Full Day in Montevideo

Here are a few fotos from our day in Montevideo. Tomorrow it is off to the farm. We had a fun time trying to figure out how to get there. Our experience in Guatemala was that if you go to the bus station, you can just hop on a bus and might have to change busses, but it supposed to be pretty easy. After using some sort of telephone store that functioned as a really fancy phone booth, we have reservations for a bus tomorrow and believe we know how to get to the terminal, using another bus. I think this is one of my favorite parts of travelling, figuring out how to do things that people who live here think is every day life.

On to the photos:


Tracy in the room at our hostel.


Yes we have a Bidet (spelling¿?)



Tracy (and some random woman) in the Plaza de Independencia (we have had gloomy weather both days so far)


Uruguay has much Italian influence. We went to dinner last night and ended up eating pasta. It was excellent and was some of the best italian food we´ve had. We wandered around from about 5-7 wondering why many of the restaraunts were not open. We learned today that most Uruguayans do not eat dinner until 9pm and it is not unusual to start dinner well after that. Tonight, we shall explore at a much later hour.

Saludos de Montevideo

We have arrived. The flight was long (9 hours). We departed finally at 7pm or so and arrived in Buenos Aires around 445am. From there we flew to Montevideo around 9am and arrived here around 10. Aerolineas Argentinas was OK, but I am really not so sure that the ham and cheese sandwich was necessary at 2am. This has never been one of my normal times of the day for eating a ham and cheese sandwich.

The Lonely Planet gave us a list of bus numbers that woulod take us downtown. we waited about 45 minutes without seeing a single one. After getting no help from a priest and only vague help from an airport employee, we jumped on a bus that said Montevideo on the front. 80 cents and with the help of a nice guy on the back of the bus, we arrived. We crashed for a couple of hours and are now ready to start exploring this new place. Hopefully the weather will clear up a little because right now the city is in a big cloud. (My hip is feeling much better, so I am ready to see the sights).

People here look just like us, however, I dont think we blend in as well as we might think we do.

Hopefully more pictures will be forthcoming.

Bienvenidos a Miami

Arrived safely in Miami. Hanging out with Aaron and Lilly in Ft. Lauderdale until we leave on Sunday afternoon for Uruguay. Luckily, we got to visit a favorite Guatemalan restaurant here. The only fast food that I would call delicious.

Unemployed

I (Adam) no longer work for Wake County Human Services.

We leave for Miami Friday morning. We arrive in Montevideo, Uruguay on Monday morning. Looking forward to seeing Aaron and Lilly.

My hip hurts like a mug. Not a good way to start a long journey.

I hope we didnt forget to do anything.

Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front

An excerpt from a poem from Wendell Berry. Find the entire poem here

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.

And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.

When they want you to buy something
they will call you. When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.
So, friends, every day do something
that won't compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.

Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.

Current Events

A couple of articles popped up this week that struck me as our travels quickly approach. Check them out, I hope they enrage you as much as they did me:

This one struck me as being as good an argument against industrial agriculture as just about any: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1213762.html
Also has all kinds of other ethical issues we hope consider sewn in. Find your local farmer's market or CSA now in preparation for next season.

Anger is not an emotion that comes quickly to me, but I almost could not see straight after reading this article. As people about to be strangers in another land, I pray that we are treated with the dignity hat Mr. Bizzell refuses to offer. (I will keep this blog G rated and leave out my other thoughts toward Mr. Bizzell).
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/immigration/story/1209646.html

Muchas Gracias a los Padres

No, we are not thankful to a San Diego baseball team. We are grateful to our parents for helping us to figure out some of the details for this trip. From being attached to bank accounts in case of emergency to helping us figure out hundreds of other little problems, they have been very helpful.

You never know what to expect from parents when it comes to telling them you are leaving the country for a year, missing all major holidays, will be only available by email and the occasional phone call and are traveling through countries that occasionally get press for unpleasant things. We have gotten only support and excitement.

We are grateful.


The parents (most recently known as Gramma and Pops); Maria who's Spanish is quickly surpassing mine, Helms and Greg (www.hyaets.org) who run a really cool place in Charlotte that all should check out and learn from; John Tyson, the handsome nephew a.k.a. Juan, El Guapo, J., etc.; and Tracy and I. (In no particular order since I cant see the picture as I type.)






Tracy and her parents in Vilas. Check out the barn quilt!