has lots of parks) and then we headed to the </span>Rambla<span style="font-family:arial;">. Montevideo in located on the Rio </span>de<span style="font-family:arial;"> la </span>Plata<span style="font-family:arial;"> which is a huge river that separates Uruguay from Argentina. All along the edge of the city for many, many miles, there is "the </span>Rambla<span style="font-family:arial;">," which is essentially a very long wide paved path where everyone in </span>MVD<span style="font-family:arial;"> loves to go. There are lovely white sand beaches, parks, museums, restaurants, etc. It is definitely unique to find something like this on the edge of a city of 2 million people. It sure felt great to finally get some exercise after days of being cooped up in planes and airports. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The next day, on Saturday morning while the children slept in, I went with Emily and </span>Morielle<span style="font-family:arial;"> to the local neighborhood </span>feria<span style="font-family:arial;"> (not sure on the spelling). These are held at various locations in the city through out the week and are a great place to shop for fresh fruits and vegetables. The </span>feria<span style="font-family:arial;"> we went to can best be described as a combination of a farmer's market, crafts fair, and an open air department store all rolled into one. It was huge. Just about any basic item you might need was there from yarn and clothes to pots and pans. Emily bought herself a nice pair of leather and wood clogs, and we found lots of great fresh produce at very reasonable prices. Emily is quite fluent, so initially I let her do all of the talking. Then when she wanted to sit down for a while (I suspect it might have been her attempt to force me into talking), I finished up the shopping I needed to do on my own. This was a tad intimidating as everyone speaks in rapid fire Spanish with an </span>Uruguayo<span style="font-family:arial;"> accent. For example, the word </span>Uruguayo<span style="font-family:arial;"> is actually pronounced "</span>ooroogwayshow<span style="font-family:arial;">." In this part of South America, the "y" & "ll" are pronounced with a sh or </span>jsh<span style="font-family:arial;"> sound. For those of us accustomed to Mexican Spanish, this is a bit of an adjustment. One of the most confusing words for me is "</span>ella<span style="font-family:arial;">," meaning female. Here it is pronounce like the word "Asia."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">On Sunday afternoon we were able to move into La </span>Herradura, <span style="font-family:arial;">the Spanish school we are studying at for a month. We piled ourselves and as much luggage as we could fit into two<br />taxis and headed the several miles to our new homeIt is in a large old house in a residential neighborhood called </span>Parque<span style="font-family:arial;"> </span>Rodo<span style="font-family:arial;">. There is a large, beautiful park by that name close by as well. The house has seen better days, but is certainly adequate. We are using 3 of the 5 upstairs bedrooms, have use of the living room and kitchen, and only have to go downstairs to get to our classes. It is really very convenient. Since Chris and Elli are in classes for an hour less than the rest of us each day, they can just go upstairs to play. There is a patio out back with banana trees and several levels of usable roof space with a bench and table. Christopher, in particular, loves to hang out on the roof. At home he was always asking me to let him sit up there. Here, because the roof is flat, it is just part of the available outside space. It also has a great view.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">All though the neighborhood is very quite in terms of traffic, you do have an interesting assortment of noises outside. For example, as I type this I can hear the clip-clop of horses hooves going down the street. These are the recyclers in </span><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6Kvp-qy2KSbkhcHpwykXHyFdWvZusg3KFOtFbE1cxr7rk_UrceDvKipbtFTi1M6ZEkIa7tGyC67tBX-AhitHBzsNxnlIaR14g2aq6y9FdXm7Xj12Mw8qjziBGBIzf194ajUIB6kCwAE/s1600-h/P1010005.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6Kvp-qy2KSbkhcHpwykXHyFdWvZusg3KFOtFbE1cxr7rk_UrceDvKipbtFTi1M6ZEkIa7tGyC67tBX-AhitHBzsNxnlIaR14g2aq6y9FdXm7Xj12Mw8qjziBGBIzf194ajUIB6kCwAE/s320/P1010005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110613339734570578" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Montevideo; the very poor that support themselves by collecting recyclables from the dumpsters on each block. (</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >The photo above is a cart we saw on our way to the park on our first day.