Tuesday, March 24, 2009
1976
So, today was the 33rd anniversary of the beginning of the military junta rule over Argentina... This, was something I was previously unaware of prior to my arrival - and in reality, prior to a month ago, when I started reading more in class about various topics and having more in depth discussions about the political history (read: instability) of Argentina. The times, which have been characterized by both sides as brutal, are known as 'The Dirty War' - in short, the children of the revolutionist left trying to unseat the dictator/junta were taken from their parents (with the parents and young men often referred to as 'the disappeared') and 'adopted' to the military leaders of the junta... From what I've learned, thru first-hand accounts, magazines, books, and newspapers, there's a generation of children who have been adopted to Argentines, Uruguayans, Brasilians, Chileans, and a few others who will never be able to identify their true heritage as a result of their parents' purported involvement in a movement to overthrow a military coup. It was a sad time in the history of Argentina, which is still remembered, every 24th of March - not so much as a celebration, but as a memory of what the country went through...
Friday, March 20, 2009
Rege Central - The First Installation
This entry is both a) long overdue, and b) indicative of the type of life us 'ex-pats' live in Baires...
First thing's first - Laura Rege is my roommate extraordinaire and source of witty, time-pertinent comments that still catch me off-guard; in the same way that my younger sister (who is no longer by baby sister) surprises me almost every time I have a chance to spend with her...
Things Laura Loves:
I think it is prudent to point out that Laura has a thing for guys named Adam, naturally... Maybe it's our stylish good looks, or the fact that we are cherished all over the world as the source of the human existence on this planet, or something random (which I doubt), or that we're bad boys, Laura digs us, and it's a great thing! It's nice to be the 'exception' to the Adam Rule, which we will call Ley-1282, as she and I have had a chance to develop a great friendship under what could ordinarily be described as a bizarre situation - economic troubles at home, both left without jobs, desiring something more, a new challenge, etc...
One term that Laura taught me, among others, was "Ama de Casa"... Translated directly, it means 'love of the house' which is typically used to refer to a housewife here in Latin America. With that, Laura has been a lovely 'ama de casa' and we often joke (usually after she has spent a little bit of time pestering me to clean up, help in the kitchen, and generally, stay orderly) about our roles in our living situation. I happen to think, as of now, we have a pretty great thing going on - all the benefits of a domestic partnership, with none of the trials and tribulations of what comes with the dreaded 'next step' questions. We hang, we get along, we go out, and there's not weird, added pressures of 'feelings' between us, so the 'Ama' title that she has is more of an 'apodo' (nickname) that we can joke about. And what's best about it all is when Laura dons her pink 'ama gloves' to really get the kitchen clean (the bathroom is usually my territory)...
For those of you who don't know her, Laura is a health nut... All things good for her, she does. What's most disappointing for her is the total lack of a sophisticated Yoga industry, specifically, the inability to locate a Bikram Yoga studio here in Baires... Big problems! So, in an effort to stay sane, she has resorted to her other pastime, running, and eating healthily, with the occasional slip up to our balcony for a relaxing, personal meditation, which I often join in on, but with my own remedies. She has found two or three places that are absolutely divine (in the context of a health god) - Pura Vida (how fitting), and Natural Deli (is that an oxy-moron?), both of which provide healthy alternatives to the otherwise not-unhealthy, but certainly not healthy, comida criolla (local food).
In addition for her overwhelming bodily craving for salmon sushi, Laura spends her time dreaming of the day when she can become a backup electronica singer to a bad-ass beatmaster-type group. I think she just really wants to be at a giant boliche (club) and hear her own song come on so she can dance to it, sing along, and say, 'that's my song, cariño'... That, and, I think she loves being in front of a camera, as evidenced by a week full of posing shamelessly with anyone and everyone whom we came in to contact with, just so we could take pictures of Laura - it was awesome!
