Punta del Este Expats

Kitties and a pup, all up for adoption

2010-01-26T06:09:00.000-08:00

The three kittens, temporarily named 3 Socks, Blackie O'Neill and Smokey, are in urgent need of adoption due to one of the adoptive parent's allergy, coupled with serious lung trouble in the past. So it's a health issue, worth choosing these kittens over any other out there, plus they're cute! Call Shelly at 49 28 13.

The dog, a male, is in La Barra, is 8 months old, sweet, although no doubt will grow into a fierce guardian, and can be had by calling Patricia at 099668518.

Gaging the season, or reading the tea-leaves

2010-01-21T21:28:00.000-08:00

Guessing or estimating "how good" --or bad, for that matter-- a season is becomes an all consuming activity for residents, home-owners, business-owners and even the very tourists whose dollars we´re trying to count.

Thus, it´s not surprising to find that one man´s half full glass is another woman´s half empty. The comments I heard in late November from several home-owners about properties for rent having an excellent season, for example, turned into "rentals have been a complete flop," uttered by many realtors, and echoed by the press on a seemingly hourly basis.

There is an explanation for these diverging comments: since the enactment of an income tax applied to rental income (10.5% after some deductions) last year, the entire rental market seems to have gone underground, that is, to have by-passed the official real-estate brokers who are easily audited and thus under pressure to do everything by the book.

Threats by our revenue authorities to unleash a pack of inspectors on the town to check whether rented properties have been properly declared sound laughable, more so when considering their promise to do so "without inconveniencing the vacationing tenants."

But I digress. Beyond the rental market and its still unclear results, the hotel industry posted an apparently record year-end season in terms of occupancy, and griped profusely about lost profitability due to the dollar devaluation that prevented it from transferring higher costs to guests.

On the street, for a couple of weeks the crowds appeared to be at record highs, while the display of fancy, really fancy cars, seemed to be endless and shocked even the most jaded of residents. Some days trying to have lunch in the Peninsula was a futile endeavor, and walking up Gorlero, with its wide sidewalks, required serious dribbling skills to avoid the Portuguese speaking crowds.

Then the Brazilians were gone and a more subdued Argentine and Uruguayan contingent took over. Tienda Inglesa still requires a strategy for successful grocery shopping with no injury (if a sunny beach day, 5 pm, with bad weather, early in the morning).

Altogether, things continue very busy and crowded, despite the multiple interpretations on who is and who is not in town. The number of social events also appears to have grown by an order of magnitude, testing everyone's endurance and actually making us welcome some bad weather cancellations here and there. And let me ask, How many Peruvian restaurant openings can there be in a single week?

Cruise ships, four at a time on some days, have become a usual fixture by now, as have the tour vans by the dozens.

Officially, we're slightly up in terms of tourist arrivals (3% to 5% depending on the day and the official quoted) and slightly up in dollar spending (28%, against 23% USD depreciation vs the UYU ) so not a bad outcome at all for the year the world collapsed.

And as usual, the high season continues to reward us with fantastic, free spectacles such as the departure of yesterday's regatta in the late afternoon, on a gorgeous, crisp day, a sight that brings a smile to anyone's face.

Membership has its privileges... and all that brouhaha

2010-01-19T06:59:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday as we surveyed the incredible setting of Carmen and Kurt´s home at the back end of the Laguna del Diario, overlooking the marsh with its incredible birdlife, the lake, and further away, the buildings on the far shore bathed in a few rays of golden light that broke through the storm, we felt lucky just to be standing there.

This feeling only grew after we were treated to an amazing short recital by our star pianist, Carmen Alvarez, for a couple dozen guests assembled in her living-room. We couldn´t stop saying "What a privilege".

Our acquaintance with her and Kurt was made through the English Speakers Club, brought along by Silvia Haas at the insistencec of her gardener, of all people. That´s how things happen around here. Another thing we keep saying over and over again, is that the number of hidden and gorgeous places one gets to discover is seemingly endless. All this as a way to remind us that even in high season, as the place is maybe too busy for our taste, we find new reasons to love living in Punta del Este.

And now on to the brouhaha. Apparently Doris, the organizer of the Carnaval party, took my comments about the venue literally, and chose to share them with our friend Diego, the owner of Pizza Sing. She also chose to address most members of the club in a long email. Needless to say, the cultural gap that prevents Doris from understanding that my comments about Pizza Sing were tongue-in-cheek, not to be taken literally, are amplified in the case of Diego who has not, to my knowledge, ever lived in English and who was led to believe that I was accusing his business of being a den of perdition.

In our last email exchange, Doris even went on to say I had incurred in defamation of my friend´s establishment and that she thought her professional reputation was tarnished by the implications of my comments.

So let me clarify that nothing would be further from my intention that to imply anything IMPROPER about Pizza Sing. Hell, my mother has been there several times, and I cannot fathom my mother doing anything improper or frequenting a place where anything improper goes on.

So for those who did not read my comments with the intention I wrote them, that is, trying to equate it to the "indignities" (IRONY ALERT! IRONY ALERT!) of a Christmas party at the office where people get carried away partying only to regret it the day after, for example, let me say that yes, Pizza Sing is all about clean fun.

Let me describe it again. If you take one of those all inclusive vacation resorts where they have "entertainment" in the form of an MC, who encourages people to put on a wig, dance in a conga line and participate in an organized game, and if you cross that with a Karaoke establishment and add some pizza, that´s more or less what Pizza Sing is like.

If this is indeed something you would enjoy, then you would love Pizza Sing, I´m sure. Otherwise you may not. I hope this puts this subject to rest.

Next Monday at Miró

2010-01-15T05:45:00.000-08:00

The crazy busy summer season has made me neglect my organizational activities this month of January, so here´s a late notice for Monday´s meeting.

I thought that continuing with our roving “waterfront venues” and again as suggested by Teacher Judith, we could try out Bar Miró, across the street from El Emir beach, on 27th street. The view is very nice, and I´m thinking of taking over the back room, which is cooler than the other areas of the restaurant and has superb views and enough tables for all of us.

My personal suggestion is to keep the tables as they are and allow for a bit mingling, rather than setting up long, banquet-type tables that prevent circulation. In the end, you can only talk to the 4 people sitting closest to you anyway, so it´s good to be able to get up and switch tables or just chit-chat while standing up.

On another note, Doris has been clamoring to organize a Carnaval costume-party-cum-karaoke event at Pizza Sing, in February, naturally. Frankly, it´s not my cup of tea (you have to abandon any trace of dignity at the door and submit to things you would not want to see on video circulating on Facebook later on) but I understand that there are many who are attracted to the idea and find it loads of fun. After all, Pizza Sing has been in business for at least a decade…

So please, if you do want to go, SEND A REPLY INDICATING YOU WILL ATTEND, so we can plan accordingly. In order to close down the place for our group, they need at least 40 reservations, so hurry up and email Doris (dorisher@gmail.com)

For our regular February meeting I’m hoping to finally make it to Nonno Antonio, the cheese factory located in the old Country Cook farm, on Camino Lussich. This will be a “forest” environment with cheese, wines, etc. I have to get in touch to negotiate details, and will let you know later on.

Otherwise, I hope you are enjoying the summer.

Fewer degrees of separation

2009-12-29T07:14:00.000-08:00

Yes, I now have just what, three degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon? It turns out that he and wife Kyra Sedgwick who are spending the holidays in Punta del Este decided to stop by my brother´s shop in La Barra and bought a hat. So can I claim 2 degrees then?

Thing is we are being flooded with celebrities. Well, it´s just a trickle actually, but we´re all very excited. "Bruce Willis is coming?!?!?!?!? I will go to see him!!!!!!" That´s my mom speaking. On the babe-front there´s Uma, Naomi, a couple with Russian names, and of course, Miss Shakeyourbooty Shakira. And on the camp front, Siegfried from Sigfried and Roy!

Not to mention the entire constellations of Argentine celebrities, most of whom I have no idea who they are.

Three cheers for Judge Graziuso

2009-12-28T06:16:00.000-08:00

As every year around this time, Punta del Este receives an influx of undesireables who flock here with ill intention. I used to go to the cops on Gorlero or the Rambla and tell them "Lookie there, a thief" only to be told that as long as they weren´t committing a crime and being caught in the act, we could do nothing about it.

Well, it turns out something can indeed be done. Since yesterday there are reports in the press of Judge Adriana Graziuso refloating the old vagrancy laws to request identification from sketchy-looking fellows or from those asking for money or playing fake "car attetndant" on the streets of Punta del Este. Upon confirmation that the individuals in question are not residents and don´t hold a job in the area, law enforcement is authorized to buy them a ticket, literally, back to their place of official domicile.

Further, when noticing that the crooks are on parole and violating the terms of their releases by being away from their stated domicile, the respective judges are informed. Likewise if there are arrest warrants pending.

Just a few days ago I noticed a very scary individual loitering in front of our store. I crossed the street to ask the attendants of the gas station whether they knew him and was told he had shown up that day, pretending to be a car attendant. I was relieved to read in the paper that he had been shipped back to Montevideo. And I am happier still to know that if any other such person bothers me by "aggressive begging" he can be reported to the cops who now have the tools to send him away.

A note on the legal system in Uruguay. Law enforcement is driven by judges, not by district attorneys or prosecutors. A judge receives complaints and initiates prosecutions or investigations at his or her discretion, and therefore sets the tone for enforcement. Maldonado recently lost Judge Alvarez Petraglia, who is focused on white collar crime. But Graziuso´s actions go to the essence of quality of life for everyone living, traveling or working in our area. So kudos to her.

A high-season bonanza of events

2009-12-26T08:27:00.000-08:00

OK, for Punta del Este year-rounders the added traffic, the crazy crowds and having "our" beach and "our Tienda Inglesa" run over by tourists has few compensations beyond the monetary benefits of renting out our homes. So we need to acknowledge the one clear plus, the wealth of events of every color and stripe that comes with "them tourists."

Sports-wise, a January classic is the Rugby Seven-a-Side, a tournament that is on its 21st edition. The matches will be played at the Maldonado Municipal Stadium and the dates appear differently in every media report, somewhere between January 3 and 5.

For motor-sports fans, there´s the F1 Power Boat race, apparently on January 1st, although again, it´s hard to pin down a date from press reports, which speak only of "the initial hours of the new year".

If you're a sail-sports fan, Jan. 3 is the date of the ADES regatta, a multiclass race with more than 80 competitors, from respectable yachts to windsurf boards.

On January 6 there´s polo at the Estancia Vik, with the Polo Art Tournament sponsored by Estancia Vik and Godiva Polo Management, which seem to have wrestled the sport from the traditional Medellin venue. There will be an exhibition and auction of works of art, polo paraphernalia, etc. to benefit public schools in Maldonado and Rocha.

Also on Jan. 6 you can gather along the road to cheer the thousands of runners on the Corrida de San Fernando, a marathon growing in number of competitors year after year. Don't try to drive on the waterfront on that day in the afternoon, you might end up who knows where with the traffic diverted ever farther from your destination...

For those who consider real-estate a sport, the Salon Inmobiliario de Punta del Este (SIPE) is held at the Conrad Hotel starting from January 7 through 10. That's where developers showcase their ongoing or planned projects, a good way to do comparison shopping without having to drive miles and miles from one place to the next.

In the cultural arena, the International Jazz Festival at Tambo El Sosiego (Lapataia behind Punta Ballena) is on its 14th edition, and will run from Jan. 7 through 10, with local, regional and international performers, and featuring with Paquito D'Rivera as music director.

In the visual arts field there are sooooo many art-show openings that it's impossible to keep track. In addition to individual events at the dozens of galleries, there's the by now traditional "Gallery Nights" when all the galleries in La Barra open up their doors on weekend evenings, and offer some bubbly and hors d'oeuvres if you're lucky.

There are classical music concerts in the gardens of Hotel L'Auberge, ballet at the Conrad, and also the more popular fare of international star and Punta del Este fan Julio Iglesias, who will sing at the Conrad three nights in a row, Jan. 13, 14 and 16.

I'm sure there's many more things going on, but this is plenty for now...

Merry Happy everything, and a meeting point for New Year´s

2009-12-24T08:19:00.000-08:00

Well, it´s time to give in and enjoy the holidays, after so much and running and stressing.

Right before we close shop for the day, figuratively speaking, I wanted to go ahead with someone´s suggestion (was it Alicia?) and remind everyone of New Year´s Eve´s festivities at the harbor promenade across from Isidora and Lo de Tere.

It´s free if you have dinner elsewhere, just bring your own bottle(s) of champagne, dress in white if you can, scream at the count down, enjoy the fireworks and dance away afterwards.

If you want to meet other English speakers in the area, the meeting point is the sidewalk across the street from the restaurants Isidora and Lo de Tere. Party on!

Catering in Punta del Este

2009-12-24T07:16:00.000-08:00

For personal and business reasons I often require catering services or have the chance to taste the fruits of their labors, so I thought it would be good to mention a few. Budgets vary widely, and so do style, quality of the food, staff, etc.

First off, among the Punta del Este English Speakers´ Club membership there is Vivian Tausk, who in addition to speaking many languages is also fluent in Middle Eastern food as well as international cuisine. 094 720054

Next I have to mention Portas, whom we have used over and over again for many years. Portas is a traditional "confiteria" from Maldonado, that is, a bakery with party service, as they say in Uruguay. In our experience what distinguishes Portas is its extremely reasonable prices (cheap) and the dependability of its service. The food tends to be old fashioned, unimaginative and not too high quality, so we use them for "infrastructure" as I say, and their freshly baked bread. They bring drinks "on consignment," meaning anything not consumed goes back with them. Because they are so reasonable we use them often, and provide the food ourselves or from a different caterer.
221733 or 225660

Another favorite in the budget category is La Sandwichería, which to my surprise has gone upmarket with fancy schmanzy catering services and, as they themselves advertise, "eventing" which I refuse to accept as a word. As their name implies, their traditional fare is cocktail sandwiches, pretty delicious.

But I had the chance of sampling their "eventing" a couple nights ago and was most impressed by their service as well as by some of the food. The pasta was tasty, the fried leeks rolls were weird, the "asian" chicken with vegetables looked unappetizing. Again, I would keep them in mind for service and sandwiches and I would request a sampling of other stuff, to stay on the safe side. No idea how their prices are because we always buy only sandwiches from them.
(042) 243993 or 094 298299

On a very homey note there´s the duo of Silvana and Simon, formerly of Piriapolis, formerly of Spain and formerly of Uruguay and England respectively. Silvana is a great cook and Simon is a very affable guy, so you feel like you have a couple of friends taking care of everything, rather than more formal waiters running around. Also very reasonable in cost. 099518662

On the higher end of the spectrum, we tried and hired View Point on several occasions last year and found it to be outstanding. View Point has a restaurant on Calle 20, and across the street a coffee shop with delicious pastries and sandwiches. The catering is as expensive as it gets in Uruguay, but the food is outstanding and the service is very professional. They are very meticulous with the preparations, including a tasting at the restaurant. 448015 or 448016

Another option is to resort to Montevideo caterers. Lo de Mechi is known for their delicious desserts, cakes and petit fours. We often have stuff brought from them for cocktail parties, for example. Their mousse de maracujá is awsome, as is their mousse de dulce de leche. The petit fours are incredible. The savory finger food is not so impressive. Price-wise it´s not cheap but great value and half the cost of anything comparable in Punta del Este.

02 6010720

Another excellent option in the "fancy" category is Elena Tejeira. We have hired her services in the past for an event with our most demanding clientele and got nothing but compliments throughout the day. The food was original and delicious and the service was top notch. The only thing is that once you add all the extra costs due to their "traveling" from Montevideo to Punta del Este, the refrigerated truck, etc., the cost is the same as View Point. But I will definitely hire them again at some point.

