Category: Uruguay

The fine art of geolocation in Uruguay

OK, red herring. Actually, I think I must have said “hell no” at some point when a web site asked to see where I was located. So this was the result when I looked for the distance to the closest branch of Scotia Bank, whose debit cards are replacing the Tienda Inglesa points cards.

geoloc-01

Hint: we’re only about 40 km away.

geolocate-07

But presumably I know now the geographic center of Uruguay, which is here:

geolocate-02

So naturally, rather than do something productive, I switched to satellite view to find out where I “was.” Looks pretty remote:

geolocate-03

But wait a minute! What are those shapes?

L-shaped forests in Uruguay

Triangular forests in Uruguay

Why, L-shaped and triangular patches of forest, of course.

You can find all sorts of fun tree patterns on Google Earth in Uruguay, which apparently takes the growing of Eucalyptus trees more seriously than its neighbor to the northeast, Brazil.

Ecalyotus trees: Uruguay, yes; Brazil, no

But triangles … why triangles?

 

 

 

Uruguay factoids

Squinting at coffee packages in the supermarket the other day triggered this train of thought.

  • Unless you look very hard for otherwise, the coffee you buy in a supermarket will have sugar in it (“glaseado”)
  • cuts of beef are at right angles to what northerners expect
  • It is almost impossible to buy a long-handled shovel (“you can buy a regular shovel, remove the handle, and put a long handle on it” – yes, I was actually told this)
  • A vehicle with automatic transmission is considered a luxury and taxed higher (in one instance, a mechanic refused to drive a customer’s car onto the rack in the shop because he “didn’t know how to drive an automatic.”)
  • (For North American drivers) Right on red can get you an expensive ticket (I just added to Wikipedia that right on red is not allowed in UY 😉
  • If you take driving school in Uruguay, you will not be told:
    • you should stay in lanes / that lanes have any significance (seriously)
    • what distance to maintain between vehicles
    • after passing, that you should wait until you can see the car in your mirror before pulling back into the lane
  • If Uruguayans say they lived in the United States, you can almost never go wrong by asking “New Jersey or Rhode Island?”
  • If you miss Uruguay in the United States, go to Elizabeth, New Jersey
  • If Uruguayans say they’ve recently been to the United States, you can almost never go wrong by asking “How was the weather in Orlando?”

Feel free to add to the list. I expect I will.

Ah, America

Ah, America:
the visual jingoism of
omnipresent flapping flags.
Shiny cars, beseeching churches;
smooth roads and ads for shiny
vehicles, tank-like or claustrophobic:
sometimes both.

My people: fun to help, make laugh,
cheer along. That I can do so easily,
waitress or Walmart Greeter.
Casually conversational, easygoing,
but so must I bear
the oppressive banality
of overheard conversations.

And not indulge intellect, perception,
nor reveal observation, awareness.
My son says they’re stupid:
given two days, I cannot disagree.

Triscuits, flavor rosemary
and olive oil; cheese a combo:
monterrey jack and cheddar.
Chardonnays not Southern Cone:
cheap good California Barefoot;
Onduraga from Oz. Not special,
just not Southern Cone.

In the hotel, we offer to leave
carry-on unfriendly corkscrew
for future guests. Two wine glasses and
real — not-plastic — knife appear
to carry upstairs
for our evening snack.

triscuit-barefoot

(from November 2014)

Voting day

politicos

Today is voting day #1 — a runoff election will occur in a month if no one gets a clear majority today.

An Uruguayan friend explained to me yesterday that if, instead of putting the list from one party in your voting envelope, you put a blank piece of paper, your vote goes to whoever gets the most. You also have the option of annulling your vote (voting is required by law). One way is to put two lists (“votes”) in your envelope. I suggested she do this so that if her father, who votes Colorado, asked her who she voted for, she could say Colorado, and answer her mother that she voted like her, for the Frente Amplio.

I’ll be eligible to vote in 2019, and though I generally have little interest in politics, I do find it inspiring to live in a place where they actually offer choices, unlike voting for one or the other half of the Rich Lawyers Party in the United States.

A “new” restaurant

La Cuchare de Madera Restaurant in Parqu del Plata, Canelones, Uruguay

La Cuchara de Madera restaurant, Parque del Plata, Canelones, Uruguay
Click to enlarge

‘The Wooden Spoon’

Excellent food, ambiance, and presentation at reasonable price (entrees UYP 290, a little over USD 12). One block form the bus station. Surprisingly, it has been open for three years, but we’d never heard of it until recently. Open daily noon to midnight.

I would have taken a picture of our lunch but I don’t Instagram 😉