Since we've arrived, the exchange rate between the Argentina Peso and the US Dollar has been moving in favor or the Dollar, which is great for us, and the local fashion industry, as Laura has done a great job, single-handedly, supporting a store called Rhapsodia... Everyone that visits gets a private tour, from Laura, of the company's several stores, and there are times when I've come home to a multiple-trip day to Rhapsodia where the bads of goods purchased are strewn about (notice, I don't complain about the mess when she makes it...).
And, in finality, Laura's great, and everyone should have the chance to hang with her... Buena onda!
First thing's first - Laura Rege is my roommate extraordinaire and source of witty, time-pertinent comments that still catch me off-guard; in the same way that my younger sister (who is no longer by baby sister) surprises me almost every time I have a chance to spend with her...
Things Laura Loves:
I think it is prudent to point out that Laura has a thing for guys named Adam, naturally... Maybe it's our stylish good looks, or the fact that we are cherished all over the world as the source of the human existence on this planet, or something random (which I doubt), or that we're bad boys, Laura digs us, and it's a great thing! It's nice to be the 'exception' to the Adam Rule, which we will call Ley-1282, as she and I have had a chance to develop a great friendship under what could ordinarily be described as a bizarre situation - economic troubles at home, both left without jobs, desiring something more, a new challenge, etc...
One term that Laura taught me, among others, was "Ama de Casa"... Translated directly, it means 'love of the house' which is typically used to refer to a housewife here in Latin America. With that, Laura has been a lovely 'ama de casa' and we often joke (usually after she has spent a little bit of time pestering me to clean up, help in the kitchen, and generally, stay orderly) about our roles in our living situation. I happen to think, as of now, we have a pretty great thing going on - all the benefits of a domestic partnership, with none of the trials and tribulations of what comes with the dreaded 'next step' questions. We hang, we get along, we go out, and there's not weird, added pressures of 'feelings' between us, so the 'Ama' title that she has is more of an 'apodo' (nickname) that we can joke about. And what's best about it all is when Laura dons her pink 'ama gloves' to really get the kitchen clean (the bathroom is usually my territory)...
For those of you who don't know her, Laura is a health nut... All things good for her, she does. What's most disappointing for her is the total lack of a sophisticated Yoga industry, specifically, the inability to locate a Bikram Yoga studio here in Baires... Big problems! So, in an effort to stay sane, she has resorted to her other pastime, running, and eating healthily, with the occasional slip up to our balcony for a relaxing, personal meditation, which I often join in on, but with my own remedies. She has found two or three places that are absolutely divine (in the context of a health god) - Pura Vida (how fitting), and Natural Deli (is that an oxy-moron?), both of which provide healthy alternatives to the otherwise not-unhealthy, but certainly not healthy, comida criolla (local food).
In addition for her overwhelming bodily craving for salmon sushi, Laura spends her time dreaming of the day when she can become a backup electronica singer to a bad-ass beatmaster-type group. I think she just really wants to be at a giant boliche (club) and hear her own song come on so she can dance to it, sing along, and say, 'that's my song, cariño'... That, and, I think she loves being in front of a camera, as evidenced by a week full of posing shamelessly with anyone and everyone whom we came in to contact with, just so we could take pictures of Laura - it was awesome!
Since we've arrived, the exchange rate between the Argentina Peso and the US Dollar has been moving in favor or the Dollar, which is great for us, and the local fashion industry, as Laura has done a great job, single-handedly, supporting a store called Rhapsodia... Everyone that visits gets a private tour, from Laura, of the company's several stores, and there are times when I've come home to a multiple-trip day to Rhapsodia where the bads of goods purchased are strewn about (notice, I don't complain about the mess when she makes it...).
And, in finality, Laura's great, and everyone should have the chance to hang with her... Buena onda!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
F&B
Fernet Branca
For one, it's a beverage... Here's a nice little description: "He's short, he's dark, he's strong, he will fuck you up for good. His name is Fernet Branca and he doesn't take no for an answer." I have to agree with this description, and cannot take any credit for preparing it, but it's totally true. This is the 'national' drink of Argentina, despite it being produced by an Italian company. It's basically the equivalent to Campari, a bitter, smokey, dry, and all-around rough beverage to consume (always mix with a Coke). That all said, it's great! And, like any other stiff drink, it takes time to adapt, so when you make a 'bitter beer face' after your first sip, keep putting it down and eventually, it'll be a refreshing drink to start, complement, and finish a day, or nite...