Our year-end bashes: a review

2009-12-22T05:14:00.000-08:00

We watched this baby enter the Punta del Este bay on Monday at noon.

A review with few pictures because this pathetic blogger didn't manage to charge her camera! There must be pictures out there from Saturday night, and I have received a few from Silvia Haas taken Monday morning.

Saturday's dinner was epic in more ways than one. To begin with, Doris Hernandez, who was the hostess, had provided a Plan B location in case it rained. So it poured, and we proceeded to our indoor facility, graciously offered by David and Maria Malel, he a Uruguayan returnee, she, Australian, and both recent arrivals. The Malels and Doris were prepared for the confirmed list, but we were actually receiving confirmations until the very last minute, and some might even have showed up without one.

In the end, there were 75 of us, including a few children and teenagers. The place was bursting with people, and did I see Irv bring up a chair from his car or something? As usual, the food was plentiful, extremely diverse and delicious, and once again we got to meet some new people. I have to confess I am having a hard time keeping up with the new names all the time. For example, who was the American gentleman referring to his wife, Tammy, as "My Tamisita"? I can't remember his name, and I think it was the first time I met them, but I'm not too sure.

I met a couple from Romania via Canada (everyone from an exotic country is always "via Canada") who have bought a nice new condo and plan to spend time "in crescendo" in Punta del Este, culminating in retirement in a few years. There was also a lovely couple of visitors, he Uruguayan, she Polish, but long time residents in the U.S., currently in New Hampshire. They sound like they will be spending more time around us.

By the way, there are a few items in "lost and found" held by Doris, so get in touch with her to claim them.

We hadn't had enough socializing, no. So yesterday morning we filed onto the terrace at Las Ostras to do some further chatting. As usual, there were some new people there, such as a Dutch artist who lives in Rocha town and who was happy to encounter Paul and Frances, two unrelated Dutch regulars in our group. Also the nice friend of Neal and Karen -- Neil is doing much better, btw, will be going home in a couple of days -- visiting from San Diego and apparently having no trouble at all finding his way around.

Las Ostras has the undisputed amazing location. Their terrace is huge, with 180 degree ocean, island and bay views, so despite our numbers -- somewhere around 40 of us, I would guess -- we took up just a fraction of the terrace. The day was unbelievably beautiful, which seems to be the case on our Monday meetings, so we spent a good 3 hours, and enjoyed a delicious lunch sandwich of chicken, zucchini and mozzarella on whole wheat pita bread, plus a complimentary basket of pao de queijo, the Brazilian cheese puffs. The prices were reasonable, and the service were very understanding, freaking out at the notion of individual checks, but smiling till the end. They say they will have us again, so we may come back in February.

All around, a great way to bid farewell to 2009...

News in real-estate

2009-12-21T10:05:00.000-08:00

Le Bleu, at the harbor

A couple of real-estate news items caught my eye today, thought they were worth sharing.

One is that Arnold Palmer is to design the golf course at the Las Piedras resort, according to Blogolfe, a Brazilian golf blog, which claims that Palmer has acquired a property on the much talked about Fasano development in rural La Barra.

Why am I so excited about Las Piedras? The project operates in the upper echelons of the luxury category, with several brand names involved. Las Piedras is developed by the Fasano group, owners of the hottest boutique hotels in Sao Paulo and Rio, and of the best restaurants in Sao Paulo. Fasano was actually bought out recently by JHSF Participacoes, a leadng Brazilian real-estate developer. For Las Piedras the group has hired Brazilian architect Isay Weifeld, of the Havaianas store fame. So in addition to a top-notch restaurant and what will be a beautiful hotel, no doubt, Punta del Este will have a much needed new golf course, designed by a golf icon. Not too shabby. The project involves 205 villas set in a 400 hectare property on the Cerro Eguzquiza, of which only 30% will be developed.

A true believer in "trickle-down economics," I am confident I will be able to take advantage of some winter special promotion at the restaurant, for example, or of being invited to some event at the hotel´s bar. I will enjoy it one way or another, you´ll see...

The other interesting bit of news is that the condo building on the harbor promenade where Blue Cheese used to be appears to be on again, after a loooong hiatus that left neighbors fearing the excavation for the foundations was to be their view forever...

Le Bleu is designed by Carlos Ott, our number two star architect after superstar Viñoly, of the controversial Acqua. Maybe not to be outdone in the "super expensive condos with own pools," this one will have individual swimming-pools in every unit, visible from the street. Scary but nice looking... Prices start at either $1.5 or $1.9 million, depending on the various sources. Units go from 380 m2 to 580m2, and there´s only five units in the whole building, so hurry up and reserve yours!

New venue for Saturday´s dinner

2009-12-18T10:33:00.000-08:00

And yes, it is Saturday the 19th...

Below is Doris´explanation and directions for the dinner

Dear friends, In view of the gloomy weather forecast for tomorrow evening (rain), we’ve had to resort to “plan B” and change the venue for our end-of-year pot-luck dinner party.

The alternative location has been graciously offered by David and Maria Malel (Uruguayan-Australian), who own a place called “Ta’ Salao” on Victor Hugo Avenue close to the corner of Shakespeare street, in the “Jardines de Córdoba” neighbourhood (see the attached plan, and the directions given below).

It’s the fourth house on the right before the corner of Shakespeare; a thatched-roof house up on a hillock. Date and time remain the same: Saturday, Dec. 19, at 8 p.m. Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow! Doris Cel. 099 190 201

Directions to get to “Ta’Salao”:
a) If you are coming from La Barra,

After passing the San Rafael Hotel, turn inland on Avenida del Mar and drive for about two miles until you get to Bulevar Artigas.
Take Bulevar Artigas to your right (there’s no other choice) and turn right onto a two-way avenue called “Victor Hugo”.
Drive for about 3 blocks and you will see “Ta Salao” on your right.

b) If you are coming from Punta del Este:

Take Bulevar Artigas towards Maldonado.
Go one block past the Avenida del Mar roundabout, and make a right onto a two-way avenue called “Victor Hugo”.
Drive for about 3 blocks and you will see “Ta Salao” on your right.

c) If you are coming along the Mansa beach, or from Punta Ballena:

Turn inland at the traffic lights on Parada 24 of the Mansa Beach, into Avenida España.
At the first roundabout, turn right on Roosevelt Avenue.
On the crossing with Bulevar Artigas (after passing the Devoto Supermarket) make a left at the round-about into Bulevar Artigas heading towards Maldonado.
Go one block past the Avenida del Mar roundabout, and make a right onto a two-way avenue called “Victor Hugo”.
Drive for about 3 blocks and you will see “Ta Salao” on your right.

Open skies for Punta del Este airport! Hip, hip, hurrah!

2009-12-12T02:33:00.000-08:00

I have often ranted about the moronic decision by whomever takes those decisions to have Punta del Este airport reduced to a local landing strip. As a result, people travel here not when they would like to, but when they can find a seat, which is a rare occurrence that comes at a steep price (I recently flew to Buenos Aires round trip for USD400).

Well, this is about to improve, as national aviation authorities have approved operating Punta del Este airport in open skies mode during the high season, from Dec. 20 through March 15. It´s a start. According to press reports, any airline will be allowed to land in Punta del Este subject to a 24 hour application/notice process.

Authorities also allowed BQB (Buquebus airline) to operate the Punta del Este-Cordoba and Punta del Este-Rosario routes with Argentina (the second and third largest sources of Argentine tourists after Buenos Aires), as well as Montevideo-Ezeiza (the international airport in Buenos Aires).

In addition, a third airline, Sol, which already operates in Argentina, was also allowed to fly the same Punta del Este-Córdoba and Rosario routes through March 15, in addition to Montevideo-Buenos Aires and Montevideo-Madrid.

And, uhhh, yes, the Montevideo airport´s new terminal´s opening date has been postponed again, this time without a new deadline to blow. Its inauguration is now "imminent" but not so imminent as Dec. 15, as previously planned. Originally the terminal was set to open in October, then November, then December. It´s hard to see how they could possibly accomplish the transfer from one terminal to the other in the middle of the holiday season, so my bet is mid to late January.

Corrected details of our December dinner

2009-12-12T02:11:00.000-08:00

I don´t know what I was thinking, but all key details came out wrong... The right time of our potluck dinner at Doris´ on Saturday, the 18th, is 8 pm, not earlier.

And the food contribution, which reads like it should be something for the grill exclusively, is actually anything you want, from snacks to side dishes, salads, desserts, etc....

December gatherings

2009-12-09T05:38:00.000-08:00

As usual I mix up the date of the month and day of the week. So the right day and date of our third Monday meeting is the 21st of December.

That one will take place as usual at 11AM at Las Ostras, located on the waterfront, towards the tip of the Peninsula, about a block past the seafood vendor stalls at the harbor. The place used to be called El Mejillón, hence the sign of the photo below... It´s huge, with great views, and they can accommodate us rain or shine.

But our "special" year-end event is a potluck dinner party graciously hosted by Doris Hernández at her place. This will take place on Saturday, December 19, starting at 7 pm.

Please bring both a food contribution (can be meat or anything to be cooked on the bbq grill) and a beverage contribution.

The directions to get to her place are below, but if you have any questions, please contact her at dorisher at gmail dot com.

Directions:

a) If you are coming from La Barra or Punta del Este,

take Roosevelt Avenue towards Maldonado, following the bus stop signs that say "Parada (number)"
go one block past the sign for Parada 17 (corner of Mar Chiquita street), and
turn right on Salt Lake street. Drive for one block and you will see the house in front of you

b) if you are coming along the Mansa beach,

Turn inland at the traffic lights on Parada 24 of the Mansa Beach, into Avenida España.
At the first roundabout, turn right on Roosevelt Avenue.
After you cross Martiniano Chiossi street, turn left on the first entrance (Salt Lake street), and drive for one block. You will see the house in front of you.

This is what her house looks like.

A new member´s life journey to Punta

2009-12-08T02:05:00.000-08:00

The stories of how people come to choose Punta del Este as their home are as diverse as the number of people we talk to. At our store a few days ago I had the pleasure of meeting Leslie (Raymond) who says that in several years coming here he never met an expat of the gringo variety.

He is now in our mailing list and will surely be attending one of our meetings in April, when he returns. In the meantime, here´s his story:

Yes, it is true I am from the Rancho-- western Kansas. I assume that is why I like space, since I grew up with miles of vistas and great food from our own gardens, cattle, chickens, fish from our bordos and river, and dairy products. My family was European and maintained many of those values, including education. So, I had many educational advantages due to family efforts to seek out those venues... even if that mean driving miles. College was always assumed as the normal route and I proceed through the BA in Kansas and then to Colorado for my MS and PhD. This experience lead me away from the ranchlands and to New York and Washington where I had new experiences through private and governmental work, including the White House office of the first President Bush. During those years, especially when relocating to the west coast in California, there were many opportunites for travel to Europe and to Mexico. But, I had started keeping a file on Punta de Este since an article appeared about 15 years ago in Town and Country magazine. And acquaintances who were social friends spoke of this part of South America, including their bird shooting and fishing trips. And, a very close friend whose father represented General Motors in South American spoke of the number of days travel to fly on a DC3 from Buenos Aires to Boston where she attended Smith College. And, I reminisced about my flights on a DC3 to college from Kansas City to Denver with several Kansas rural stops where it seemed to me the navigation system was to align the plane with rows of corn that were planted in front of the approachs. However, since flights to Europe were always so cheap compared to South America, it was not until several years ago that I came to Buenos Aires and then to Uruguay. I was then living in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where I have a real estate company which is associated with Sotheby´s International Realty --and had become a Mexican citizen (dual)-- but I immediately found Uruguay my new found home: it reminded me of my younger days when I was in Europe and admired the way of life. It is such a contrast to Mexico; the amenities here in Punta del Este would be difrficult to duplicate any other place in the world. To me, it has the best features of the best world options as a place to live. I always ask myself "why did I not come years earlier." My realtor called one day in January 2008 and said the new YOO building is open and selling out quickly: are you interested? I wrote to say, YES, and buy one for me-- which we did that day and now it is announced occupancy will be in April of 2010. It is a great location for all services with the Shopping Center and Devoto within a short walk. And the beach at Parada 8 with the dunes that remind me of our beach home we had in Carmel California. But, I have my eye on an old Pathfinder or Defender Range Rover for driving out to the beaches and to the campo. I don`t know many people here and I now live alone as I have no immediate surviving family members. I am looking forward to meeting others who have experienced the same attraction to the beauty, the culture, and the language of Punta del Este. My biggest regret of the moment is that it is difficult to travel with my dog who would truly love evening walks along the beach or the tree lined streets. I look forward to the coming years of residency. I return in May 2010 to take YOO occupancy. (Raymond) Leslie Dugan

Uruguay tourism up 9.5% in November, and the war of the Casinos rages on

2009-12-08T01:51:00.000-08:00

Tourist arrivals in Uruguay jumped 9.5% in November against the same month last year, impervious apparently to the crisis so severely affecting other areas in the world. The total to date is about 2 million arrivals, according to the Tourism Ministry, as cited by El País.

Maybe part of it is fueled by the current "war of the casinos" raging in the Punta del Este Peninsula. This weekend, a momentous one marked by the start of the First Southamerican Beach Games, the usual motorcycle "convention" with several hundred bikes roaring around, and the national holidays in both Argentina and Brazil, saw the inauguration of the new Nogaró casino, now "by Mantra."

The occasion was celebrated with a Ruben Rada live show minutes after (or was it concurrently) with cranes putting the finishing touches on the revamped facade of the decades old establishment located at the beginning of Gorlero. Back at the farm, I mean, at the Conrad casino, a poker tournament dished out USD1.5 million in prizes, but management was really rankled when it found out its hotel guests had received in their rooms hand delivered invites to the rival´s opening party.

Opening night, with scaffolding still up...

Conrad has been fighting in and out of court to prevent Mantra from taking over the Nogaró casino on grounds that its license granted over a decade ago guaranteed it exclusivity foreverandeverandeverandever in the private casino field, and that Mantra is benefitting from Conrad´s advertising budget. The hotel claims it spends USD10 million in promotion overseas. Authorities say competition is healthy, and frankly, seeing the Nogaró clean up and join the 21st century seems to be "for the greater good," and that includes Conrad.

Ruben Rada live and free on Saturday at Nogaró re-opening

2009-12-03T06:38:00.000-08:00

If you like or are even curious about Afro-Uruguayan music, Ruben Rada is as good as it gets. And this Saturday, Dec. 5 he´s playing for free at the opening party for the refurbished Nogaró Casino, now "by Mantra" at the corner of Gorlero and Calle 31.

"El Negro Rada", as he´s known to his fans, is expected to play sometime after 10 pm, as per the invite. How long after is anyone´s guess...

Let the games begin

2009-12-03T02:03:00.000-08:00

The First Southamerican Beach Games kick off today, with double venues in Punta del Este and Montevideo. That´s the reason for all those people milling around who look like they stepped off a cruise ship although no cruise ship appears to be in sight.

The event will bring 1,500 competitors to the country, with Montevideo hosting all the ball-chasing activities and Punta del Este the sailing, surfin, triathlon, swimming and water skiing competitions.

The games will run through December 13, so plenty of chances of catching something or other, weather permitting.

Here´s a shout-out to Monica and Brian: Surfing runs from the 9th through the 13th, in Montoya! Enjoy...

Our super lunch on Sunday

2009-11-24T09:14:00.000-08:00

We were lucky as the weather was not stellar but it cooperated enough for us to enjoy the outdoor setting. Otherwise, we would not have fit indoors, anyhow...

