Colonia, Uruguay

It's pretty sweet that BA is close to Uruguay because taking day trips there is definitely doable. Jay's friend Michael was visiting for the week so we decided to go on a day trip and take a boat over to Colonia, Uruguay, a little village/city established in 1680 on the river coast. You can take a faster 1 hour or slower 3 hour boat ride over. We opted for not only the faster boat but first class--wow the seats were plush. Ok it's really not at all much more expensive and they were the only seats left for last minute ticket purchases, but I felt a bit baller. Leaving the hustle and bustle of a larger city for a non-congested, picturesque town felt damn good for a day. Upon arrival at shore, you are immediately thrown into old world charm--small cobblestone streets, quaint one and two story stucco buildings with wildly colorful plants & flowers growing alongside them are everywhere you turn.

So many people of all ages drive motos (scooters) there. I totally saw Grandma cruising the streets on one of those badboys. We naturally decided to rent some (whole day for USD $20!). We revved along the coast for awhile then tore up the streets of Barrio Historico. I definitely felt bad ass....they get up to 60 km! Among the charming buildings are many artisan shops, which are great to peruse. There's a cool tower beside old remains of a church with a narrow spiral staircase that takes you up to two levels, each displaying awesome views of the city and coast. We ate lunch in El Drugstore, a great, eclectic restaurant right in the heart of Barrio Historico. I immediately decided I was going to have the fish of the day, which I was super excited for, as fresh fish is not super popular here in BA. I've had sushi a couple of times but that's the extent of my fish consumption...oh how I miss ordering a whole fish in NYC Thai restaurants...I scarfed down my large plate of fish with a large glass of white wine. Mmm. The mood for a perfect lunch was also set by listening to the trio playing sweet tunes right beside our table. Hopping back on our scooters could not have felt any more exhilarating after that lunch! I want a moto so bad. They're such an efficient way of getting around, low maintenance and cheap gas! Granted, there are way less people crowding the streets in Colonia. But I still want one. Realllllly bad.

Spending the day there was pretty much perfect...except that I got a nice farmer's tan from my t-shirt. Really cute.

Now, onto today's installment of BA blunders, which features tonight's fiasco: getting locked into our apartment building. Here in BA, most buildings are pretty old and all of the locks require a key to be used upon entering OR LEAVING a building. So to let friends into our building, I have to go downstairs and let them in. No buzzing in possible. WTF?!! What happens when medics might need to enter an apt building? I do not know...So tonight, my roommate tried leaving the building and could not get the key to open the lock. Neighbors were trying super hard, but that tricky knob would not budge. I tried for about 15-20 minutes but to no avail...And as irony would have its way, we live right next door (literally, we share a wall) to a locksmith. Yet he lives out in the provinces of the city, so he's not accessible. Super fantastic. My roomie and I headed upstairs after many failed efforts, justifying the situation by saying at least we were locked in and not out. (Errr?)

Eventually it was somehow fixed. Let's hope that doesn't happen again!

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Not recommended album of the week: Kanye West's "808s & Heartbreak"
Release date today, November 24, 2008. Kanye has taken it a little far with this album. Just because he can produce and rhyme well does not mean he can come out with an album that sounds equally as terrible as an LP by T-Pain. That frikin voice modulator thing he and T Pain use need to go. That is not singing. The only redeeming quality the album may have is the beats, which are reminiscent of 80s tunes (beat machine, synthesizer, etc). However I'd much rather listen to a double disc set of Awesome 80's Volume I...Kanye, this album gets a large WAMP.

Recommended music of the week:
Pretty much anything by Talking Heads..."Talking Heads: 77," "Little Creatures," "Speaking in Tongues," etc. It's no wonder why Radiohead took their name from a TH song called "Radio Head." Funky riffs, exemplary late 70s/80s beats and melodies, David Byrne on vocals...all you really need to dig a band's music. Hence, the correct way to rock out the 80s (and 70s & 90s). Kanye should take a lesson. Ability to sing is vital.
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