Café
For those who know me, I have never been much of a coffee drinker, despite growing up in a household with a father from New Orleans (the coffee gene was passed to my sister, apparently) and spending about 2 years in Miami with the Cubanos... So, I have now taken it upon myself to launch a new initiative, similar to the one I began during my senior year - the quest to enjoy a good glass of red wine (success!) - which now entails an attempt to conquer a cup of coffee, albeit with a strong possibility of that cup having a significant amount of both milk and sugar... We'll see how it shakes out, but I can say that I've had, count them 2, dos de café con leche since I arrived... They went down, and weren't awful, but the taste is going to have to grow on me quite a bit...
Yerba Maté
Last, and certainly not least, is another beverage, more along my lines - TEA! Yerba Maté, however, is a different breed... Not only is this concoction like a drug, it's a different brand of tea, altogether. More 'bitter' in flavor, prepared in a maté (effectively, a mug shaped from a block of wood or a gourd) - yes, it's both the container, and the product - and consumed by people socially (shared/passed). At first, I was not a big fan - a hot tea that was really bitter and not all that tasty, but after a few rounds (clearly, there's a theme here when trying to like something new and unfamiliar), and various preparations (addition of sugar, orange soda/juice, cold water, etc) later, I'm now a firm believer. I'm still trying to get the technique down, but I recently purchased my own maté (both the yerba tea leaves, and the container - you need a bombilla, straw, which is made of metal, as you put the maté in the maté, pouring your liquid of choice over the maté, and sipping) and have begun sipping the little devil almost every day. Similar to ritual of chewing coca leaves in the northern plateaus of Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, and others, sharing/sipping on maté keeps energy up and sociability higher... Between Argentina & Uruguay, the two countries where maté is prominent, you likely won't see hot water being sold on the beach in the dead of summer anywhere else...
For one, it's a beverage... Here's a nice little description: "He's short, he's dark, he's strong, he will fuck you up for good. His name is Fernet Branca and he doesn't take no for an answer." I have to agree with this description, and cannot take any credit for preparing it, but it's totally true. This is the 'national' drink of Argentina, despite it being produced by an Italian company. It's basically the equivalent to Campari, a bitter, smokey, dry, and all-around rough beverage to consume (always mix with a Coke). That all said, it's great! And, like any other stiff drink, it takes time to adapt, so when you make a 'bitter beer face' after your first sip, keep putting it down and eventually, it'll be a refreshing drink to start, complement, and finish a day, or nite...
Café
For those who know me, I have never been much of a coffee drinker, despite growing up in a household with a father from New Orleans (the coffee gene was passed to my sister, apparently) and spending about 2 years in Miami with the Cubanos... So, I have now taken it upon myself to launch a new initiative, similar to the one I began during my senior year - the quest to enjoy a good glass of red wine (success!) - which now entails an attempt to conquer a cup of coffee, albeit with a strong possibility of that cup having a significant amount of both milk and sugar... We'll see how it shakes out, but I can say that I've had, count them 2, dos de café con leche since I arrived... They went down, and weren't awful, but the taste is going to have to grow on me quite a bit...