See many more pictures in this album

A nice side-effect of the meeting was that several people offered to host our next potluck meeting at their place. They were too late for December, as Doris Hernandez had already offered over a month ago.

So here it is, the Xmas dinner will be held at Doris´place, on Saturday, December 19th, at 8 pm. Will follow with further directions on how to get there, and with news on our next third Monday meeting.

Thursday art opening at Mia Bistro

2009-11-24T07:43:00.000-08:00

Some of our favorite local artists are having an opening on Thursday evening at Mia Bistro, on 18th street and 30th street, from 7 pm to 9 pm.

The group includes Belgian, French, Argentine and Uruguayan Punta del Este resident artists. Ain´t we multicultural...

Vida Devagar, a destination restaurant in Playa Verde

2009-11-21T07:04:00.000-08:00

Now, being the demanding customer I am everywhere I go, I will try to be impartial with my friend Alex's spot, Vida Devagar, which recently opened in the Playa Verde area.

Due to the location, west and north of Piriapolis, just a couple of minutes from the Sugar Loaf development, this qualifies as a "destination" spot. However out of the way the place may be, this is not an unknown location for foodies in Uruguay, as it is literally around the corner from the defunct Carumbe, formerly run by a Mallmann alumn and rising young star who sadly died last year, and almost next door to the much deteriorated Terranostra.

Vida Devagar was originally intended as a blueberry farm, and thus the name of the property it sits on, Blueberry Hill. A 7 hectare farm with views of the hills and the ocean, and with its own "beach" on the Tarariras stream, the setting could not be any more bucolic. This is where Alex repaired to after one of those events that make you re-evalue everything, and the restaurant's name, Vida Devagar, meaning slow life in Portuguese, is meant to reflect his new outlook on life.

Upon deciding blueberries were a no-go, Alex focused his energies on the small greenhouse where he grows tomatoes, greens, and assorted hot peppers, and set out to build the barn-like structure that is now the restaurant.

Having had a few meals at his place before the restaurant's opening, I can attest to two specialties: salads, of the non Uruguayan variety, and meats cooked in the clay oven. The most flavorful and tender chicken I ever had came out of that oven. Although it's not part of the restaurant repertoire yet, I will lobby until it is...

Alex has been taking cooking lessons, and is a true fan of everything Japanese (he lived in Japan and even had a Japanese wife in a previous life) so sushi is one of his passions and is offered on certain days. There is a parrilla that will be fired in high season as well.

At the restaurant, as we say in Spanish, you are waited on by the very owner, as Vida Devagar is starting out small and slow. Kassler, a couple of home-made ravioli options, three salads and a salmon tartar plus a few appetizers made up the thankfully short menu last weekend.

After the "welcome snack," a hearty and flavorful sort of towering bruschetta with Serrano ham, cheese, something green and sundried tomato we were served upon seating, as appetizer we had the patatas bravas, a sort of spicy potatoes served with caramelized onion that were a bit on the gooey side for me, I prefer them crispy.

Then came two different, almost-meal sized salads, each more delicious than the other. The greens were fresh and abundant, and they both had the right combination of flavor elements and texture/crunch, perfectly dressed as well.

For main course we shared a plate of ricotta and walnut ravioli with a sauce of wild mushrooms and sundried tomatoes that was again a great pairing of intensities and textures. The dessert oranges in syrup, and the pears in red wine with vanilla ice-cream were too sweet for my husband, so I had to help out...

The decor is sort of "rustic garage" where vintage furniture sits alongside a billiard (not pool) table, old family pictures adorn the walls, and assorted flea market-style trinkets hang from the walls and ceiling. The furnishings are "budget" so don't come expecting a fancy table. The overall effect is sort of male pub fantasy -- darkish room, pool table, large-screen TV with music videos, the bar commanding the room -- to the detriment of the fantastic natural surroundings, which can be viewed through few and not too large windows. This will probably get corrected in the expansion with a deck overlooking the ocean :-)

Your best bet is to surrender to the pub thing, sit at the bar in the tractor seat stools and enjoy a casual, lovingly cooked, delicious meal and a chat with Alex. Unless, of course, there's too many of you to fit at the bar. Choose your language, he seems to speak them all. And challenge Alex to a game of backgammon... Altogether, it will be like nowhere else you've been in Uruguay.

Chef Alex and Barbi the Turk on the tabla, sorry, backgammon board...

Getting there: The map below is Montevideo centric. Where it says "al este" is Punta del Este, so if coming from Punta del Este on the highway, you make a left on KM 88.5, and then again a left at the hamlet of Estacion Las Flores. You follow a winding road, past several curves, a sort of bridge, past the Terranostra restaurant and immediately make a right.

It's easier if you're coming on the seaside road from Piriapolis. Just make a right turn at Parada 15 in Playa Verde onto Rt. 72, where there's some old abandoned large structure, and about 10 blocks up you will see the signs on your left before you hit Rt 73, which is a dirt road as well. There's a hedge of casuarina trees and a small wooden gate.

This view can be yours -- beachfront house for sale

2009-11-20T09:46:00.000-08:00

ESC member Paul is selling a beachfront house in Las Grutas, the Eastern side of Punta Ballena, with exceptional, unobstructed views of the ocean and Punta del Este.

The house has 5 bedrooms, 3 of them en suite, total plot area of 770 m2, with 300 m2 of construction

Asking price is USD325,000. For further details or viewing call Paul de Rooij zero nine four, nine nine three nine three nine.

Pet sitter and art of living workshop

2009-11-18T10:09:00.000-08:00

So thanks to pet lover and adopter Cristina Soria we now have a pet-sitting service to recommend. No, Cristina is not doing the pet-sitting, but she has test-driven the services of one Teresita Fontoura, tel. zero nine five, nine zero one zero seven five, who regularly offers certain pet-sitting services, and recommends her whole-heartedly.

Teresita´s services take the form of 15 to 20 minute visits for up to three pets, where she

checks all is well in the home
does the feeding
clears litter boxex for cats only
changes water
pooper scoops the yard
calls and waits for vet if necessary
pets and plays with the critters

Her fees for the Playa Mansa area from Parada 1 through 39 are UYU150 per visit for up to three pets, and UYU20 per additional pet. Please call and ask if you are outside this area. Payment is 50% on first visit and 50% upon return. She will email a form for the pet owner to fill.

Another one of our frequent contributors, Gabriele Preusse has sent us notice of an "art of living" workshop to be held at Casa Grande.

According to the promotional flyer, if you take this workshop, you will:

Eliminate stress
Increase your creativity
Awaken your awareness and energy
Learn to enjoy each minute of your life
Find a feeling of belonging to your surroundings

All for UYU1.500, or UYU900 for students under 24 and retirees. The dates are December 3 through 7. On weekdays the hours are 8 through 10 pm, and Sat. and Sundays from 9 am to 3 pm.

To sign up, email marianoel.gonzalez at elartedevivir dot org or call Alejandra (zero nine nine eight one two four two four), Maria Noel ( zero nine nine six one three five six nine), or Silvain (zero nine four four four one zero five five)

Have you firmed your plans for New Year´s Eve yet?

2009-11-16T18:41:00.000-08:00

Sounds a bit early, doesn´t it? And yet... With Punta del Este becoming an increasingly Brazilian town, and with Brazilians concentrating their visits during the famous Reveillon period, from Dec. 26 to Jan 5, all the better to enjoy their New Year´s Eve in style, the local way of life has been gradually changing, some might say for the merrier.

However, waiting till Dec. 31 at 5 pm to make dinner reservations at the harborside spots may not be an option anymore. And the strategy of driving down on January 1st with a car loaded with luggage and family but without a rental, hoping for a good last minute deal from unrented property may not be so smart either, depending on your requirements.

You see, the Brazilians start thinking about Reveillon in September, and go into a frenzy of planning and reservations in October. By November it´s only the procrastinators who are still scrambling to confirm their lodging, dining or partying venues for the biggest night of the year.

Locally, the rental market has been turned upside down by this famous Reveillon (pron. ray-vay-yon) that no realtor can spell right (my favorite spelling in a real-estate advertising was "rebellion"). It used to be that Brazilians would attempt to rent a house for those 2 weeks, only to be told "No way! Can't be done! You will ruin my month of January!" meaning that a landlord would be renting out the first week of January and thus lose out on the most expensive rental month.

The market was not that quick to realize that nobody was renting out for the entire month anymore, or that they could charge our spending-happy northern neighbors the equivalent of the full month of January for those 10 to 15 days, and still have 3 weeks left of January to rent at whatever price. But eventually they got it and Reveillon became established in Punta del Este. And the white dress-code extravagant parties with Brazilian DJs multiplied.

Now here´s a way we can all share in the Brazilian New Year´s Eve joy: meet on harborside promenade across from Lo de Tere restaurant for the countdown, dressed in white please, lugging your own bottle of champagne. Enjoy the fireworks show put on by the restaurants and by every home across the bay, and then dance till dawn on the street. That's free.

Otherwise, reserve a table at one of the restaurants along the harbor (usually a steeply priced prix fixe menu), don the ridiculous hats provided as party favors, and then join the hoi polloi on the street for some real fun. Remember to say "Feliz ano novo!" to lots of strangers.

Monday´s gathering, next Sunday´s potluck lunch

2009-11-16T14:29:00.000-08:00

So this is how we roll... Frankly, a day like today makes us all feel smart to live here. Nobody could stop sighing and marvelling at the beautiful weather and the even more gorgeous views from our terrace at the Club de Pesca.

Several attendees suggested this is where we should meet every month throughout the summer. If they will take us, I guess. Otherwise we can just stage an invasion without reservations...

In addition to several returnees from the northern hemisphere there were, as usual by now, a few recent arrivals, other newcomers who have been living here forever and were not a part of the group yet, and a couple who were on their initial exploratory trip. All from the U.S. of A. this time, and not from Canada, or elsewhere as in previous meetings where the balance tilted in other directions.

Now on to Sunday´s potluck. Please email if you plan to attend, and let me know how many people are coming with you and what you plan to bring.

Starting time is 1 PM. Bring both some beverage and something to eat. If you don´t or can´t cook, we accept things to throw in the BBQ.

The directions, again, are

Go to Kilometer 107 of the Ruta Interbalnearia highway. Turn towards the ocean.

Drive for about 3.5 kilometers along winding country road, past two small bridges. After a stone house on your left, pass the speedbump and once you see the ocean, directly on the left, below is our house. It looks like this

Novelist wants to chat one-on-one with expats on Wednesday

2009-11-09T06:14:00.000-08:00

Author and Buenos Aires resident Maya Frost will be in town doing research work for her upcoming novel and would love to meet and chat with expats wishing to share their experiences.

Her intention is to work ideas she gets from these chats into a composite character for her new novel, which will be set in Piriapolis.

If you are willing to meet her on Wednesday, between the hours of 1pm and 4pm, write to her at maya at mayafrost dot com.

Also, check out her blog New Globals, which is a great read and dead on on many issues.

The blueberries, the blueberries!

2009-11-07T06:41:00.000-08:00

They´re in season now, and are being offered to us, with free home delivery in the Piriapolis-Punta del Este area. See announcement below from the producers themselves.

We are glad to announce that we started the BLUEBERRY picking season in our little farm. They are - as usual -SWEET, ORGANIC & TASTY. This year we are NOT opening the farm for people to pick their own, but we are delivering fresh picked berries. The season will be only for about 6 more weeks.

Interested buyers should call / send SMS at 094 301684 or send an e-mail to berrypde@yahoo.com . Special discount for the regular Expats members of the Punta del Este, Piriapolis and Montevideo groups and for those interested in buying a larger amount for freezing are available.

No delivery charges to the Piriapolis and Punta del Este area and yet a fair price to Montevideo.

Regards
Alex von Graevenitz
Lafimar SA - Alex von Graevenitz

+ 598 (0) 4102666
+ 598 94 301684 (cel.)
+ 094 301684 dde. Uruguay
Chacra Las Garzas- Laguna del Sauce - Punta del Este - Uruguay

Ballet studio led by world-class dancer coming to Ruta 12

2009-11-06T05:12:00.000-08:00

Our friend Patricia at Swan Lake Forest was excited to share the good news with us: Not only will renowned ballet dancer Julio Bocca become the spokesman for their development, but the recently closed deal includes setting up a dance studio on the premises, to be called Estudio de Danza Clásica y Comedia Musical Julio Bocca-Ricky Pashkus.

Bocca, who retired a couple of years ago, has been visiting Uruguay often. This year press reports indicated he would start a ballet company for the Teatro Solís, the country´s recently restored performing arts center.

Frankly, besides the clever marketing idea, having a world-class dancer set up a studio in Punta del Este is a clear positivie for our town, and the fact that it's located on the less commercially developed western corridor is also welcome..

.

The joys of buying a car in Uruguay

2009-11-03T09:59:00.000-08:00

Instant gratification through consumption is not something of a national trait in Uruguay. It's hard to tell which is the hen and which is the egg here: is the lack of interest in consumption as sport the reason why virtually every manufactured item is deemed a "luxury good" and taxed through the heavens, or is the high taxation the reason why we resort to other, less material pleasures? Probably the former.

In any case, once we come to terms with the high cost of a vehicle, which believe me, in relative terms is more expensive than in most developed countries, considering our per capita GDP, we happily proceed to the fantasy portion of the process. What can we afford? If price is not an issue, or after establishing a price range, which are the relative pros and cons of the likely candidates? This is the brief, happy part.

But no longer have you narrowed down or made your choice than the disappointments or frustrations begin. Because basically, nothing is available for immediate delivery, and whatever is available is nowhere near what you had in mind.

Say you want a white car with full features, then the only thing available is in royal blue and with no radio, aircon or airbags. "Standard" as they say here, rather than "Full".

"But if you wait one more month, we're receiving our new shipment, and there is just one in exactly the color and with the features you want. If you leave a downpayment today, though, because there's no guarantee that it will last two more days."

Fine, you give in, after all, the more you delay, the more months you will have to wait. You pay the downpayment, and wait. The date comes with no car or dealership calling you. Any calls you make get you the answers "it's shipped already, will be arriving at port in a couple of days" or "it's coming out of customs in a couple of days." Etc. This "couple of days" period is actually shorthand for "a couple of weeks or months" so finally, one, two or three months late, you find yourself in possession of your car.

Hence, the advice is, grab whatever you find for immediate delivery, unless you are in no rush whatsoever, and be prepared to wait up to 10x what they tell you it will take to get the vehicle.

Save these dates: November meetings, the 16th and 22nd

2009-10-30T11:26:00.000-07:00

The location of our next Monday meeting is the red-roofed structure on the beach. Not the pool.

So we have two events coming up in November, one is our regular Monday morning gathering, on the 16th, at 11AM at the Club de Pesca, a very old restaurant on the beach, right across the Conrad Hotel, at Parada 3 of the Playa Mansa.

The Club de Pesca has a shabby-unchic style, a step into another, less glitzy time feel about it, that we cherish as a reminder of old Punta, prior to nouveau riche sensibilities where evereything is baptised with names evoking Miami, of all places.

Beyond the "let's steep ourselves in the real history of the place" there's the fact that the Club de Pesca has a fantastic terrace on the beach, overlooking the fishing pier. And a very roomy interior with fantastic views as well if we're rained out or weather is somehow uncooperating.

The next "megaevento" as they like to say in Punta del Este, is our "day in the country" potluck lunch/bbq at our home, on, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22. The address is a bit ridiculous, so the directions are easier: drive to KM107 of Ruta Interbalnearia --the highway to Montevideo-- and make a turn towards the ocean. Drive on this country road for 3 or 3.5 kms, past two little bridges, and when you can see the ocean, on your left is our house. the one with the fence, the shrubs and the dogs.

