NJRich
Rich C Joined: April 11th 2008
Logged in: April 19th 2009
Logged in: April 19th 2009
Travel Blog Posts
well yesterday was check out day and we picked up a cab about 2:00 pm. This cabbie also spoke some English and said his parents lived in Newark, NJ. Now this is weird as the first cabbie had a sister that lived in Bloomfield. This cab driver got slightly lost going to the airport so it was good that we gave ourselves extra time. When we got to the airport they offered to wrap the luggage in plastic. While it did not prevent security from examining the luggage if desired, we figured it would make the luggage easier to find so we paid $9 per item to be wrapped. Our return flight was rather convoluted. We were to fly from Montevideo to Buenos Aires (BA) then from BA to Dallas/Fort Worth and then onto Newark. We ... read more
I was checking the news and I found out what is being burned and why. Turns out they are clearing the fields for grazing. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aBR_Bu_i.Edw&refer=latin_america I found an article online which describes the air in Buenos Aires as unbreathable. (I can't help but point out the irony of a city filled with smoke called "Buenos Aires" - good air (I think it means something slightly different but that is what the words literally mean.) Based on the article I could blame the Argentines for all the smoke but I know for a fact that Uruguayan farmers were burning their fields too. ... read more
It is now Thursday with one day left to go. Since we still have the car, we drove to a mall in town, the Punta Carretas mall. The mall officially opened at 10 am and we got there about 10 to 10. a guard told us that the mall did not open until 10 and I said ok and kept walking. Another guard said that the mall did not open until 10 and I then asked, "can I walk around" to which he replied 'no'. Mind you, there were people walking around. A supermarket was open in the mall so we went in to kill some time. After 10 minutes we were free to meander the mall. There were your usual assortment of mall stores and by and large the people were all friendly. There are ... read more
Uruguay makes some internationally recognized wines. Without a tourguide, we did our best to figure out where the vineyards are. Only a few miles out of the city, the agricultural sector begins. Cows and sheep grazing on grass, not corn or other garbage that some ranchers in the US or the UK feed their animals. We also saw citrus orchards and other orchards of some unknown fruits, vineyards and even the beginnings of olive groves, which must be a relatively new agricultural trend down here. According to a map, the town of Canelones is a major hub in the countryside of the state of Canelones, which is the center of wine production in Uruguay. The town was quite small and if anyone reading this blog has been to Costa Rica, the housing was reminiscent of the ... read more
hello, On Tuesday we rented a car. I actually wanted to rent it on Monday afternoon so we could have it first thing Tuesday morning but the guy at the rental office discouraged that and said the paperwork would take only 15 minutes. I showed up at 9:00 am on Tuesday and neither the vehicle nor the paperwork were at the rental office. I had to be taken over to where the cars were to fill out the papers. I did not get back to the apartment until after 10 a.m. then we hit the road to Colonia. Colonia is a very charming colonial town which was established by the Portuguese and is a UN world heritage site. The trip was supposed to be about 2 hours but we did not get there until about 1:00 ... read more
Hello all. Monday arrived and the Old City came alive. People showed up to work and shops and restaurants I did not even know existed opened up behind the closed metal bars of the weekend. Breakfast is not an easy meal for someone on a gluten free diet. I usually eat something at the apartment and that's about it. We went out for coffee and I ordered cafe con crema (coffee with cream) only to find out the crema is whipped cream. Time revealed no problems with the whipped cream. The national drink down here is an herbal tea called yerba mate (pronounced mah-tay). There is a whole culture that surrounds its consumption. Most people walk around with a thermos for hot water, the gourd in which the tea is made and a metal straw to ... read more
Things are fairly quiet on Sundays it seems. We went out about 9:00 a.m. to try to find some coffee. We went to a place that we knew existed but they were closed. However, two doors down at a nightclub there were kids still partying from Saturday night and we could hear the music booming from inside. I don't think I did that even when I was young and full of energy. We kept walking and eventually came to the midtown area that had some life to it. We found a place to sit down and while I was waiting for my order, I went outside to buy a newspaper and ask the guy where I could catch a bus to Pocitos, a more upscale neighborhood of Montevideo. Our actual goal of going to Pocitos was ... read more
Unfortunately I am having difficulty uploading images to this site. I don't know if the problem is with travelblog or my new laptop. This laptop uses Windows Vista which does create certain problems from time to time. I can always attempt to add pictures later although it would be best to add them as I go along. We are staying in the old city, or Ciudad Vieja. It is at times charming and other times eerie. I get the impression the city does not want to lose any of its old architecture but at the same time, some of the buildings are long beyond repair. We arrived on a weekend and this part of town is quiet. I hope that is a reflection of the day of the week and not life in general here in ... read more
Dear family, friends and others who happen upon this blog, looks like this blog thing works so this is entry #2. The flights were relatively uneventful but I find that while trying to remember little things to put in a blog, there are many moments that pass right by and would otherwise be forgotten. On the flight from Newark to Miami there was a man who brought his dacshund on the flight. Cute dog and very quiet. As the guy was very engrossed in his reading I did not get to say much about the dog. I learned he was 6 years old and that the airlines have a 20 lbs limit for dogs. I did not get to ask him any important questions like - did he need to put the dog on a diet ... read more
Hello all, This is my first time using this website so I hope I can figure it all out. Today we leave NJ bound for Montevideo, Uruguay. There is always a story behind a travel destination and if all goes well, more information will be shared along the way. Since we arrive tomorrow morning, I probably won't be able to post anything until Saturday night. According to the Weather Channel the weather is supposed to be nice all week no anticipated rain and temperatures between the mid-60's to low 70's. Rich... read more