Yerba Maté
Last, and certainly not least, is another beverage, more along my lines - TEA! Yerba Maté, however, is a different breed... Not only is this concoction like a drug, it's a different brand of tea, altogether. More 'bitter' in flavor, prepared in a maté (effectively, a mug shaped from a block of wood or a gourd) - yes, it's both the container, and the product - and consumed by people socially (shared/passed). At first, I was not a big fan - a hot tea that was really bitter and not all that tasty, but after a few rounds (clearly, there's a theme here when trying to like something new and unfamiliar), and various preparations (addition of sugar, orange soda/juice, cold water, etc) later, I'm now a firm believer. I'm still trying to get the technique down, but I recently purchased my own maté (both the yerba tea leaves, and the container - you need a bombilla, straw, which is made of metal, as you put the maté in the maté, pouring your liquid of choice over the maté, and sipping) and have begun sipping the little devil almost every day. Similar to ritual of chewing coca leaves in the northern plateaus of Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, and others, sharing/sipping on maté keeps energy up and sociability higher... Between Argentina & Uruguay, the two countries where maté is prominent, you likely won't see hot water being sold on the beach in the dead of summer anywhere else...
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Las Despedidas...
Una despedida = a departure/going away...
In basic terms, when a despedida takes place down here, it usually implies that someone is leaving Buenos Aires, for good... Not necessarily forever, but for the foreseeable future. In the last few weeks, there have been many a despedida down here, as the 'real' world has apparently been calling many of our friends back to NYC, LA, SF, Sydney, etc... It has been bittersweet saying goodbye to a good chunk of the friends I made down here in my first 3 months, but the time has come to continue moving forward with this journey and just meet the next round of friends... That said, the friends I have who are more permanent in nature are great, and I think, to some degree, we'll all be a bit relieved when we can finally enjoy the day when there isn't one last person's party to attend, or the last of something to see before [fill in the blank]...
It has been a great run for the 3+ months, and I'll certainly miss all the friends that I've made and who have since gone, but life moves on for all of us. I can only be grateful for the opportunity to have shared the time with them, and hope they have felt as good about having the chance to spend their time with me... Hasta luego!
In basic terms, when a despedida takes place down here, it usually implies that someone is leaving Buenos Aires, for good... Not necessarily forever, but for the foreseeable future. In the last few weeks, there have been many a despedida down here, as the 'real' world has apparently been calling many of our friends back to NYC, LA, SF, Sydney, etc... It has been bittersweet saying goodbye to a good chunk of the friends I made down here in my first 3 months, but the time has come to continue moving forward with this journey and just meet the next round of friends... That said, the friends I have who are more permanent in nature are great, and I think, to some degree, we'll all be a bit relieved when we can finally enjoy the day when there isn't one last person's party to attend, or the last of something to see before [fill in the blank]...
It has been a great run for the 3+ months, and I'll certainly miss all the friends that I've made and who have since gone, but life moves on for all of us. I can only be grateful for the opportunity to have shared the time with them, and hope they have felt as good about having the chance to spend their time with me... Hasta luego!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
3 Meses
It's official, I've made it passed the standard 90-day, probationary period, which means I'm now able to participate in the 401(k) program, receive medical benefits, and have passed my orientation classes and preliminary HR reviews... Of course, I kid about all but medical benefits, as they are social programs offered free of charge by the state, which means I can walk in to see any doctor and not pay a dime - prescriptions, additional treatments, psycho-therapy, and other medical coverage is at an additional cost, but hey, it beats the US!
I have learned a tremendous amount in a very short amount of time, namely, I should have taken languages more seriously, and spent a semester abroad, practicing/living a different culture/language when I had the chance - this is certainly a lesson (if not more than one) I will pass on, strongly, if not mandatorily, to my off-spring whenever that day may come... I have finally had a little 'click' in my head with Castellano, and am beginning to think a bit more in the 'native' tongue, and my speech has advanced exponentially - I think the nearly 25 hours per week of instruction has helped a bit, as I added nearly 10 hours of private, one-on-one tutoring to expedite my verbal competency. I have to imagine that confidence is a HUGE part of getting thru something so challenging, and my desire to gut it out, and really learn the language has helped me thru the more challenging plateaus that I've experienced, but the more effort I seem to put in, the more rewarding the experience...