We are walking distance to the beach and there is a swimming pool as well, so do bring swimming gear.

Being a potluck affair, we will require food and beverage contributions from everyone. ... I am a firm believer that in terms of food, everything evens out in the end, so just let me know what you're bringing in case I need to "steer" the last pledges in any particular direction, and shoot for something that's your best or classic or whatever recipe... or if you're not preparing anything, you can just buy meats for the grill.

Start a business, take up pet sitting!

2009-10-29T04:54:00.001-07:00

For over a year now I have received calls or emails enquiring about pet sitters. Virtually every expat we know has one or more pets, and not enough of a local social network to rely on when traveling to take care of their pets. Expats don't have family members to call on, or maybe feel they can't ask for such a favor of people they have known for a relatively short period of time.

Do I know any pet sitters? No, not a one. When I mentioned this word to my Mom yesterday she replied "A WHAAAAAA?" That's right, it's not even a concept that's very understandable to many. So how bout some expats out there with too much time on their hands start a pet-sitting business, or a nice pet B&B?

If you do, please let us know, I have a request for services in December, and more requests will likely crop up.

In the meantime, if you do have any household staff, they are the ones supposed to do your pet-sitting. The advantage of this mode is that a) the pet remains in his/her/its home, and b) there is human life at your home during your travel absences, making it safer from burglaries than an empty, closed up home.

Absent that, see if you find any kids in your vicinity willing to do it for a few bucks. There are not many chances of child employment in Uruguay, so they may be particularly enthusiastic about it.

A call to boicot taxis this Friday

2009-10-29T04:51:00.000-07:00

Uruguay is awakening to community action and concern in the age of email, Facebook et al, and an example of this new awareness is the call to boicot taxis on Friday, Oct.30, in protest against the death of two young people in two separate incidents in which taxi drivers disregarded stop signs in Montevideo, ultimately causing the deaths of one passenger, in one accident, and of a young mother of two who was mowed off the sidewalk in another.

A third young woman has been in a coma for almost a month. The bitter irony is that her boyfriend, when leaving a nightclub, had decided to act responsibly and leave behind his own car, in favor of a taxi, because he had drunk alcohol that night. This is particularly ironic because the awareness of drunk driving being a killer is not something very ingrained in Uruguayan society, so it is particularly sad to hear of this kid dying as a result of such responsible behaviour, uncharacteristic of Uruguayan society.

Hence, the call to not take taxis on Friday. I don't know if the blame here is 100% on the taxi trade. Frankly, everyone drives like mad, especially in Montevideo, although I can say that in Punta del Este taxis show particular disregard for safety, speed limits and traffic rules in general. So although they are not the only one to blame in a society where safety is not such a great priority for anyone, I would personally participate in this boicot if only to call attention to the matter, and also to taxi drivers.

A weekend for the pious and the heretic both...

2009-10-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

November 2, all saints day, the day of the dead, or however you call it, coincides with Halloween celebrations. It must all go back to the same thing, way back when, right? The point is that it gives us a long weekend, and with it cultural activities, high and low both.

The Maldonado Cathedral is offering a vocal/instrumental ensemble concert with a Bach repertoire (see poster above).

Meanwhile, Il Belvedere (Parada 29 of the Brava Beach, that hotel bungalows place) is hosting a grownups Halloween costume party on Saturday, Oct. 31, starting at 10 PM. Tickets are only being presold, no tickets at the door, so call Ileana at zero nine nine eight one one seven seven seven. Admission is UYU500 and buys you unlimited drinks (of what kind I don't know) and fingerfood, as well as a chance to enter costume contest to win unspecified prizes. Party on.

Election results

2009-10-26T07:29:00.000-07:00

Uruguay's coat of arms

The general elections held Sunday, where the Presidence and higher and lower chambers of Congress were elected was a display of civic culture that made everyone proud, but in which the two leading contenders came out as losers.

The left wing coalition and incumbent, the Frente Amplio, or Broad Front, appeared as the clear leader in the polls with between 47% and 48% of the vote, pending final counts, but crucially short of the 50% + 1 votes needed to win in the first round. Hence, the ballotage, or second round scheduled for November 29.

In addition to not reaching the outright majority, the FA showed the first decrease in voting percetange in its history, with final numbers not out yet, but in the vicinity of 2 to 3 percentage points. To top the sense of "defeat" that clouds the FA campaign, none of the two referendums sponsored by the governing party were approved.One proposed the annullment of provisions granting amnesty from prosecution to government figures who participated in human rights violations or crimes during the military dictatorship in the 70s and 80s. The other one proposed allowing overseas vote by mail to the hundreds of thousands of Uruguayans living overseas and presumed to be predominantly FA sympathizers. All together, the results produced a press conference with somber faces and a visibly irritated presidential candidate, Pepe Mujica, who didn't hide his contempt for the press and who, rather than make use of the free national broadcast to the entire country, rushed to dismiss the Q&A.

On to the front runner. The "Blancos" (whites) or Partido Nacional had a pathetic election, with a steady decline in votes over the last couple of months of the election, finishing below the 29% mark. Candidate Alberto Lacalle, who will now be disputing the presidential office with the FA's Mujica, gave a good, sensible speach, which some pundits accused of being too long, and managed a few tears in the end.

The colorados were the big revelation. Pedro Bordaberry voted way above pollsters' projections and almost doubled the party's percentage of the vote in the 2005 election. Bordaberry --well, he now goes by Pedro-- immediately announced his support for Lacalle, to great cheers from his own supporters.

The Independent party also made strides ending with 2.5% of the vote, but failed to get the wished-for senate seat.

The crucial issue of legislative majority is still undefined, it was that close. Should the Frente Amplio win the second round, it will win the majority thanks to the seat occupied by the Vice President. Otherwise, it may still obtain this majority from the division of "leftover" votes that is prorrated between the parties.

Maldonado coat of arms, ain't it cute!

In Maldonado itself, the Frente Amplio did worse than overall nationally, as it garnered just 40% of the vote, with the Partido Nacional reaching 31%, the Colorados 21% and the Partido Independiente 2.8%.

The FA also slid drastically with respect to the performance in Maldonado in the previous election, when it had managed 49% of the votes. The greatest advance was seen in the Partido Colorado, with more than double the party's votes this time around, while the Partido Nacional also lost hugely, 8 percentage points.

This all came about as the voting base in the department grew more than 12% over the 2005 election, when there were 108,000 registered voters, and about 28% over the 1999 elections.

Montevideo Swing performs at C Bistro on Friday evening

2009-10-22T07:45:00.000-07:00

The trio will be performing jazz standards from the 30s through 50s at C Bistro (formerly Company Bar) located on 29th street between 20th and 18th streets. Across from the Tommy Hilfiger store... There will be a collection of 1920s movie star photos on exhibit as well.

A temporary halt to the free-fall of the dollar

2009-10-21T04:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's news about the imposition of a tax on financial transactions by the Brazilian government put a temporary stop to the seemingly never ending slide of the dollar, which has been more pronounced in Brazil and Uruguay than in other regions. The IOF tax is intended to slow down the influx of speculative foreign capital going into the Brazilian markets.

Following the announcement, on Tuesday the dollar rose 1.5% against the Uruguayan peso and 2.1% against the Brazilian real, considered dangerously overvalued by many of those who supposedly know about these things.

Funny because just a few days ago one of our Karens was expressing her interest in getting into the Brazilian market. Well, now if she does, she will be paying a 2% tax, which as the Brazilian paper Valor puts it, is equivalent to parking your money in fixed income for 84 days, but with no return, or bringing down the benchmark rate to 6.58%. If that sounds very high, bear in mind that rates in Brazil have always been much higher than in developed markets, and that there is a reason for that.

Now, onto our concern, the dollar versus the peso, well, after yesterday's reversal the dollar is down an accumulated 14.65% so far this year, still a scary thing. It sounded worse when it was 20%, but there's no guarantee that we will not see that again soon.

In Brazil, the market is in an uproar, calling the measures an attack by friendly fire on the stock exchange, and noting that the action will now move to New York American Depositary Receipts, thus bypassing the new tax and still funding Brazilian companies. Hence, they see no lasting effect on the strength of the real.

Even the government there is not confident that the tax will be enough to stop the appreciation of its currency, and is assessing further, desperate-sounding measures. In sum, for the time being, nobody expects the dollar rebound to last very long, neither in Brazil nor here.

Sushi classes and tasting at Mantra with Argentina´s Iwao Komiyama

2009-10-21T04:06:00.000-07:00

Argentina´s TV celebrity chef and sushi authority Iwao Komiyama will be at Mantra Resort on Friday, imparting his skills. For those interested only in the end product, Komiyama will be the guest chef at Mantra´s Indigo Grill on Saturday.

Tickets are available ONLY through Red UTS and cost $30 for the class on Friday and $80 for the dinner including soft drinks and sparkling wine.

Red UTS payment centers are available on several exchange bureaus throughout Punta del Este, including Cambio 18, Cambio Gales, Indumex and Cambio Nelson, all of them on Gorlero, at the bus terminal or at the Punta Shopping mall.

Punta Weekend, a party weekend for the younger crowd

2009-10-20T09:12:00.000-07:00

Or for the young at heart, you know.

Punta Weekend is apparently on its second edition, a party weekend scheduled for Oct. 31, and Sunday, Nov. 1, that includes concerts by several bands at the beach on Parada 1 de la Brava (Onno Beach), a couple of dance parties at Ocean Club on Saturday and Sunday, and a fashion show at the Conrad Hotel.

Consistent with the meat-centered perspective in our region, the names of the brands or designers involved in the fashion show are not mentioned, they take second stage to the models who will be parading the clothes and who are listed by name. We know only that they will be modeling "emerging designers" as well as "established brands."

The bands performing are GIA, Tip for Tap, Chandie, Bungee and Dejavu. The bands as sampled in the PW website have more of a pop and dance flavor than the traditional ancient rock/metal favored in Uruguay and Argentina.

Way to celebrate the day of the dead, November 2...

Wine tasting, in pictures

2009-10-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

Teacher Judith

Omar and Karen

Susana, Neal and Karen

Barbi and Alicia

Neal, Tim the pourer, and Susana

BQB airline to be headquartered in Punta del Este, start flights to Porto Alegre on Jan. 15

2009-10-19T10:34:00.000-07:00

Buquebus airline, or BQB, will launch its operations from Punta del Este airport rather than from Colonia as previously planned, with seven regular weekly flights to Porto Alegre (Brazil) and chartered flights to Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Rosario in Argentina, and Florianopolis in Brazil.

The airline was denied licenses to operate flights from Montevideo and Punta del Este to downtown Buenos Aires (Aeroparque), a route protected for Pluna. Its pilots are currently training in France.

The joy brought by a new airline operator to our area is tempered by widespread dislike for the owner of Buquebus, considered the Darth Vader of transportation in the region. Darth is accused by the general public on both sides of the river of "funding" the prolongued fake environmental conflict that has kept bridges from Argentina into Uruguay closed for several years already, resulting in huge profits for the near monopoly held by his ferry line.

The guy is also blamed for a significant role in the left party winning the past election, thanks to the free ferry ride provided to many thousands of voters living in Argentina, most of whom vote the left coalition. He is repeating the feat this week, hopefully with a different outcome.

Uruguay per capita GDP climbs to 4th place in Latin America

2009-10-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, according to Latin Business Chronicle, which quotes IMF recent figures, we nudged Venezuela and got the fourth spot, with something under $13k per capita. Imagine when we finally strike oil! (BTW, the drilling platform is still sitting still, at this rate it's going to take a long time...)

I can't access the precise GDP/pc figure for Uruguay, as LBC, a wonderful publication, is too costly for my budget and the numbers I can find online seem to be old.

In any case, it's interesting to note that Chile has risen to the top, with over $14k per capita, followed by Argentina and then Mexico. Which means that Venezuela has fallen several rungs from just a year or so ago, when its citizens were temporarily richer than Argentina's.

Cooking workshop festival currently at Conrad

2009-10-16T06:15:00.000-07:00

I will blame the organizers for only finding out right now about it, since it started yesterday.

In any case, the Festival Aromas y Sabores runs for three days, with chefs from various countries teaching everything, from olive oil tasting to pastry baking and lots of other stuff. What can you still catch? I am pasting below the list of activities and chefs still to come, through the end of tomorrow.

Friday

14:00 a 15:30 – Diego Martínez (Uruguay)
bread and pastry chef, Latin American bread baking champion

16:00 a 17:30 – Mauricio Asta (Argentina)
Pastry chef – seen on Utilísima Satelital TV channel

18:00 a 19:30 – Jorge “Coco” Pacheco (Chile)
Chef specializing in seafood (“Aquí está Coco” restaurant in Santiago, Chile)

20:00 – Art and Carnaval workshop, traditional products tasting
Carlos Paez Vilaró (Uruguay) – artist
Wilfredo Camacho (Uruguay) – Cervecería Artesanal del Uruguay

Saturday 17 – Río de Janeiro Room

13:30 – Uruguayan olive oil tasting
José Claudio D'Auria (Argentina) –

14:00 a 15:30 – Coque Ossio (Perú)
Peruvian chef (Cuzco, Inkagrill, Map Café, Pachapapa, Geens, Blueberry Lounge and La Bonbonniere restaurants in Perú) and seen on Elgourmet.com

16:00 a 17:30 – Alvaro Verderrosa (Uruguay)
Chef (Radisson Montevideo Victoria Plaza Hotel)

18:00 a 19:30 – Francis Mallmann (Argentina)
Chef (Los Negros and Garzón restaurants in Uruguay, Patagonia Sur and 1884 in Argentina, Patagonia West in the US)

Montevideo-Foz de Iguazu with Pluna for $179 RT!

2009-10-16T03:31:00.000-07:00

,
This will just make my life easier. I used to spend countless hours trying to dissuade every extra-regional visitor from trying to go see the Iguazu/Iguassu waterfalls, a trip to a remote middle of nowhere for a few minutes of a nice post-card view.

Previously, this involved getting to Buenos Aires and from there flying to Foz. I can now say "Sure, you can fly directly from Montevideo! With Pluna! For just $179 round trip!"

That´s the promotional fare, it may not last. Flights debut on October 18. I´d personally still rather do a road-trip anywhere in South America, but I don´t need to argue anyone out of it anymore, now that it´s easy and relatively cheap.

On the other hand, anything making Uruguay more attractive as tourist destination, we´re for. And this no doubt will be a plus for all those Europeans who dream of seeing the waterfalls. I´ve heard many Europeans pine for Patagonia, often unaware of what country it´s in, for the Iguazu waterfalls, and for Machu Pichu, those are the three locations in South America that capture the masses´ imagination, so at least we´re directly linked to one of them. Another, Trellew I think, was sabbotaged by the Ks right before it was supposed to debut. The third, well, I would not be surprised if we were to see an announcement in the near future. Not so dumb this guy Matías...

And if you don´t see the big picture here, what´s in it for Punta del Este? Well, the more extra-regional visitors we attract to Uruguay, the more frequencies we´re likely to have from U.S. and Europe, the easier and even cheaper to get in and out of here. Making Uruguay a hub for South America, if he manages to do it, will be good for all of us.

Tourism slightly up through Sept., cruise ship arrivals to jump 36% this season

2009-10-15T17:52:00.000-07:00

Our business thermometer translates pretty well the overall activity in the Uruguayan economy and in Punta del Este in general. We knew the winter was ghastly and most indicators are down through July and August, but thanks to the notorious spike seen in September, the total number of tourist arrivals is already up 2% for the first nine months, and we can expect it to rise even further before year end.

