just real life in Montevideo with a side of re-entry and Carnival

We are really enjoying our HUGE apartment in an 1940's art deco building in Ciudad Vieja, (the old city) of Montevideo. High ceilings with ceiling fans, three decks, various bathrooms, comfortable beds, interesting art, high thread count sheets, great views from our 3rd (really 4th floor), ye olde elevator and a panoramic vista from the rooftop. We have an internet connection, a store right downstairs and have re-stocked up on reading material, bought groceries. So, really, why leave the apartment?

The old city is a peninsula surrounded on three sides by water, so even when it's really hot, which it has been, and especially when it is rainy and stormy, which it has been, nice breezes come into through our windows and keep us cool. We are on Buenos Aires street, a stones throw away from Teatro Solis, Plaza Independecia and a block from Sarandi, the pedestrian mall. About 25 of the city's buses pass below our window, punctuated by the odd clip clop of the horse drawn carts used by the binners (who actually sort the garbage), cabs and cars and motorbikes; all which creates a bit of a roar that erupts quite early, peaks at rush hour with high pitched honking, strange bus horns and the sound of power tools.

The old city is a mish-mash of architectural styles all together: colonial, art deco, modern, somewhat disheveled and beautifully restored. During the day the old city is alive with workers, and at scheduled intervals, depending on when the cruise ships are docking, with tourist police and crafts people who give the impression of a bustling metropolis, but last Sunday, in the pouring rain, we were out for a walk and Yvonne commented that she felt like we were in some deserted movie set not a soul around: spooky and surreal.

Speaking of movies we have seen quite a few recently and are headed for another this afternoon. Sure, there are museums, galleries and what with being in the middle of the world's largest carnival plenty of genuine cultural happenings to experience BUT with only six weeks till we return home we can't help but turn our minds to face the new reality: SOON WE WILL BE HOME. We have made appointments in Vancouver, even bought concert tickets for Patty Griffin at the Commodore. The films are just part of our re-entry plan. American movies here are not all dubbed like in Europe and we have been able to see the english versions of "Sherlock Holmes" and "Invictus" and OMG "Avitar"! Just so you don't think we have completely forgotten what continent we are on, did read the Bolivian president's impressions of Avatar. Last year the UN general assembly called Evo Morales "World Hero of Mother Earth". Avatar was the third film he had ever seen at a theatre and he said: " "There is a lot of fiction in the movie, but at the same time it makes a perfect model for the struggle against capitalism and efforts to protect nature." So he liked it! I found it really scary and violent, but as always an American hero save the day! So far Avatar has made more money than the total value of Uruguay's annual exports.

I much preferred "Invictus" which we saw on our 13th anniversary after a hasty dinner at the Mexican booth of the mall food fair. Terrible!!!!!! The bad thing about going to movies is that they often involve going to malls, well they all look the same, we could be anywhere, just part of re-entry.

In the stunningly brilliant plan that is our year off, we had always hoped to have friends trade The Olympics (TMP) for Carnival and join us in Montevideo, only Brent and Jaik, some friendly Manitobans, are scheduled to come and we are holding off the many exciting things this city has in store for us until their arrival. We don't want to be the annoying, know it all friends who say oh we already been there and it sucks or we just have to go there we've been 3 times and it is the best. No! We will explore and discover together. We are looking forward to their arrival, fresh-faced and enthusiastic; our tonic for staying in the moment. Of course, I am compiling a list of potential activities, since that is my nature, and Yvonne is already worried that there will be no napping on tour once they arrive!

In keeping with normal life anywhere we have located the closest lavadero (laundry), found the best grocery store, discovered the neighbourhood market day (Friday), found somewhere to buy coffee that is not roasted with sugar (some weird Argentinean and Uruguayan recipe for bad coffee), found a woman who sews and a place to enhance beauty!

But we also attended a parade! Desfile de Llamadas (Calls Parade), a candombe-summoning parade. You have to buy tickets. Bleachers are set up so you can have a seat at the parade. (Really the only way to watch a parade I have decided unless you just stay home and watch it on TV). We watched about 19 Candombe groups. Can-dome-bey is an Afro-Uruguyan percussion rhythm that has been an important part of Uruguayan culture for over two hundred years (a side effect of slavery). Many drummers drumming; a few hundred in each group, each has a costume, many flag wavers waving; huge cloth flags (REALLY REALLY BIG) bearing the colours of the groups are carried by a various flag wizards on very tall bamboo poles. They use the wind and the cloth to dance the flags around and sweep them over the crowds who reach out to touch them. The good ones and there was a sliding scale were pretty amazing. Many sexy ladies of all shapes and sizes dancing. So judges give an award to the best group and the parade continues for two nights. After about ten groups, it was hard for us newbies to distinguish one from another, but I think we had the rhythm down.

Last night we attended an event celebrating the 1000 days publication of a progressive daily called La Diaria where we saw a great composer and arranger who produces lots of the theatre "Murgas" that are staged in all sorts of venues during carnival. Pitufo Lombardo, a popular songwriter was great and now I must get his CD to see what he was really saying. Many people knew the songs and were singing them altogether.

Uruguayans really talk very fast, many of them mistake me for a Brazilian and they are only half wrong, probably for my atrocious Spanish. The turns of phrases here are particular, people are quite polite with greetings and salutations. They greet with the double air kiss of the cheeks; the other day while booking our ticket home at a travel agency we watched in awe as a women arrive to work and walked up and down the aisles greeting all her co-workers, about 10 of them with the double kiss thing. When you depart they say "que le pasan bien"(their version of have a nice day) but it sounds better. Whenever you say gracias, (thank you) the preferred response is "NON Por Favor" (Meaning: "NO Please don't thank me") and there is much use of the word "barbaro" for many things which is fun to say and means terrific or awesome....Que Barbaro!!!!!