</span><span style="font-family:arial;">) One of the first nights we were here, around 12:3o a.m., there was some random band with tambourines, drums, and singers that went by under our window. The next night around midnight, someone decided to set off fireworks a couple of houses away. Why, I have no idea. It seemed totally random to me. And then there are the dogs, lots of them! Usually they are quiet, but if one of them starts to bark they all get going for a few minutes. Speaking of dogs, one of our daily annoyances in </span>MVD<span style="font-family:arial;"> is dog poop on the sidewalks. It is everywhere. You literally have to watch your step or else. All of the houses come right up to the sidewalk with no front yard, so people living in houses without a backyard or those living in apartments, just send their dogs out front to do their doggy business. To be fair, I have seen many responsible dog owners picking up their dog's droppings, but it is still an issue, especially since we, and most of the other residents of the city, walk everywhere.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Our first week of Spanish classes are finished and everyone seems to be enjoying the experience. Christopher and Elisabeth have their own class for 3 hours a day. Julia, Fiona, and </span>Morielle<span style="font-family:arial;"> are together in a class, and Genevieve and I are in the same class. There are several other students in each of our classes, except Chris and Elli's, so it makes for a nice mix of people. The teachers are great! We have four classes each day. Some are geared toward grammar and some are mostly conversation. Everything is in Spanish, although if we're really stuck they will give us some help. The grammar has been very helpful as I am finally beginning to learn past and future tenses, but truthfully, the Spanish conversation is the best part of the experience for me. It is one thing to study Spanish, it is another thing to feel comfortable using it. Here we have a safe place to try out our tortured sentence constructions with out fear of misunderstanding or embarrassment.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In my next post I will include more impressions and photos of Uruguay, but for now I need to get this posted and get to bed. All of us have picked up a cold, so I am in need of a good night sleep. Chau! </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br />(Pronounced "chow")</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >This is the most common way to say goodbye in Uruguay; and yes, for those of you familiar with the Italian spelling of the word, it is spelled "chau" here.) </span>The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527871753866656701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159817370100088494.post-4518470472305267772007-09-14T17:48:00.000-03:002007-09-24T01:32:13.543-03:00The Pudewa Family's Misadventures Enroute to UrugauyHello my dear family and friends!!!! Our 3 1/2 month adventure in South America has finally begun! After some "misadventures" which you'll read about shortly, we actually made it to Uruguay (praise God!) Regrettably, due to a lack of free time, and some computer and internet issues, it has been challenging for me to get my first blog post finished. Therefore, please bear with me, as my first two posts (which summarize our last 10 days) are rather long. In the first post I will recount our challenges in getting here, and in my second post I will share with you our experiences during our first full week in UY. After these first two posts, I will hopefully be able to post more regularly. Since this is my first attempt at blogging, I'm sure I'll have lots of glitches in my posts, so please bear with me. Hugs and besos (kisses) to all of you, and please keep us in your prayers. We love you and miss you!!!<br /><br />Day 1-4: Trying to get to Uruguay!<br /><br />Packing for this trip was an adventure in itself. How do you pack a large family for a 3 1/2 month trip to South America? Add to that Christopher's food allergies and the requests of friends and acquaintances in UY for items not easily found down here, and packing became a bit challenging. My attempts to do so in an organized fashioned were thwarted by the problem of baggage weight limits. As the clock ticked away, I was madly rearranging our luggage to keep each bag under the limit. I finally had to grab some additional duffel bags and stuff items into them and into the children's bags. We finally managed to finish packing, get loaded into our van, and onto the road to LAX by around 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday Sept. 4th.