Another encouraging bit of news buried in El País today is that the number of cruise ships expected to make a stop in Punta del Este this season has jumped to 114, almost 36% higher than in the 2008-2009 season. In Montevideo, conversely, cruise ship stops will fall 17% over last season´s arrivals, to a total of 81.

Admittedly, everything written in this blog comes from the perspective of "economic and financial health of the country and Punta del Este = good" although this viewpoint may not be necessarily shared by all.

One day seminar on the history of furniture

2009-10-14T15:58:00.000-07:00

OK, this one is in Spanish, but what with the visual aids, the similar terminology, etc., maybe even non-Spanish speakers can get to learn something or enjoy it. The seminar covers everything from antiquity to the 20th century, and it is conducted by architect Daniel Martinez Fuentes, an expert on interior design.

Plus, there´s waffles involved! The seminar will be held at L´Auberge, on Oct. 29, and it starts at 1:45 pm, running until 8:30. If you're interested, get in touch with fellow member Graciela Smink, gracielasmink at adinet com uy.

And we´re off to the races...

2009-10-13T07:01:00.000-07:00

So the season is officially open in Punta del Este. It used to be that this past long weekend -- Columbus day, or Día de la Raza -- would provide an indication of how busy or quiet the summer season would be, based on the number of rental agreements closed. Now that indicator appears to be muddled, as Punta del Este was completely packed, but realtors claim to have closed relatively few rentals.

Then again, this is the time of the year when realtor associations come out to gripe about all the factors that are threatening the success of the summer season. This year, as usual, there is a problem with the exchange rate, as the dollar plunges to new, scary lows; the greed of home-owners who prefer to raise the rent and end up with an empty property than to rent it for a reasonable price; and as usual, calls for a greater commitment from the government on security issues. Ah, and the still unresolved issue of bridge border crossings with Argentina. But nobody mentions that one anymore.

To us, the almost euphoric levels of activity seen this past weekend -- the shopping activity had a frantic, like-there's-no-tomorrow quality -- portend another blowout season. It will be hard to top the 2008-2009 summer, but things look like they will be close, a gigantic achievement in light of the equally humongous global crisis.

In addition, with the general growth of "Greater Punta" and changes in visitor dynamics -- shorter stays, increased number of hotel stays versus renters, higher spending per person, continued growth in partial residents staying for three to nine months -- you can be sure that things will get lively in a couple of weeks, and outright busy at the beginning of December, before going bananas after Xmas. The empty aisles at Tienda Inglesa that surprised us on the days prior to the long weekend will be hard to come by until April or May again.

As for the English speakers, many are back or arriving soon, so our November bbq should be fun. Speaking of which, if you would like to attend the wine tasting this coming Friday, please RSVP urgenty. Otherwise, we'll see you at Kitty's next Monday.

More cultural activity this weekend: a piano concert and an organ recital

2009-10-08T10:25:00.000-07:00

The Centro Cultural de Música is holding its last concert of the season this Saturday at 7:30 PM, by young Chinese pianist Jue Wang, at the Arcobaleno Convention Center. See contact info above. Tickets are US$35/UYU800 for adults and US$10/UYU200 for children.

The Maldonado Cathedral on Sunday 11th at 8 PM features Polish organ player Witold Zalewski, under the direction of Cristina García Benegas. This one is free, with voluntary contributions requested for paying for the giant screen projection.

Art creation fair on Calle 20 on Saturday, Oct. 10

2009-10-07T09:41:00.000-07:00

The organizers of the upscale Calle 20 shopping district have come up with an art-athon of sorts, by gathering dozens of painters and sculptors who will be showing the beginning of their creative process --at least the material part of it, as it must be very hard to get philosophical while personally on exhibit-- on the street, literally.

The press release does not mention the time of the event or provide a phone number to enquire, so we´ll assume the very large workshop will go on sometime during the day, possibly all day long.

The organizers´release mentions that for those who don´t give a rat´s derriere about art (my wording), there will be discounts at the shops.

Again, for those unaware of the relevance of next weekend, let´s just say it´s a sort of groundhog day for Punta del Este. It´s supposed to be a proxy for the entire summer season, based on the number of people who visit (Columbus day is celebrated throughout the region, so it´s a holiday in all our main markets) the number of rental deals closed, etc.

It´s also the start of the countdown to high season. All preparation work goes into high gear, and in Uruguayan fashion some major works are finally initiated, ensuring that the vacationers will arrive to wet paint and still unfinished buildings, roads and new shops. But that´s why it´s so charming over here...

In any case, expect a lively, busy weekend ahead.

Kindle reader makes a move towards the rest of the world

2009-10-07T08:37:00.000-07:00

A recently arrived expat in Piriapolis has been asking about Kindle access for months, and nothing seems to work for her. No network to support the download of books from the Amazon device means she has to download her purchased e-book into her computer and then upload into her Kindle. But that appears to be not that easy to accomplish.

Enter the new "international" version of the device, which, unlike its exclusively U.S. version, runs on a 3G network rather than on a CDMA. The article on Betanews explains a bit pros and cons, but for you Kindle junkies out there, there is hope at least for the medium term.

Do you feel liberated?

2009-10-07T04:26:00.000-07:00

Militarily speaking, I mean. I felt more like threatened this morning when at 5 AM the dogs went berserk, and rather than finding a hare or skunk with our super powerful flashlight, we came upon two soldiers marching up our road in full gear.

Since sunrise it´s been a non-stop roaring of helicopters and humming of planes. It´s the joint-command liberation of Punta del Este, you see. Now that we may have oil, our military is readying to protect the basin.

Your chance to be discovered

2009-10-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

Extras are being sought for a Coke ad to be filmed at the Punta del Este airport on October 20 and 21.

Candidates should be male or female between the ages of 25 and 65. The casting will be done at a hotel in Punta del Este to be determined, and the pay is US$30 for the day. Not much, but your chance to break out!

If you´re interested, get in touch with Alejandra Inciarte at alejandra underscore inciarte at yahoo dot com, or call her at zero nine nine one five five seven nine seven.

The Plan Ceibal - One Laptop per Child in Uruguay

2009-10-06T03:27:00.000-07:00

If you ever venture into Uruguay (meaning exiting Punta del Este) you will no doubt come into at least visual contact with a) kids in public school uniform -- the white overalls and the blue ribbon tied in a large bow, which I found quaint until my foreign husband shared his views -- and b) their now ubiquitous accessory, a green and white notebook computer. Children from the less prosperous sectors of the population in Uruguay clutch these machines with much greater passion than a middle class child will show for whatever Wii or Xbox he or she happened to add to the toy collection.

Welcome to Plan Ceibal, the One Laptop per Child initiative pioneered in Uruguay, which has caused much controversy and opposition. An article in The Economist this week explains the basics of the plan, and talks about its "checkered start" and at best appears to describe the project in faintly positive terms, based on educational considerations.

Mauricio attends the rural school on KM105 of the Interbalnearia, and once nearly fractured a finger when his brother tripped him and he fell, ready to protect the computer with his life while screaming "The computer!!! The computer!!!! He´s had Internet connection at school since August.

It misses the point. Plan Ceibal requires Internet connectivity in order to work, and thus has made wiring every school in the country -- and by extension, every corner of the country -- an urgent matter. The Economist points out that two out of five rural schools have no connectivity. What I see is the miracle that those 3 out of 5 rural schools with connectivity represent, and the fact that the rest have a good chance of being connected in the near future.

Also noteworthy is the fact that the Ceibal notebooks bring hundreds of thousands of kids into contact with computing and the Internet in a manner other than gaming at a cyber cafe, the de facto introduction for poor, third world children. No matter what the percentages, the effects of this revolution will be for the better.

The knee-jerk reaction has been to say that the money could be better spent on increasing teacher salaries. Well, all teachers are being given a meaningful aid in performing their jobs. Good teachers will do an even better job and some mention the laptops as an effective aid. As for kids saddled with bad teachers, there is at least a learning or engagement opportunity that does not depend 100% on the quality of their teacher.

Nicole's garage sale

2009-10-04T14:51:00.000-07:00

Our friend Nicole de Waele has decided that less is more and she's holding a two-day garage sale to clear out some of her fantastic housewares. Anyone who's been to her home can attest to quality of her antiques and Eurpean and traditional-style tableware, accessories and knick-knacks.

She also paints and maybe there will be some of her paintings on sale.

The name of the house is "El Grillito", located on Francia at the corner with Buenos Aires street (Parada 12 or thereabouts if I remember right). Entrance on Buenos Aires street.

The sale will be on Saturday, October 10 and Sunday, October 11, from 11AM to 6PM.

Maldonado, Uruguay's most prosperous town

2009-10-04T14:47:00.000-07:00

Since everyone is in agreement that Punta del Este is not Uruguay, we can safely state that Maldonado is Uruguay's most prosperous town.

A news article this week confirmed what I had always said: Maldonado is the largest working-class to middle-class transformation hub in the country. It just bubbles with newly acquired prosperity, and according to El Pais, it is in the midst of a commercial property boom. Yes, you've heard right, there is a commercial real-estate boom, which has brought prices per square meter to match "the most expensive commercial square meter in Montevideo" as my accountant incredulously noted, at US$25 per m2, in the World Trade Center office complex.

Of course there is much more expensive commercial property in Punta del Este, but if we're talking Uruguay, downtown Maldonado is as expensive as Montevideo's commercial property jewel, the WTC.

This is no surprise to us. We tried to purchase land in an out of the way, dangerous neighborhood in Maldonado a couple of years ago and found it to be more expensive than in downtown La Barra. We tried to rent warehouse space and found it to be only 50% of the cost of some prime location commercial space in Punta del Este. So there you have it.

New bill on solar panels and alternative energy generation

2009-10-03T08:21:00.000-07:00

Something caught my attention in the press this week, as good for the "man on the street" as well as for adventurours entrepreneurs: the announcement of coming regulation on alternative energy generation.

If sanctioned, the new law will require that six months after its enactment any new sporting, health or hotel facility include solar panels for water-heating needs.

Two years after sanctioning, the new regulation would require that industrial or agro-industrial facilities also use solar panels for water heating, and 3 years after it would cover all new swimming pools will have to be heated with solar panels only, with the exception of other renewable sources of energy.

Now the good part for the "man on the street": AT LAST, the bill would introduce tax exemptions, including import duty exemptions, for locally manufactured solar panels and for the parts/components involved in their manufacturing, and the same exemptions to imported panels that "do not compete with locally made panels" however that may be determined.

I know that in many developed countries alternative energy generation is subsidized at various levels by government entities, but here subsidies didn't exist until 5 minutes ago, the monopoly government-run energy and power utilities were ANTI alternative energy generation (it slowly chips away at their monopoly, that's how they see it) and it took much strong-arming from higher levels of the goverment to force them to ALLOW a private company or individual to even start generating for their own consumption.

Not too long ago (could still be the case), the prices paid to large industrial generators who sell their surplus energy to UTE were BELOW the price paid by the same utility to import the natural gas required to make electricity. Government would force them to call a tender to award X number of watts to alternative generators, UTE would boicot the tender by disqualifying half the bidders. Etc.So finally things appear to be changing, thanks in great part to that big drought last year.

Urgent appeal: benefit dinner at Lapataia and help needed teaching English

2009-10-01T11:18:00.000-07:00

I just received news of a benefit dinner to be held tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 2, at 8 PM at the Lapataia farm, with proceeds going to help the Escuela Rural #36 Rincon del Diario, located on Camino Lussich. The dinner will be a barbeque, with tickets costing UYU470 without wine, or UYU600 with wine.

There are a couple of ESC members going already. Anyone else interested please call Margarita Arsenault at cero nine four, six one five, one eight seven for directions or reservations, or email her namesake, margarita at marabierto dot com

Flor Rubio, who teaches English as a volunteer, tells me that the school serves children from working-class families, with a total of 50 kids and two teachers. For those of you not familiar with the format of a rural school, usually they involve large groups of mixed grades. Often the kids are served a meal and have a vegetable garden to work on at the school.

The importance of Flor's volunteer work lays in the fact that English language acquisition is key in this country to socio-economic mobility. No English, much harder to join the middle class. It's that simple, so anyone who is ready to volunteer twice a week to teach these kids will be more than welcome. Flor is 78 years old and says she's tired and will be glad to help someone else take her spot. And that the kids are great and a joy to teach.

----------------

Post-dinner scriptum: Well, that was a nice time. We had a table with 14 expats/repats, the food was simple but abundant and tasty, and we even walked away with raffle prizes. The only downside was the live music and tango dancing, which was torture to our ears and hindered conversation and was beyond description in terms of cheesiness. Another problem was the cold at the tables, which made us all huddle around a lovely firepit. The staff was extremely nice. Conclusion: Great location to have a gathering in warmer weather, sans "entertainment".

Our coming events and a commercial space for rent

2009-09-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

OK, I am getting excited about this one, we're hosting a wine tasting on Friday, October 16, at 7 PM at the common party room of Brava 28, where we had our pot-luck brunch a couple of months ago.

The wines will be from the Pizzorno, Marichal and Castillo Viejo wineries, which are excellent wines and not the most commonly available at the supermarkets. Usually our event's hosts, Tim and Amelie Plaehn, also bring along some reasonably priced bottles for those interested in purchasing any of the wines tasted.

In addition to the wines, there will be cheeses, crackers and empanadas so we don't all stumble out knackered.

The ticket will be 200 pesos per person. Because of the nature of the event, I will need positive confirmation from those planning on attending, at least three days before the 16th. The sooner the better. Please be nice and confirm as soon as possible and thus contribute to making my life easier.

Following this evening event, we're holding our regular third Monday meeting for October, which happens to be on the 19th, at 11 AM as usual, at Kitty's, a restaurant and cafe right inside the harbor. Should the weather be nice, their tables on the esplanade overlooking the boats are a delight, otherwise, we'll have enough room indoors.

These two events are close together but a) people are still arriving back from their warm winter destinations, and b) not everyone can manage either the AM or the PM times, so we offer a couple of diffferent options.

For November we're planning a pot-luck barbeque lunch at our place on Sunday, November 22nd, and we still haven't decided on the location of the third Monday meeting. One suggestion that sounded great was L'Auberge, which is both roomy, good for good or bad weather, and beautiful.

Lastly, we may be having a year-end pot-luck party at one of our member's homes, still to be confirmed, on the 19th of December.

On with the space for rent. It's a very conveniently located 40 m2 (400 square feet more or less) space overlooking Plaza Mexico, complete with bathroom and small kitchen, renting for US$700 per month, with no condo expenses. Please contact dorisher at gmail dot com if you're interested.

A pot-luck bbq in Piriapolis, and other expat meetings

2009-09-28T06:41:00.000-07:00

The parrillero under the wisteria in full bloom

Many readers may not be aware that the recent influx of foreigners settling in Uruguay has spawned many expat groups along the coast, all the way from Colonia to Punta del Este.

One of the most numerous, or fastest growing is the lunch group in Piriapolis. It started over a year or so ago as a "ladies lunch group," which sounded quite unappealing to many ladies by making us feel really old and useless, but subsequently changed its name and nature to simply a lunch group, and better yet, a co-ed one.

Under the organization of Jean Petley and Kristy Tonsing the group meets once a month in various spots in and around Piriapolis. My favorite was Silvana's house, but when that became unavailable, the other lunch spots were nice on views but terrible on the food front, so we were thrilled to hear they finally went the pot-luck way. You can't go wrong with a pot-luck bbq.

My correspondent at the latest lunch, Karen Nelson, confirms it was as fantastic as expected. Unfortunately I could not make it but Karen sent us some pictures and tells us the setting was beautiful, the company great and the food bountiful and delicious. The venue was the the brand new home in Las Flores -- west of Piriapolis -- of recent Seattle transplants Rex and Sharri.