Outside of the language angle, I've been able to make some great business contacts down here, primarily with expats (shockingly...) who are launching/developing/opening hospitality-related projects here in Buenos Aires, Mendoza, and in parts of Brasil. As i continue to network, and provide preliminary value to these various groups, I am hoping they will see the potential value I can bring to their 'team' and give me a fighting chance to really show what I'm made of - it's 'now or never' to some degree, and I'm banking on my ability to succeed. I have my floaties, and I seem to be keeping my head above water, so with a little bit of hard work and determination, these first 3 months will have been a great entree in to something permanent...
Thanks for all the support!
I have learned a tremendous amount in a very short amount of time, namely, I should have taken languages more seriously, and spent a semester abroad, practicing/living a different culture/language when I had the chance - this is certainly a lesson (if not more than one) I will pass on, strongly, if not mandatorily, to my off-spring whenever that day may come... I have finally had a little 'click' in my head with Castellano, and am beginning to think a bit more in the 'native' tongue, and my speech has advanced exponentially - I think the nearly 25 hours per week of instruction has helped a bit, as I added nearly 10 hours of private, one-on-one tutoring to expedite my verbal competency. I have to imagine that confidence is a HUGE part of getting thru something so challenging, and my desire to gut it out, and really learn the language has helped me thru the more challenging plateaus that I've experienced, but the more effort I seem to put in, the more rewarding the experience...
Outside of the language angle, I've been able to make some great business contacts down here, primarily with expats (shockingly...) who are launching/developing/opening hospitality-related projects here in Buenos Aires, Mendoza, and in parts of Brasil. As i continue to network, and provide preliminary value to these various groups, I am hoping they will see the potential value I can bring to their 'team' and give me a fighting chance to really show what I'm made of - it's 'now or never' to some degree, and I'm banking on my ability to succeed. I have my floaties, and I seem to be keeping my head above water, so with a little bit of hard work and determination, these first 3 months will have been a great entree in to something permanent...
Thanks for all the support!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Visas
So, to enter Argentina, as a US citizen, you are not required to have a specific visa, and are assigned a 90-day tourist visa automatically. This 90-day pass can be renewed for additional 90-day periods (I think there may be a limit, but I'm not sure) once you leave the country and return within the original 90-day period. It's a bit of a joke, in terms of a loophole allowing people to say here longer, but we'll role with it. As for me, I had arranged to get a 1-year student visa thru the school I am studying Castellano, and in doing so, I had to go thru hell in a handbasket to get the paperwork that would be required at immigration here in Argentina. I'll spare the details, but it was rather exhaustive, so when everything was compiled, translated, stamped, etcetera, Laura (who did all the same stuff) and i accompanied our contact from school to the immigration office to cross the t's and dot the i's and get ourselves a legitimate visa for a year.
When we got to the front (apparently, our contact had some VIP card for immigration, because we waited about 5 minutes - think DMV x 1000, with an efficiency rating of -50x that of a DMV; it was a great surprise!), and presented our paperwork, we were then informed we were missing a document, one that was never mentioned as something that was necessary - apparently, this was not atypical, as communication and the dissemination of information here is, more or less, a modern comic tragedy. Our contact had even spoken with the supervisor the day before to confirm we had everything, and again, as is customary (unless you ask if you need something specific, noone is going to tell you what you need, if you don't know what you need - makes perfect sense), there was no mention of this specific document.
So, back to the drawing board, more or less... The document, a US Good Conduct Certificate, is a pretty standard form, as we learned from the US Embassy the next week, but it's something that takes a bit of time to get situated. We have needed to pick up a fingerprint card (with instructions) from the US Embassy, and obtain fingerprints from a local police station, known as Comiserias (our first trip was unsuccessful, as the police station had run out of ink, apparently, when we walked in - this information was given to us by a kid who looked 14, after we told him we were there for finger printing, asked us to sit down and wait, and within 5 minutes, asked if we could come back again a different day - seriously!?!), before sending the certified documents to the US Department of Justice for processing/documentation. This process, naturally, takes between 3-4 weeks until we receive the good conduct certificate. Unfortunately, that does not account for the mailing/shipping time between the US and Argentina, which adds about another week or so to the process.