<br /><br />Our plane was scheduled to leave LAX at 2:00 a.m. We picked up a friend (thank you, Julie!) near the airport who drove us the rest of the way, dropping us off at Copa Airlines with our 14 bags!! of check-in luggage and our carry-ons. We were finally on our way - or so we thought.... Security posed our first small challenge. Somehow one of the children (not the one you might suspect) managed to pack an old Swiss Army knife in their bag. The offending item was finally located in their carry-on suitcase, removed, and we were sent on our way. We still arrived at our gate with ample time to spare and were looking forward to being able to sleep on the plane.<br /><br />Alas, this was not to be our fate. Around 1:15 a.m., our flight was canceled due to mechanical problems and rescheduled for 11:oo a.m. the next morning. Copa airlines shuttled all the passengers to a Holiday Inn near the airport where I had to wait in line for at least 45 minutes before getting 2 rooms for us. By the time we got to sleep it was almost 3:00 a.m.! We were all exhausted! In the morning we caught a shuttle back to the airport at 9:20.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVhOVrbqnmZtw5ZS-w5JwGRVewkqzAr8cC5QR4gnArG6l8z4JqsMbBhCwqX8J48K-foGLO0Y77PxVFzig2WCFA0F4474y30R9NS5zDjlut4Ek4NZUtL-prrGd1upHiI8EVXLSsVuuY1mo/s1600-h/100_0733.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVhOVrbqnmZtw5ZS-w5JwGRVewkqzAr8cC5QR4gnArG6l8z4JqsMbBhCwqX8J48K-foGLO0Y77PxVFzig2WCFA0F4474y30R9NS5zDjlut4Ek4NZUtL-prrGd1upHiI8EVXLSsVuuY1mo/s320/100_0733.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110486324666725858" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1R2rXfa3bCccRTqKsnVgvBNge5zgPcUyx1VwmbNQ3xjb1kbbErD4bJYQU-pivDkuWRVHBWKvIxbQlWex6wlIqNsBlBSgttU1E4_jH0AzQTyxqCJI-5V_sqW_1ZzAGv8YtOzdo55ApCAc/s1600-h/100_0737.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1R2rXfa3bCccRTqKsnVgvBNge5zgPcUyx1VwmbNQ3xjb1kbbErD4bJYQU-pivDkuWRVHBWKvIxbQlWex6wlIqNsBlBSgttU1E4_jH0AzQTyxqCJI-5V_sqW_1ZzAGv8YtOzdo55ApCAc/s320/100_0737.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107672241274946450" border="0" /></a><br /><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;" > Waiting for the shuttle to take us to the hotel and waiting in the lobby for our room.</span><br /><br />Now some real waiting began. We had get new boarding passes, which required a several hour wait in line at the Copa Airlines desk. Since we had missed our connecting flight to UY, we were rerouted through Buenos Aires which would have put our arrival time only about 5 hours behind schedule. However, by the time the plane finally took off from LAX, everyone on our flight had missed their connecting flights in Panama, so when we arrived at the airport we were shuttled in yet another bus to a rather run down hotel in a seedy part of Panama City. More lines, more waiting - the kids finally fell asleep around 11:00 p.m. after eating a sparse dinner provided by the hotel for the hungry airline travelers. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9uEGNxSzfT0nxT_XhJ7Qe85iU-rYJ2tAmIQXfSb49IkAKWRsdGlZeVswvL_2WfjR4ZPEeFCqRTCNs4AFY9B_DnGxZw4p7jhXJh_bZkIRV4waSS69CHf8shdNU8kEU-m2HABsiGGEfYxg/s1600-h/100_0761.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9uEGNxSzfT0nxT_XhJ7Qe85iU-rYJ2tAmIQXfSb49IkAKWRsdGlZeVswvL_2WfjR4ZPEeFCqRTCNs4AFY9B_DnGxZw4p7jhXJh_bZkIRV4waSS69CHf8shdNU8kEU-m2HABsiGGEfYxg/s320/100_0761.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110486384796268066" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh8MWIiqrHLBRbfwx8JtuOmTDlZ24FAwZUPHvjae-5Pep6EcIfa1X23BTCap4xLf_qmKL43I6oCEPjNgXr3bmtzUBOYYDmqM77T_KM68onbgToRqRvQ2VoWmUQXrJc7aNnldehptj11fo/s1600-h/IMG_2705.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh8MWIiqrHLBRbfwx8JtuOmTDlZ24FAwZUPHvjae-5Pep6EcIfa1X23BTCap4xLf_qmKL43I6oCEPjNgXr3bmtzUBOYYDmqM77T_KM68onbgToRqRvQ2VoWmUQXrJc7aNnldehptj11fo/s320/IMG_2705.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107672258454815698" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;" >After being stuck in airports, Chris & Elli were thrilled to stick their heads out the bus window in Panama.<br /><br /></span>All of the other passengers had to catch a 7:00 shuttle, but because our flight didn't leave until 5:50 p.m., they arranged to have our family picked up at 1:oo. We were happy to have some time to relax a bit, so in the morning we slept in, ate breakfast (courtesy of Copa) and went swimming in the pool on the roof. It was a lovely interlude before the next grueling leg of our journey.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9CQ_WLpDZlj3_yXmJRDKMID8Mu2V-ZS3l5TlnXwRg1msI8CcQe6Vauqw1YlqQCRZ4H5jfQ9cjS6bT2Tgihv85AWhnKovKO-IhyphenhyphenmW_6yxbW3dqUhWmx7fyeeF3ukgAsco8_WFcAMv9ao/s1600-h/IMG_2710.