Rex, the host

Hector the bbq-meister and Judith Levy

Neal Nelson and Dennis Tonsing

Other expats groups meet in Montevideo every Sunday for brunch, and on certain Thursdays for happy hour, and there is a monthly meeting in Atlantida as well. There is much "cross-pollination" going on, and it would appear that Harold and Judith Levy, who live in a farm in Soca, attend all of them!

For meeting schedules , etc., see Total Uruguay.

For all you Mac lovers out here

2009-09-24T19:14:00.000-07:00

The guys at MundoMac are holding an introduction to the Snow Leopard operating system this Saturday, at 7:30 pm at the Liga de Fomento, that white house located on the corner of 31 and 18 streets. Enjoy.

New Carrasco airport opening delayed till Nov. 15

2009-09-22T06:47:00.001-07:00

Photo from today's El Pais

For now... further delays are always possible, right? It was supposed to be opened on October 5, but the launch of operation of the new airport has been moved to Nov. 15, with a fake inauguration with the president (before he becomes the lame duck) still on for October 5.

Despite the disappointment in the postponement -- yes, we held the naive hope that the works would be concluded on schedule -- after living our entire lives with an embarrassing airport, a few weeks more or less don't change the fact that Uruguay will have its first dignified international airport in decades.

I'm not counting the Punta del Este airport, which is tiny-but-dignified, because it's not truly international. That's because the Carrasco airport concession terms hold Punta del Este airport hostage, barring it from becoming truly international by limiting the number and types of flights allowed. Some day someone will pay a bribe in the other direction and Punta del Este airport will take off. We pray.

A word of warning for those flying out of Carrasco and coming from points east. Road works on new access to the airport means that Ruta 101 will remain closed for a few days more. If, like we did recently, you take a right after the second toll-booth on your way to the airport, you'll find that when you're almost there, you'll be forced to detour to your left and get lost with no signs whatsoever indicating how to get to the airport.

Our advice is to abstain for the time being from making that turn and just go to Carrasco on Giannatasio Ave., or even better, on the waterfront road that starts at El Pinar, and then turn back on Avenida de las Americas (where that bridge/overpass are at the entrance to Carrasco.)

This is not the shortest possible, but then again, you don't get lost, confused or obfuscated right before a flight, and you may actually save time by avoiding Giannatasio traffic-lights, traffic-jams, suicidal moped drivers, pedestrians, jugglers and other video-game-like perils, especially if traveling around rush hour.

If you've never used the El Pinar waterfront road, it's a good alternative to Giannatasio at all times. The only bad part is accessing it (going through fourth-world roads/commercial center through El Pinar where the gas station is on the Interbalnearia highway, then making a right onto that road that ends on the waterfront, all the time going into video-game mode). But for those 5 minutes, the rest is considerably less scary than Giannatasio all the way to Carrasco, and faster.

Coming back form Montevideo all you do is continue on the Rambla after Carrasco (making a right after the bridge) and go on until the road ends and forces you to turn left. When you reach the main commercial street, you make another left that will leave you by the Ancap gas station.

Handsome teen dog up for adoption

2009-09-22T06:41:00.000-07:00

As our friend says, at ten months, this is not the age you can get away with taking a dog to Tienda Inglesa in hopes of finding it a home.

Jordan is medium sized, neutered and living with his sibling, part of a litter of three that appeared last December at the farm she was living in. Two is one too many dogs for Kathryn who is no longer living in a farm. Post a comment here if you're interested and I'll put you in touch with Kathryn.

Foodies rejoice: PdE Food &Wine Festival is set debut in March 2010

2009-09-22T06:10:00.000-07:00

This sounds exciting on many fronts. The first edition of the Punta del Este Food & Wine Festival is scheduled for March 18 - 21, spanning the length and breadth of Punta. (See lists below)

Chefs and sommeliers confirmed so far range from the local to the regional and international, although heavily concentrated on Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and the U.S. Undoubtedly if it takes, which I'm positive it will, in future editions the festival will grow in size and diversity. But for a start, this is fantastic. Kudos to organizer Gabriel Byalistocki.

Besides the obvious fun of having this wealth of culinary events to choose from during a time of the year when the crazy crowds are gone and things are back to civilized, we see many positive aspects in this festival, including the potential for other chefs to discover Punta del Este as a market and choose to set up shop here, as well as the encouragement and exposure to the local ones who serve us year in and year out.

And, as a firm believer that the further internationalization of Punta del Este will benefit everyone living or traveling here, there's the additional benefit of the PR effort surrounding this event, which will attract foreign lifestyle press and help to consolidate Punta del Este as an international holiday and residential destination.

Tickets go on sale October 15. Below is a list of chefs and sommeliers, and of the events programmed.

Participating chefs and sommeliers

Paola Carosella Arturito, Sao Paulo
Hernan Taiana Restaurant T, Montoya (Punta del Este)
Gastón Yelicich Isla de Flores, José Ignacio & Montevideo
Charlie Betbeder Lo de Charlie, Punta del Este
Pam y Hubert O Farrell O Farrell, Manantiales (Punta del Este) & Buenos Aires
Floyd Cardoz Tabla, New York
Douglas Rodriguez Nuela, New York
Francois Payard Payard, New York & Rio de Janeiro
Ben Ford Ford Filling Station, Los Angeles
Rodrigo Oliveira Mocoto, Sao Paulo
Federico Amandola Al Forno, La Barra (Punta del Este)
Carla Pernambuco Carlota, Sao Paulo
Fernando Trocca Sucre, Buenos Aires
Germán Martitegui Casa Cruz, Buenos Aires
Martín Rebaudino Oviedo, Buenos Aires
Pablo Massey Restaurant Uruguay, Buenos Aires
Francis Mallmann Hotel Garzón, Garzón-Uruguay, Patagonia Sur, Bs.As.
Máximo López May Palacio Duhau - Park Hyatt, Buenos Aires
Montse Estruch El Cingle, Vacaresses (Barcelona)
Federico Fialayre Sommelier, Tomo I, Buenos Aires
Charlie Arturaola Master Sommelier, Miami
Rodrigo Kohn Sommelier, Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo
Raul Moreira Beefeaters, Punta del Este
Luis Acunia El Pobre Luis, Buenos Aires

Events

Thursday 18/3 8 PM Welcome to Punta Solanas Convention Center US$ 50
Friday 19/3 1 PM Modern Jazz & Cigars Finca Narbona US$ 100
Friday 19/3 1 PM Women on Top Las Cumbres US$ 100
Friday 19/3 8 PM Best of Argentina Fundación Atchugarry/E. VIK US$ 100
Friday 19/3 8 PM New World Great Bottlings Mantra Beach Club US$ 100
Saturday 20/3 1 PM Great American Restaurants Finca Narbona US$ 100
Saturday 20/3 1 PM Garzón: An experience by Malmann Pueblo Garzón US$ 100
Saturday 20/3 8 PM Uruguay Paseo por los Sentidos Fundación Atchugarry/Estancia VIK US$ 100
Saturday 20/3 8 PM Aquarela do Brasil Las Piedras/Fasano US$ 100
Sunday 21/3 12:30 AM Gauchos & Barbeque La Pataia US$ 50

Friday & Saturday 6 PM Sunset Chillout (Atardeceres) Casapueblo Free
Friday & Saturday 11 PM 360º After Party Torreón Floor 24 Free

The elephant in the room: safety and crime

2009-09-19T11:16:00.000-07:00

Curious about safety and crime in Maldonado and Punta del Este, this week I talked to people on the frontlines of the issue, from cops to security companies and insurance agents. Sometimes anecdotal evidence may cloud the bigger picture, and on the other hand a vague, blanket statement such as “Uruguay is safe” may be the cause of disappointments in the face of frustrated expectations.

So here´s what I found. First of all, Maldonado, the province where Punta del Este and Piriápolis are located, is by all accounts a world apart from the rest of Uruguay. Within Maldonado itself, the coastal towns, villages and neighborhoods are likewise in a different league from other urban enclaves such as Maldonado town, Pan de Azúcar or even erstwhile sleepy San Carlos.

This is because where the poor and working class reside, the infamous pasta base (crack cocaine) has taken hold with a massive epidemic that is still a few years away from subsiding. Thus, the daily robberies of small businesses in towns across Uruguay, often violent, for the few pesos found in petty cash.

The relative security of coastal Maldonado is not an accident. Security here is the hen that lays the golden eggs, and it has to be protected as such. According to the people I talked to, there is an express message from the government to the cops, and down to the crooks here –they all know each other apparently— which is: “No violent crime here guys, or else”.

On the other hand, burglaries are a fact of life in our area, but the good news is that they are on the decline. This according not only to cops but to private security company owner and one of the leading insurers in town, who two years ago gave me a completely opposite impression.

On the recent turnaround of the areas of El Golf and San Rafael, which for years suffered a disproportionate number of break-ins, the consensus is that a neighborhood watch effort with professional help from a former police chief produced the intended results.

Police I talked to stressed the need to be vigilant, to communicate among neighbors and to call either the local station or the 911 line to report suspicious characters or activity. Please call, they said. Uruguayans are not naturally given to community efforts, but any initiative involving security is sure to find positive reception.

About the forms of burglary, modus operandi varies between summer and off-season crimes. In the summer apparently professional bands of robbers come from Argentina and elsewhere looking for cash, jewelry and art. Summer break-ins also happen during gatherings at homes where people retire to the back yard, and often leave the front of the house unattended, doors unlocked or windows open. Opportunistic theft also involves breaking the window of a car where a bag or a jacket are left in plain sight on the car seat.

Another classic tale of burglary involves cleaning out a house on the same evening of people’s arrival. You are seen unloading a car with various bags, and later are seen leaving to have dinner out or to go shopping for groceries, only to come back home and find the cash, the laptop and the digital cameras gone. In winter, the M.O. is to go in looking for laptops and flat-screen TVs, the only two items of any resale value.

The common sense tip is to hide your laptop and valuables when you leave. Usually the burglars are in the house for just a couple of minutes and they do a frenzied, general sweep that may look like the aftermath of a tsunami to the returning owner. Another piece of advice is to abstain from throwing out boxes of new electronic equipment in front of your house. Rather, flatten down the boxes and take them to a dumpster.

On the issue of dogs, where the folklore says that a dog in a yard may be subject to poisoning by a burglar, everyone I consulted scoffed at the idea. Burglars have tricks to leave a dog locked inside a room of a house if the dog is left inside, and there were no known instances of dog poisoning in burglaries that anyone could recall for me. There are however instances of dog kidnapping for ransom, so don´t let your dog roam the neighborhood alone, especially if it is a pure breed, and more especially if it’s a Golden Retriever, and don´t leave your yard gate unlocked. Have a fence surrounding your property.

Lastly, there´s the importance of having an alarm system with a security company to respond to a break-in, if possible with outdoor alarm sensors, to further cut down their action time. Some of the companies working in Punta del Este have extremely fast response times (3 to 5 minutes with Maxima, the others should be checked out) and this reduces the damage that can be suffered in an eventual burglary and can lead to the arrest of the crooks.

In the case of burglaries with the owners inside, the alleged use of a “sleep gas” was downplayed as a myth. What happens is that burglars go in when we are in our deepest sleep, and for vacationers or weekenders they may even be helped by our own alcohol drinking beforehand, making it unlikely that we will hear a sound. Another good reason to have either the dog or the alarm system or both in place.

Debate on new road in Punta Ballena

2009-09-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

The Unión Vecinal de Punta Ballena y Lagunas del Sauce y del Diario is hosting a presentation and debate on the new road going by the Lussich Arboretum towards Maldonado. The issue is whether the Arboretum and the lakes region are endangered by this new road.

Frankly, I have yet to read a factual, analytical statement of the specific damage caused by the new road (all the opposition campaigning seems to be of the emotional, subjective kind, which doesn´t help), and a non-partisan pros and cons assessment. The government is not saying much publicly either. It just went ahead and built the road, which was in the planning stages for years and years and is now a tangible fact.

As I said in a previous posting, the UVPB is decrying this road, which will no doubt prevent many a traffic accident on an extremely busy road preferred by truck traffic going into Maldonado, as nuclear holocaust on the arboretum. But unless I am missing something, when I rode by looking at the new road and its potential damage, the Arboretum did not seem the least bit touched by it.

Frankly, the traffic has to go somewhere. Thinking of potential alternatives, re-routing everyone through Ruta 12 would require an expansion of Ruta 12, which the very vocal and wealthy Ruta 12 UVPB members would no doubt oppose feverishly. So what then, going back to Pan de Azucar, 30 kms, and then going on Ruta 9 and then going down to Maldonado? Is that the proposed alternative? Don´t see how that could fly... Or go further into Punta del Este and just cut across somebody else´s cute, quaint, peaceful, fantastic quality of life neighborhood?

It would be great if both sides could provide quantitative, objective assessments of all alternatives, but I guess that´s not about to happen now... Plus, the road is already there.

In any case, UVPB is calling on all authorities and interested parties to come debate the issue, on September 25, following a 45 minute presentation by the UVPB, at the Club del Lago Hotel, starting at 6 pm.

Escape Artist magazine article on retiring in Uruguay

2009-09-19T09:57:00.000-07:00

Escape Artist is one of the expatriation movement´s media outlets of record, and this week it has an article on retiring in Uruguay, of the "10 reasons to..." kind.

At this point, I am becoming a firm believer in the notion that Uruguay is not a homogenuous destination with variations in setting, as in country vs. beach or city. I guess I will have to address that later, but in any case, David Hammond´s article provides a good general snapshot of the conventional kind.

So the greater bandwidth crusade actually worked

2009-09-15T18:05:00.000-07:00

Several months ago an online crusade for greater bandwidth in Uruguay made headlines and apparently served as catalyst for the telecom monopoly (Antel) to wake up from its slumber. By the way, it´s not too late to sign the petition on the link above.

Today El País reports that Antel has embarked on a joint venture with Telecom Argentina (Antel 80%, Telecom 20%) whereby they will invest US$17 million in laying a submarine backbone cable linking Uruguay to a place called Las Toninas, in Argentina, which will enable Antel to increase bandwidth between 5 and 32-fold and to reduce prices to users, by 2011.

To be fair to Antel, for such a sparsely populated and unwealthy country, we should not be complaining about our telecom indices. Uruguay´s phone system was 100% digital ahead of any country in Latin America, and the country has always had one of the highest telecom penetration levels.

Personally, I was extremely thankful to find out that the service I used for almost two years was heavily subsidized (satellite internet connection with only 50 users when I subscribed). Before the existence of cellular modems, there was a relatively affordable way to access the Internet in remote locations if your business really required it. But I digress.

The truth is that Uruguayan broadband access (8.4%), although slightly lower than Argentina and Chile´s penetration levels (8.8%) -- which lead in broadband access in Latin America -- is considerably slower and more expensive on this side of the Andes and the River Plate. Hence the crusade. Kudos to them and to all of us who signed the petition!

Of course there may be lots of political considerations behind this, such as the proximity of national elections in late October and the fact that Antel is loosing ground in cellular communications and has struck a deal with the Argentine telco to market its cellular services in a bid to increase market share. But it´s all good, a state monopoly forced to become more competitive in a sector in where it has no competition by a segment in which it does...

Spanish classes

2009-09-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

So many people out there seem to be cut off from life, feel victimized by people who want to take advantage of them, or just plain frustrated by their lack of command of the language that it always makes me wonder, "What on earth are they thinking, not learning the language they live in?"

Actually, it's not so easy. Some are lazy and don't want to even try, others buy some verb books and peruse them every couple of months, and others simply don't know who to turn to for formal lessons.