We are now at the end of March (holy bejeezus batman!), and, having gone to Punta, my 90-day tourist visa has been re-upped, so to speak, so I'm in the clear, but still without a student visa. The good thing, however, is that when i finally get it, it'll likely put me through the end of May 2010, just in time to head to South Africa for the World Cup!! There's always a silver lining in Argentina, it just may be more difficult to see when it's covered in garbage and dogshit... Viva Argentina!
When we got to the front (apparently, our contact had some VIP card for immigration, because we waited about 5 minutes - think DMV x 1000, with an efficiency rating of -50x that of a DMV; it was a great surprise!), and presented our paperwork, we were then informed we were missing a document, one that was never mentioned as something that was necessary - apparently, this was not atypical, as communication and the dissemination of information here is, more or less, a modern comic tragedy. Our contact had even spoken with the supervisor the day before to confirm we had everything, and again, as is customary (unless you ask if you need something specific, noone is going to tell you what you need, if you don't know what you need - makes perfect sense), there was no mention of this specific document.
So, back to the drawing board, more or less... The document, a US Good Conduct Certificate, is a pretty standard form, as we learned from the US Embassy the next week, but it's something that takes a bit of time to get situated. We have needed to pick up a fingerprint card (with instructions) from the US Embassy, and obtain fingerprints from a local police station, known as Comiserias (our first trip was unsuccessful, as the police station had run out of ink, apparently, when we walked in - this information was given to us by a kid who looked 14, after we told him we were there for finger printing, asked us to sit down and wait, and within 5 minutes, asked if we could come back again a different day - seriously!?!), before sending the certified documents to the US Department of Justice for processing/documentation. This process, naturally, takes between 3-4 weeks until we receive the good conduct certificate. Unfortunately, that does not account for the mailing/shipping time between the US and Argentina, which adds about another week or so to the process.
We are now at the end of March (holy bejeezus batman!), and, having gone to Punta, my 90-day tourist visa has been re-upped, so to speak, so I'm in the clear, but still without a student visa. The good thing, however, is that when i finally get it, it'll likely put me through the end of May 2010, just in time to head to South Africa for the World Cup!! There's always a silver lining in Argentina, it just may be more difficult to see when it's covered in garbage and dogshit... Viva Argentina!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Punta del Este
If you've never been - you must go! (It's in Uruguay, FYI)
And, not for the reasons that many of you may think... While the month of January in Punta, as it is colloquially known in these parts, is totally insane and completely ridiculous, the other 11 months of the year provide a tranquil, relaxed, beach setting... I had the pleasure of being there at the end of February, still the middle of the summer, for only two nites, but those two nites and two days were incredible...
My preconceived notion of Punta was that of South Beach, minus a little bit of 'flare' and I couldn't have been more wrong... While similarities can certainly be made between the two venues (beach, Atlantic Ocean, single road, Latin-blooded people, wealth at every turn, and a predominance of foreigners), the time I had there couldn't have been further removed from the over-bearing, greed-infested South Beach where I once lived...
Not only are the beaches pretty killer, but the sun will literally kill you! I kid you not, within 20 minutes of being in the sun at 1p, I was burned... The wind was whipping across the beach, it wasn't more than 80 degrees (fahrenheit), and it wasn't a blaring sun - 20 minutes! Me, in the middle of the summer, after spending time on the beaches of Argentina, parks in Buenos Aires, and having that Mediterranean skin, I was cooked... My travel companion, who was visiting from NYC (from the dead of winter), she too was good and rosey... We didn't even notice it until after we made a couple of strategic 'flips' and immediately reached for the sun block... To no avail, we were done for - it was only a matter of time until we would lose this rapi-tan... Hopefully, we'd be tan for a while, and she could return to NYC with her 'spring break, aren't you jealous of my vacation tan' (she did, but I'm pretty sure it only lasted a few days once she got back to the cold). We proceeded to spend the first nite holed up, like lobsters hiding beneath a rock, in a bit of discomfort, not to mention being totally wiped out from just lying on the beach all day - it really is amazing how tiring it is, seriously!