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9CQ_WLpDZlj3_yXmJRDKMID8Mu2V-ZS3l5TlnXwRg1msI8CcQe6Vauqw1YlqQCRZ4H5jfQ9cjS6bT2Tgihv85AWhnKovKO-IhyphenhyphenmW_6yxbW3dqUhWmx7fyeeF3ukgAsco8_WFcAMv9ao/s320/IMG_2710.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110499677720049202" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCuTPz4gFqXOJ_Z1XmHJwrpmSn3Q9EgAlktK0K1ZOv6_TynSZRY0CGalHHdzXI7xKj6TxgtWKfOgVZH93mq0MKnn1IyhfX9xzxgMOkbQ2iSu1aIsJXKHXnARlo6b75M6_8DjsnF9LITcs/s1600-h/IMG_2722.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCuTPz4gFqXOJ_Z1XmHJwrpmSn3Q9EgAlktK0K1ZOv6_TynSZRY0CGalHHdzXI7xKj6TxgtWKfOgVZH93mq0MKnn1IyhfX9xzxgMOkbQ2iSu1aIsJXKHXnARlo6b75M6_8DjsnF9LITcs/s320/IMG_2722.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110499699194885698" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;" > What a pleasant surprise to find a pool & grass at the top of this older hotel in downtown Panama City.<br /><br /></span>We got ourselves ready to go before 1:00 and waited, and waited, and waited. No taxis or shuttle appeared. The front desk tried to contact the airlines multiple times but the lines were always busy. I had no phone, no internet service, and the phone card Copa gave me didn't work, so I couldn't get a hold of Andrew or the people in UY who were supposed be picking us up. In addition, the airline failed to inform the hotel that we needed food other than our breakfast. We'd been strongly warned not to leave the hotel due the location, and other than the breakfast bar which closed at 10:00, the hotel had no food available. By 4:15 we were starting to get really concerned. Finally, at around 4:30 we got in contact with the airlines who had forgotten us. They told us to take two taxis to the airport and they would pay the drivers. By the time everything was worked out, and we had our new boarding passes it was almost time to board the plane. No time for a good meal, but we were grateful to finally be on a plane for Montevideo.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxdCc1YSJopUTwau8NrXWtUCXVAHkZBCBelnfE2LY4EQ0SYz0v1zUeGQU9cL1A3teOONnaEF5nObqfPtMSJOKASn0pNAo34bD4GnkyoOrCvvu8o68HjGizxCTnDUPGxdqfZYt6SCU4Pm8/s1600-h/100_0755.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxdCc1YSJopUTwau8NrXWtUCXVAHkZBCBelnfE2LY4EQ0SYz0v1zUeGQU9cL1A3teOONnaEF5nObqfPtMSJOKASn0pNAo34bD4GnkyoOrCvvu8o68HjGizxCTnDUPGxdqfZYt6SCU4Pm8/s320/100_0755.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110486354731496962" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNKj-BakkDssUrGR0BoQqslAtD1I_ie9-ExOqe1dpxAFtZXqI859p13fHSu5VEanwMJEhRkuF0qiaDwjrhyphenhyphenwXLTdHRFBoXXjs3j4pHDMzB1bpOkhJpOD9CbxEgs1sOJvybfyxipqtGoE/s1600-h/100_0740.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNKj-BakkDssUrGR0BoQqslAtD1I_ie9-ExOqe1dpxAFtZXqI859p13fHSu5VEanwMJEhRkuF0qiaDwjrhyphenhyphenwXLTdHRFBoXXjs3j4pHDMzB1bpOkhJpOD9CbxEgs1sOJvybfyxipqtGoE/s320/100_0740.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5110486337551627762" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This flight left without delay and we arrived on time (a day late) at 4:00 a.m. in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. It was now Friday, September 7th. I wasn't too concerned about clearing customs, but when I went to get my bags, I discovered that one of our bags had been randomly chosen for inspection. Unfortunately, this was the bag with <span style="font-weight: bold;">lots</span> of nuts in it. Nuts are very expensive in UY, and a friend of mine in Montevideo had requested that I bring her a good supply. Since my Spanish is poor, the inspector had to call over some one who spoke English. I explained that these were not for resale but for myself and a friend. "Sorry, absolutely no!" was her response. She walked away, leaving me a bit in shock. I turned back toward the inspector who discreetly closed up my bag, smiled, and waved me on - with all of my nuts still in the bag! Again I was shocked, but very grateful and relieved. With tired children and numerous bags in tow, were we waved past the rest of the regular customs gauntlet and into the airport. My friend (who I brought the nuts for) had arranged for some people she knew to pick us up in two cars and a van at the airport and bring us to her home. What a blessing!! It was so nice to arrive exausted in a foreign country and not have to worry about transportation. When we got to her home we were extremely grateful to find comfortable beds waiting for all of us. We all fell promptly asleep and slept until around noon. We had finally made it!!!!The Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01527871753866656701noreply@blogger.com0