I now have two people to recommend for formal lessons in Spanish as a second language.

You can write to

Silvia vetpc at adinet dot com dot uy
or to
Judith teacherjudith at gmail dot com

Coming up, Faure Quartett at Club del Lago and ESC meeting at Este Cafe

2009-09-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

The Centro Cultural de Musica's upcoming concert will be held, as described in the poster above, on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 pm at the Club del Lago Hotel, on the Laguna del Sauce. If you've never been, go early and take a stroll on the lake-front or the hotel's gardens by the golf-course. It's an entirely different Punta del Este out there... The prices are 800 pesos or US$35 per adult, and 200 pesos or US$10 for children.

As for our meetings, following a late-winter tough cold, we're ready to get back into action. To make things easy, we'll be meeting at Este Cafe (the location of our high tea a couple months ago) at 11AM, our regular time, on Monday, September 21.

For those who've never been, Este Cafe is located at the entrance of the peninsula, where Calle 20 merges into the Rambla on the Mansa side. We have our regular 10% discount for any beverages or food.

We want to make it clear that we plan to meet in alternating places that offer convenience and are attractive to us for whatever reasons, and we do not intend to relinquish our club or group to a single venue.

I was happy to hear from many members who plan to be back in October, so I thought it would be a good time to organize a wine tasting. I have to fine tune the details on that, but it would be in the early evening, at the site of our potluck brunch (Brava 28 party room), with a moderate admission ticket. The wine tasting will be conducted in English by Tim and Amelie, who've been doing it for a while in Montevideo and are willing to come down here for us.

Uruguay and Punta del Este are top of mind for Spanish real estate investors

2009-09-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

A recent poll conducted during the Madrid real estate fair by an Argentine market research firm revealed that Punta del Este + Uruguay collectively represent the top choice in terms of real estate investment for the next 12 months among attendees at the Salon Inmobiliario de Madrid, 77% of whom were Spanish.

Uruguay was mentioned spontaneously by 15% and Punta del Este by 12.5% of the 284 potential investors surveyed, for a grand total of 27.5%, followed by Brazil with 22%, U.S. 10% and Miami 7%. None of the respondents mentioned the spontaneous intention of investing in Argentina.

The average amount those surveyed intend to invest over the next year is around 200,000 euros (some US$290,000).

See the entire survey results in Spanish at Reporte Inmobiliario.

Garzon, prettyfied but not yet fully Disneyfied

2009-09-11T14:17:00.000-07:00

An ungentrified home with un-hipster local

North of Jose Ignacio, a few kilometers inland from km marker 176 on Ruta 9 lies the tiny village of Garzon, the latest extreme-makeover subject of chef/entrepreneur Francis Mallmann, the same who put Jose Ignacio on the map.

After hearing the fans and detractors for a couple of years already, we finally made the trek this past weekend. We actually got the idea while having lunch, so we saved dessert for El Garzon, the restaurant.

Our impressions are as follows:

The village is as cute as it is tiny. The square, with the old palm trees is beautiful.

The extreme makeover job is only partially done, and therefore the town is not a Disney version of its former self, although that could easily happen in about 5 minutes, so hurry over to check it out before it's quaint in the bad way.

Trading Post, a cute renovation job

The impeccable good taste of Mallmann, Hojman and other assorted trendies (too much of which can make you gag) contrasts with some of the "renovations" by locals who don't quite get it but think that a couple of cans of paint -- of the most unfortunate shades -- will net them a fortune in flipping profits. Funny.

As for the restaurant, it's charming enough, and the desserts were wonderful, especially the lemon crostatta. It was cute on arrival to see a few local kids using the restaurant's wifi with their Ceibal laptops...

I recommend going back to Punta del Este through a different back road so you can appreciate the countryside, including Agroland's olive plantation and windpower farm.

The restaurant, predictably, was full of Brazilians from Sao Paulo, coinciding with the long September 7 weekend. Both tables next to us were returning clients who were not scared away by the prices (steep) and found the place charming enough for a second visit after their initial one last summer.

The best education money can buy in Punta del Este, and its costs

2009-09-08T08:43:00.000-07:00

Before anyone starts pelting me with rotten tomatoes, I should clarify that we´re talking academic institutions and not "what I learned from life," or from the street, or from the love that so-and-so gave me. For those who feel they can impart to their children whatever is necessary so they won´t turn into spoiled brats (more on that later), and whose children can handle the rough and cruel world of a regular school, then Saint Clare´s is in a different league among schools in Punta del Este. Warning, the English part of the website wasn't working when I checked in, although some items were available in English.

Punta del Este is a young market in terms of private education. First there were the nuns, then the IUA (Instituto Uruguayo Argentino) a solid private school with English content but not bilingual; and then, with the Argentine crisis and the migration of families in 2002-2003, an eurption in private, so-called bilingual schools, concurrently with the bankruptcy of some, (many families here couldn't pay the private school's tuitions during the economic crisis) and in March 2004, the emergence of Saint Clare's with some of the children and staff from the defunct St. Catherine's and others.

The first difference is that SC is the only really really bilingual school in Punta del Este, where various subjects are taught in English language -- 26 hours a week of content instruction in English -- where the elementary school curriculum is organized around the Cambridge International Primary Program, and which offers the International Baccaleaureate of Geneva.

According to headmaster/principal Daniel Reta, the school at present has some 300 students, with a staff of 80, of which some 20 are foreigners. Reta is quick to mention the British Schools in Montevideo as a comparable institution, and at least we can say it's a guiding light. It should be hard to emulate what the BS has achieved in 100 years of existence, but the model is one of smart teaching, and smart learning -- rather than the Uruguayan system of rote, brain atrophing education spiced up with some English classes -- and lots of extracurricular activities.

My feeling is SC will need a few years to achieve the size, recognition and financial means that will allow them to have a large enough number of quality foreign teachers, but as Reta says, "It's not easy, you can't hire the first backpacker who stops by on his way to visit the ruins at Machu Pichu. We need the right backgrounds in education."

As an alumnus of the British Schools of Montevideo, I am well aware of the virtues and problems of the elite school. My mention above of spoiled brats is something I encountered in my own years at school, a risk my father was constantly vigilant against, what with us in school with "the children of privilege." Well, the news is that the experience is survivable. The other news is that most of the "children of privilege" later in life turn out to be normal people. And the last but most important news is that if your children turn out to be trouble like me, drop out of high-school and never really go to college, well, then you can take some comfort in the fact that they did access the best academic education they could during their elementary and secondary years.

Another aspect of SC which makes it quite unique is that it's the most international school in the country, bar none. Uruguayan students make up only 40% of the student body, with Argentines accounting for 30% and the remaining 40% divided between a host of nationalities that sounds quite exotic to my ears. Macedonian? Botswanan? Reta says the school had 55 new admissions this year, a boom for such a small school, and that they are expecting a new "Argentine invasion" for next year. He also mentions 100 new foreign families settling in Punta del Este annually, a rate which I would venture is about to increase as well.

In order to absorb such diverse new students, arriving at whatever time of the school calendar, Reta said the school has a very intense tutoring system that has children speaking either English or Spanish or both in just 6 months, coupled with summer school in the month of February. "We had German kids who arrived speaking not a word of English or Spanish" he says. "In six months they were speaking both."

Asked if the school is offering these intensive programs for adults, he said that as part of the SC University they will probably be adding English and Spanish courses for adults.

As for the fees, here it goes. There is an annual registration fee (matricula) of US$300, with up to 20% discount for advance payment.

Kinder starts at 16 months of age, with AM and PM shifts that are elective through Kinder 3, at the same cost as the full day (say, you can take your toddler only in the morning or only in the afternoon, or both morning and afternoon, it always costs the same) and starts at US$200 per month, increasing progressively up to US$380 per month for Kinder 5.

For elementary grades 1 through 6 the monthly fee is US$440, for Junior High 1 through 3 it's US$470, High-School 4 it's US$520 per month and for the International Baccalaureate, grades 5 and 6 of secondary school, the monthly cost is US$610.

There is a discount for second child of 10%, and of 20% for a third child. Other discounts may apply for advance payment of the monthly fee... but better ask the school for that. Also, they do offer some scholarships for new admissions into certain grades when they have gender imbalances...

Please note that the figures in US$ are my conversions from the peso figure as of yesterday, and that they may vary with the currency fluctuation (they should have been lower all last year) and are adjusted annually, in pesos, according to inflation.

598 42 490 200 / California corner with Los Medanos / info@stclares.edu.uy

Punta del Este based Mantra to expand to Brazil, Argentina

2009-09-03T07:18:00.000-07:00

The owners of the Mantra Hotel have announced the incorporation of the Mantra Resorts, Hotels and Casinos group, with the intention of expanding to Brazil and Argentina in the luxury hotel or gaming business.

Their establishments will be branded "by Mantra" such as the Nogaro Casino on Gorlero Ave., to be refurbished with an US$18 million investment

In October Mantra will launch its first international venture, a boutique resort in Paraiba, Brazil. From Brasilturis Jornal.

Charles Aznavour at Conrad, only for "players"

2009-09-03T06:42:00.000-07:00

The mysterious, studly look is much better than the grinning old crooner favored of late...

Are you a gambler in good standing at the Conrad Hotel? Then you can request free tickets to go see Charles Aznavour on Friday evening. Other for-VIP-only musical events in the horizon include Cacho Castaña (you don't want to activate your special connections for that one).

On the food front, there is an "Asian food festival" starting today through Sunday, and again on Sat. 18 and Sunday 19th. Buffet style. And through September, on Saturdays at lunchtime you have the chance to try the "puchero" a traditional "throw everything you have around in the pot and then drink the broth and eat the meats and vegetables separately" hearty meal. Highly recommended.

The Conrad's high-tea is particularly good, although with the disadvantage of being served in the depressing dark place off the lobby (Veleros), with "fashion shows" or "flamenco classes" or other such torturing "entertainment". That said, we always indulge a few times a year. Now is a good time to try it out, as Monday through Thursdays there's a 2x1 promotion, that is, US$20 for two people for the buffet, which usually includes a single beverage per person.

If you're of the male, sports-fan, alcohol drinking persuasion, the same place, Veleros, turns into a "sports bar" from Thursdays through Sunday, with 2x1 drinks between 8 pm and 1 am, and US$20 tapas buffet.

Post-concert comment: he rocked! What a treat! And it is supposedly his farewell tour.

Organ concert at the Maldonado Cathedral this Sunday -- come out and support some local talent!

2009-09-03T06:38:00.000-07:00

Graciela, our patron of the local arts and of the Maldonado Cathedral as well, suggests attending the concert this Sunday (8 pm) by the very talented and young local organ player Santiago Rodriguez Tort.

Best of all, it's free admission!

Reason to invest in Punta del Este number 37: Uruguay is getting bigger!

2009-09-01T16:07:00.000-07:00

The story in Mercopress is thankfully in English, so go ahead and read it there... Now, because we are presumably not paying for this extra territory, rather than being diluted, your purchase entitles you to more oil! More natural gas! Imagine, Uruguay turning into Norway.

Just don't turn the tables on me and tell me to imagine Uruguay turning into Venezuela, I am not entertaining such scenario.

Consumer spending in Maldonado up 9.4% in the March-May quarter

2009-09-01T11:03:00.000-07:00

Consumer spending in Maldonado department went up 9.4% between the months of March and May, compared with the same quarter of 2008, according to figures quoted by El Pais and attributed to an entity called the Observatorio Turistico, a joint venture between various local chambers of commerce.

It appears that we're inching towards a greater availability of economic data in general, and the news article in El Pais yesterday (long and confusing, but here it is) brings a new indicator of economic activity in Maldonado, this time measuring consumption of basic items such as water, electricity and gasoline, aimed at detecting the ups and downs of the tourism business in the department. Well, at least new to me.

The biggest increases were seen in April, which this year included the Easter holiday, usually falling in March. And yet, to everyone's shock, throughout the quarter consumption of food, fuels, water and other staples increased at more than respectable rates. For March and April taken together, the percentage climbs to 10.7%.

In addition to the calendar explanation --which doesn't account for the entire quarter anyway-- the Observatorio attributed the increased activity to uncharacteristically benign weather throughout the quarter. Considering the early spring we're going through, the same should be expected for the last quarter.Three cheers for global warming.

Now the bad news: there was a marked decrease in the number of foreign tourists who visited in Easter, with Brazilians down 10.5%, Paraguayans down 5%, Argentines 4.6%, and with only Chileans increasing by 30%. Now how do I spin this, considering my ever positive taint on anything and everything? It's actually GREAT NEWS! because Chileans are not a "traditional" market for us and their continued expansion is just what the doctor ordered for hedging purposes, and the others, well, they will come out of their global-crisis-shock and resume their increased visits and expenditure in our shores.

Unfortunately no mention was made of foreign visitors throughout the quarter ex-Easter, and there, I would venture, may lie part of the explanation for the positive figures. From what we could see, them Argies would not go away! They came all year long! Then again, this may be just our excessively heightened traffic-plate-spotting awareness talking.

Now, if someone were to combine this data with the real-estate information, then we'd be on to something...

Shake your booty classes

2009-09-01T06:32:00.000-07:00

This is the teacher, yes, Natasha Lunar

OK, the politically correct designation is "Arab dance" or danza arabe, at least here. Good ol' bellydancing... From what I can tell they are only for women, but maybe we can talk my husband into setting up a course for the guys. He's been known to upstage Princess Amina at Baby Gouda...

But for the time being, men can go drop off and pick up their significant others or daughters at the Tao gym (on one of those curvy roads somewhere behind Punta Shopping/Roosevelt/Avenida Italia.

Classes for adults meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm, and for teenagers (if you really want your teenagers "studying" bellydancing) are held on Tuesdays, from 5:20 to 6:20. Adult classes cost UYU1,000 per month, and classes for teenagers cost UYU600/month.

If you're not into taking courses but would like to hire Natasha for parties, she's also available.

Call 099 072 097 or email natashalunar at hotmail dot com

Maldondao honey, from the farm to your table

2009-08-29T02:40:00.000-07:00

Is that where honey is grown? In a farm? I´m kidding, but to this day I remember asking for Fanta trees and french fries trees as a small, city-bred child. Anyway, Uruguay affords us the chance to indulge in the oh so popular trend of buying local, and of consuming organic food and produce, and as we're discovering, often there´s free home delivery thrown in as well.

To make it more apropos to our expat/English Speaking theme, a local Uruguayan family with with a British heritage -- Francisco and James Bloomfield -- and a house in Solis, is producing this honey in the Cerros Azules area of western Maldonado.

A kilogram jar costs just 130 pesos, and will be delivered free to your door (that is, if you live between Solis and Punta del Este. For other locations write to James and ask.) The Bloomfields are also offering bee pollen, at 110 pesos per 200 gram jar.

This honey is produced by bees feeding on native forest and eucalyptus, as told to me by James Bloomfield, who stressed the absence of any additives of any kind. Pure pure honey. For those with farms, they also install beehives to aid with pollinization.

For orders or enquiries, write to James themontevidean at adinet dot com dot uy or call him at 099 252572

099 252572

Cooking classes

2009-08-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

We're on the mailing list for View Point restaurant and café, and so we receive all their promotional announcements. This one I find interesting: they are offering cooking classes, starting on September 2. Call 042-44-80-15 to reserve your spot.

Their food is "gourmet" and although I´ve only been at the café (fantastic sandwiches, to-die-for pastries, etc., and pricey) and I have tasted their catering (top notch, with excellent presentation, service and as I remember, an incredible risotto and outstanding desserts) I would venture that whatever one learns in their course would be good for showing off when hosting a dinner party at home.