Our second day in Punta, we opted to take it easy, with a fresh start at the hotel (The Hotel Montoya at km 161, if memory serves) with a nice breakfast spread, followed immediately by the trip to the pharmacy to get as much lotion, aloe vera gel, and SPF 10,000 as possible... When we finally got all covered in layers of the aforementioned, we decided to head to the beach, and to our surprise, the hotel manager offered us a much needed umbrella - clearly, we needed to not be in the sun any more... So, like any American would do, we went overboard and marched to the beach... On the way, we got to take a little excursion to visit a few local beach spectacles, did a little exploring, and made it to the beach... It was a great day, lots of fun pictures, and of course, more relaxing... My roommate made a few great food recommendations for us - eat at Baby Gouda! - so we hit them up on our second evening and turned in early so we could make the trip back to Buenos Aires, thru Montevideo...
In all, the trip was great, and I highly recommend it to anyone - even if you only make it to Uruguay...
Any place where you can get on a ferry, and 5 hours later, be on a sweet beach, in a great town, in a different country gets a A+ on my grading scale... All that, and I was there in the 'down' season...
And, not for the reasons that many of you may think... While the month of January in Punta, as it is colloquially known in these parts, is totally insane and completely ridiculous, the other 11 months of the year provide a tranquil, relaxed, beach setting... I had the pleasure of being there at the end of February, still the middle of the summer, for only two nites, but those two nites and two days were incredible...
My preconceived notion of Punta was that of South Beach, minus a little bit of 'flare' and I couldn't have been more wrong... While similarities can certainly be made between the two venues (beach, Atlantic Ocean, single road, Latin-blooded people, wealth at every turn, and a predominance of foreigners), the time I had there couldn't have been further removed from the over-bearing, greed-infested South Beach where I once lived...
Not only are the beaches pretty killer, but the sun will literally kill you! I kid you not, within 20 minutes of being in the sun at 1p, I was burned... The wind was whipping across the beach, it wasn't more than 80 degrees (fahrenheit), and it wasn't a blaring sun - 20 minutes! Me, in the middle of the summer, after spending time on the beaches of Argentina, parks in Buenos Aires, and having that Mediterranean skin, I was cooked... My travel companion, who was visiting from NYC (from the dead of winter), she too was good and rosey... We didn't even notice it until after we made a couple of strategic 'flips' and immediately reached for the sun block... To no avail, we were done for - it was only a matter of time until we would lose this rapi-tan... Hopefully, we'd be tan for a while, and she could return to NYC with her 'spring break, aren't you jealous of my vacation tan' (she did, but I'm pretty sure it only lasted a few days once she got back to the cold). We proceeded to spend the first nite holed up, like lobsters hiding beneath a rock, in a bit of discomfort, not to mention being totally wiped out from just lying on the beach all day - it really is amazing how tiring it is, seriously!
Our second day in Punta, we opted to take it easy, with a fresh start at the hotel (The Hotel Montoya at km 161, if memory serves) with a nice breakfast spread, followed immediately by the trip to the pharmacy to get as much lotion, aloe vera gel, and SPF 10,000 as possible... When we finally got all covered in layers of the aforementioned, we decided to head to the beach, and to our surprise, the hotel manager offered us a much needed umbrella - clearly, we needed to not be in the sun any more... So, like any American would do, we went overboard and marched to the beach... On the way, we got to take a little excursion to visit a few local beach spectacles, did a little exploring, and made it to the beach... It was a great day, lots of fun pictures, and of course, more relaxing... My roommate made a few great food recommendations for us - eat at Baby Gouda! - so we hit them up on our second evening and turned in early so we could make the trip back to Buenos Aires, thru Montevideo...
In all, the trip was great, and I highly recommend it to anyone - even if you only make it to Uruguay...
Any place where you can get on a ferry, and 5 hours later, be on a sweet beach, in a great town, in a different country gets a A+ on my grading scale... All that, and I was there in the 'down' season...
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