For those out there interested in the subject, there are lots of cooking courses to be had at the Universitario Gastronomico de Punta del Este, located across from the back parking lot of the Punta Shopping mall. The UG is structured like a formal degree issuing university institution, hence its name, but it also offers short courses or "seminars" on everything from olive oil selection to Jewish cuisine 101. Check out their website for the course offering, www.ug.edu.uy, email info@ug.edu.uy, or call 042-48-07-45.

Summer in August, we have that too!

2009-08-25T11:24:00.000-07:00

Expecting to see a weather forecast that would include a massive storm for this evening or tomorrow, I logged on to find an entire week of balmy weather ahead of us.

If we are to believe the weather people, today is actually the coolest day, with temperatures rising progressively to the high 20s (upper 70sF) until they drop on Monday.

Great way to celebrate Indpendence Day today, for those who are not working.

Where do you live? In the Uruguayan Riviera...

2009-08-24T20:35:00.000-07:00

I always thought it was very cheesy when people talked about the Turkish Riviera, back when I was a Turkish Rivieran, and now, watching my place of residence become the Uruguayan Riviera, I can´t help but snort with laughter.

The Daily Mail provides the latest in free destination publicity, of the "this is an article about Punta del Este, but forget Punta del Este which I didn´t really visit, and go to Jose Ignacio, stop at La Huella, then go to Garzón, meet Mallmann, and don´t forget to have dinner at Marismo, that´s what us people in the know do".

Love it when, on second reference, Jose Ignacio becomes "Jose." It´s possibly the revenge against the Spanish language for dwellers of the River Plate calling a personal trainer "el pérsonal."

Frankly, when my friend Viia wrote the template for this article for Forbes about 3 years ago, well, she "designed the tour" for all them googlers with a press pass out there, so to speak, and did it well, and besides having written the first and best of such articles, she also did write about Punta del Este! OK, disclaimer, she did quote us in the article, but so did other reporters, none of whom compare to fabulous Viia.

Maybe my not-so-elated reaction derives from the fact that "Punta del Este, former St. Tropez, current Miami beach" story is old news. Bottom line is, we need a new story.

A risky combo: off-plan investment + non-local developers

2009-08-22T16:04:00.000-07:00

Every time I read about British buyers being creamed by this or that real-estate fiasco somewhere around the globe (more often than not in Spain, or at the hand of Spanish developers), somewhere in the first or second quote from the hapless buyer is a mention of "dreams destroyed". But beyond the archetypical fleeced Briton, and considering our real-estate universe here in Punta, the subject of off-plan, or pre-construction sales is worth contemplating carefully.

In the land of no-credit-no-mortgage, off-plan is the status quo, more or less the only way to develop, and a way to ease the pain of having to pay for a property in cash.

The way it works is the buyer signs a purchase commitment with about 10% to 20% down, proceeds to pay monthly installments for some 18 to 24 months for about 30% to 50% of the value until completion and possession of the unit, at which point the buyer either pays the balance or takes on vendor credit at a moderate interest rate --compared with bank rates-- for one or two years. There are variations to this schedule depending on when the buyer comes in.

The attraction is the prospect of "built-in" price appreciation, knowing that as construction and sales go forward, the developers steadily raise the price of the remaining units, with anywhere between 15% to 20% appreciation being standard during normal times, and up to 100% value increase in the crazy times we're living. Not to mention the "forced savings" aspect of this scheme, whereby buyers undertake a commitment to pay off a property in a couple of years, while they earn or put some other property up for sale, while locking in the price of their purchase.

But of course there's always the risk of the building never reaching completion, and even, as mentioned in the article in The Times linked above, a very real risk of the project never breaking ground, regardless of economic or global financial conditions. Our Roosevelt Ave. still shows a few decades-old carcasses of past busts. The wonderful Acqua building was built on the site of a failed hotel, the Yoo tower is basically frosting on an "antique" concrete skeleton.

In the case of Spain, countless developers went broke, went to jail or pulled back from their plans as the market turned bad, leaving tens of thousands of "broken dreams". In Dubai, $24 billion worth of projects was cancelled or "put on hold."

But in Brazil and even in Uruguay, there is a pattern of foreign developers being the ones who stumbled and even failed in the recent downturn, and there may be a cautionary tale in this.

To begin with, the absence of legal requirements such as a bond guaranteeing the completion of the project means that once the foreign developer goes belly-up or simply packs up his tent and hops on the next flight out, aggrieved buyers have little to go against in trying to recover their money. It's lost.

But also, from a common sense stand-point, those developers are less likely than local ones to pull those projects to fruition when the going gets rough. They are less likely to have access to lifeline credit locally, due to their lack of commercial standing, and at home they might find their financiers less excited about a venture that is encountering difficulties in some third world country. "But my project is located in the most premium spot!!!" Well, that may mean nothing a few time zones and a hemisphere away.

In addition, the foreign developer often designs for foreigners, in effect shutting out the natural pool of buyers, i.e. locals. So they are faced with selling not a property, but a country first, then a development, and lastly a particular property, a much tougher and costlier proposition than just looking around at what sells locally, and aiming for that constituency.

I'd like to clarify that in Uruguay, "local" includes developers from Argentina, Brazil and Chile. Their background can be checked locally if they have a history in development, or in its absence, in their native countries, as "everyone knows everyone" here, and we can easily run a "creditworthiness check" from someone in Rosario, Argentina, or Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Difficulties are not limited to liquidity or finances, but also come into play in the operational sphere. Does your developer know the intricacies of the local approvals process? Or is he or she going to be doing time in bureaucratic purgatory, resulting in bankruptcy when the project runs out of cash and cannot generate sales due to missing approvals? Is your developer working with a well established local construction company with solid relationships that will ensure the project will not encounter labor troubles? (SUNCA, the construction union, seems to be particularly fond of striking or occupying sites owned by non-local developers).

In sum, the warning is that the attraction of buying from developers who "speak your language" may provide a false sense of security. You may want to make sure that they speak the local language even better.

An English speaking lodge in Minas

2009-08-22T12:19:00.000-07:00

I have to confess that the concept behind this place is quite bizarre to me, but still, to each his own. Somebody might find it appealing to go to a place in the hills of Minas (Solís de Mataojo) to hear exclusively English spoken (by native speaking guests, as well as by other non-anglo guests wishing to hone their presumably advanced language skills.)

So for those interested, the place is called Mundo Inglés Silver and is located about one hour from Montevideo and from Punta del Este. The room and board rates quoted do sound quite inexpensive, from US$15 per night to US$25 per day, all meals included, and US$35 with tours.

Come to think about it, if it´s clean, and friendly, for those prices, who cares what language they speak...

There are pictures of the lodging and a lengthier explanation in the website.

Special furniture sale, former furnishings from Citrus restaurant

2009-08-22T12:13:00.000-07:00

One of our members has alerted us to the sale this weekend of the furnishings of former restaurant Citrus. As you can see from the pictures, it´s mostly 50s-70s style stuff. The sale is going on at a warehouse across the street from the former Concorde/Ocean cinema, that round structure on the right hand side at the very end of Gorlero ave.. Frankly I don´t have the street name, but if you wish to get in touch with the owner, email her at aledellepiane7 at hotmail dot com.

The sale is on today (Saturday) and Sunday. We got a very short notice for this (last night), and then forgot to post it! But if you can´t make it, I´m sure you can contact Ale in order to see whatever pieces remain after the weekend.

InterContinental lands in Punta del Este

2009-08-20T20:20:00.000-07:00

Today's paper brings "official" news of the long rumored establishment of the InterContinental chain in Uruguay. According to the paper, the hotel will set up shop in Avenida del Mar, in the Lobos complex on the Brava side (presumably behind Torre Lobos) at a cost of US$45 million for the hotel part alone, plus an undisclosed amount for the casino facilities.

The casino hotel --of course it's a casino hotel, now that we're decidedly pursuing our vocation of becoming the Vegas of the South-- is expected to have 250 suites and to generate 400 direct jobs, according the report in the press today.

The arrival of another major chain in a way marks the "growing up" of Punta del Este as a destination. Jointly with the Setai, which is more of a boutique offering, the Conrad, and Mantra, we can now say we have at least 3 large five star hotels and a few world-class boutique hotels. Slow going, but we're getting there in terms of tourism infrastructure. If, as a local expat you're wondering "what's in it for me?" I would say, down the line, greater conveniences such as increased flight frequencies at some point, or more and better service offerings year round, etc. It's all a matter of achieving scale in order to make commerce viable year round.

But the best part for Punta del Este in general, beyond the immediate prospect of jobs in building and setting up the thing, may be the fact that we will have help from a chain with the global reach of InterContinental in attracting off-season travelers, whether to the casino or for what will hopefully be a growing convention travel industry. And lastly, no doubt others such as Marriott will decide to take the plunge and follow suit.

New data gathering by City Hall shows sales of real-estate for US$500M between Nov. and May

2009-08-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

One of the features of the Uruguayan real-estate market that is often criticized by foreigners is the absence of statistical data, for example on closing prices for transactions, or of any other nature.

The Maldonado Municipality has come to understand the value of real-estate data, and has undertaken the collection and publication of at least one indicator, total value of real-estate sold in the department, which it shall be publishing every six months. Hopefully the indicator will be the first of many others to be compiled and published by the Intendencia or other agencies.

The initial figure is out today in El Pais, which cites municipal data of US$500 million in sales between the months of November 2008, and May 2009.

Despite the absence of comparative figures, it still sounds like a respectable number considering the reported slowdown in the market in the first half of 2009.

Benefit tea with tarot readers and other esoterica coming up

2009-08-18T06:49:00.001-07:00

The organization of Argentine women residing in Punta del Este (what, you thought we were the only expat group around?) is holding their traditional "Te de brujas" on Saturday, Sept. 5, from 5pm on, at the Mantra Hotel.

The proceeds from this tea with tarot readers, numerologists and other folks with "powers" will go to the recently opened Shanti center, an NGO that helps children with autism in Maldonado.

Tickets cost UYU480 and can only be bought or reserved in advance, by calling
042 447 899 / 094 422 397 / 094 236 239

Fashion design fair this weekend

2009-08-18T06:43:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, Aug. 23 from 4pm to midnight, and Sunday, from 2pm to 8pm. Independent fashion designers sell clothing and accessories at Hop (the restaurant next to Moby Dick, across from the harbor).

Hot chocolate will be served in the afternoon, and caipiroskas in the evening, with DJ Nachoox spinning chill-out music.

Directions and menu for Sunday lunch at Pachamama

2009-08-17T20:22:00.000-07:00

The "map" is somewhat on the minimalist side, isn't it?

Well, in a more verbal way, here's how to get there:

Drive from Punta del Este/Maldonado area towards San Carlos. Once you go through San Carlos town, you will hit a traffic circle, and you have to cross Route 9 and continue on Route 39 north, towards AIGUA.

On kilometer 48, make a right turn onto a dirt road marked with a sign that says "Sierra de las C añas".

Go past a bridge, an S curve, and when a road forks on the right, continue straight (don't take the right turn) and immediately you will notice a stone entrance with two palm trees and a sign that says Pachamama. That's it, you've arrived.

Now, for the menu, which, miraculously enough in Uruguay, is pretty much vegetarian:

gnocch stuffed with mozzarella, with pink sauce and parmigian cheese
vegetable cannelloni with pink sauce au gratin

crepes

4 cheese
caprese (tomato, arugula, basil,oregano y and olive oil)
cheese and prunes
cheese and apple

dessert:

dulce de leche crepes
mixed macerated fruits crepes

Please RSVP if you plan to join us, we still have room.

Pictures taken in José Ignacio by one of our members

2009-08-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

Ricardo Preve has a way with the camera... He was kind enough to allow us to publish his pictures, so here´s a couple taken in the José Ignacio area.

The residence papers expediter / facilitator scam

2009-08-13T19:52:00.000-07:00

In the past couple of years I have come to see two different expediters, or facilitators, extolled as the greatest thing since slice bread -- the last Coca-Cola in the desert, as a former boss would say -- only to find out later about the extremely unfortunate experiences undergone by perfectly nice, normal and smart people who have placed their trust in them to help them get their residence papers.

Many of the victims, as it happened, acted on recommendations found online from other expats who had used the services of these expediters. In some instances, the initial experiences were very positive, but later ones poor or disastrous.

Let me put this in context. A few years ago, the figure of the "expediter/facilitator" did not exist as such in Uruguay. Too few people settled here to warrant dedicated specialists. For staff of multinationals, there were always the law firms engaged as legal counsel by the companies.

Every since the recent influx of expats, combined with the marvels of the Internet, an email address, a cell-phone and a few hours prowling the expat forums and gatherings was enough to launch several expediters´careers, in the cases that most concern us, as fleecers of foreigners.

Bad experiences go from the petty, like being made to pay for unreasonably lavish meals while on meetings, to plain annoyance, like never really getting your papers in order.

But it gets worse, down to outright legal and financial disasters, such as being conned by a husband-and-wife team into dubious real-estate purchases with the helpful services of a shadier still escribana. Or going through the unimaginable hell of having your deceased husband´s and your own identity papers taken hostage -- no ransom asked -- by the expediter at the time of your spouse´s death, resulting in a complete logistic and financial shut-down.

Our friend Eddie has written a very detailed article on the issue of obtaining residence, and why the facilitator services are not an absolute necessity. Still, for those who want or need the hand-holding or the convenience of delegating as much as possible of the process, I would go as far as advising to abstain from engaging anyone who does not have a proper business setup, with physical offices, and preferrably another line of business as well.

That way, you will be ensuring you are not just a dollar or euro dispenser on legs, to be milked for all you have and who knows what else, but rather seen as a "business relationship" to cherish and cultivate for future business. A very active member of the Punta del Este expat community would fit that bill (she has an expatriate services firm, as well as being a partner in a real-estate firm), as would any reputable law firm willing to handle this process for you.

And if you want to do it on your own, all you need, if you don´t speak great Spanish, is to have someone go with you as an interpreter to one or two interviews. That is, after you have gathered all the required documentation, had it stamped and sealed as demanded by authorities here, authenticated etc. in the Uruguayan consulates in your home country.

La noche de la nostalgia, that wacky nouveau tradition in Uruguay

2009-08-12T17:07:00.001-07:00

In case many out there are wondering what "la noche de la nostalgia" means or why we are being bombarded with special programming from every bar, club and hotel for the night of August 24, well, I don´t have a very good explanation.

All I know is that, in my teens, before I left Uruguay, "la noche de la nostalgia" was a party organized once a year by a radio station which was heavy on oldies programming. August 24 happens to be the eve of our national independence day holiday. Fast-forward a couple of decades, and I return to a country where LNDLN has spread like the H1N1 virus. In the interim, a uniquely Uruguayan --and somewhat depressing if you stop to analyze-- tradition has been born: a night when the entire country goes out partying to old hits and cover bands, everyone gets pissed drunk, and many people crash their cars or mopeds.

I have received a few invites already, but basically, it's like New Year's Eve, everyone and their mother "puts on a show" which often includes DJs, live music, and special dinner menus.
Both Viewpoint (the coffee shop&restaurant on Calle 20) and Awa Hotel (on Pedragosa Sierra) have sent us invites.

At Viewpoint, it's gourmet meal with dessert tasting, a bottle of wine per couple, unlimited champagne and DJ for US$60 per person.

At AWA, the offer sounds enticing, as it includes one night and two days' stay, with dinner at the hotel's bistro, and admission to Ocean Club for partying, all for US$115 per person based on double occupancy. Maybe appealing for someone from Montevideo wanting to make a weekend out of it...

Believe me, there are probably dozens of options, I'm just listing two I received mailings for.