Today I put my mad aside and just tried to enjoy the day. We arrived in Montevideo, Uruguay to beautiful blue skies and pleasant temperatures. Uruguay is located on the Atlantic Ocean between Argentina and Brazil, and is the smallest country in South America. The city is on a peninsula with the Rio de la Plata on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. Montevideo is two hours by car from Buenos Aires. This is the only deep water port in the country.
Of its 3.3 million people, one third of the population lives in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. Uruguay is also the least populated country in South America with only 16 people per square kilometer. The majority of the people are descendents from Europeans, and they make a distinction between that and the “blacks.” Our guide did not elaborate on this point, so I am not sure what she meant. She talked about the Charruas, an indigenous people who were fast runners, and eventually became extinct. About 80% of the population has some Charruas blood and that is why they have such good soccer players – OK, at least that is what she said. I think there was some sarcasm directed at Argentina, a rival in soccer.
Of its 3.3 million people, one third of the population lives in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. Uruguay is also the least populated country in South America with only 16 people per square kilometer. The majority of the people are descendents from Europeans, and they make a distinction between that and the “blacks.” Our guide did not elaborate on this point, so I am not sure what she meant. She talked about the Charruas, an indigenous people who were fast runners, and eventually became extinct. About 80% of the population has some Charruas blood and that is why they have such good soccer players – OK, at least that is what she said. I think there was some sarcasm directed at Argentina, a rival in soccer.
Uruguay is the best educated country in South America. School is compulsory and free (including college) and they claim a 97% literacy rate. However, only 4% go on to college; many graduates leave the country for Europe and the United States. The government has a new program to keep kids in school – they get a new computer. Seems as though there might be a brain drain.
The political system is democratic and currently leans left. It is compulsory to vote in national elections and if you don’t vote, you get a hefty fine. Medical care is free, but only 40% of the population uses it; the rest use private insurance. You can retire at 60 with a $400/month pension after you have worked for 30 years. Average salary is $600/month; rent $400; 40% of wages go to taxes and there is a 23% VAT. There are few new cars as old cars are cheaper to run and fix. The number one export is beef, leather, and anything related to the cattle industry. Number two is agriculture and number three is tourism. There is graffiti all over the place. Our guide said it was a form of political statement. It looked like gang stuff to me. What a shame that all the cities we have visited on this trip has uncontrolled graffiti. They do not cover it up or try to get rid of it; they just accept it.
Almost every house, apartment, shop, condo that has windows and doors has bars and aluminum security shades. It makes the place look deserted. Our guide said they were to protect the windows from the strong winter winds and from the summer sun, oh and maybe from some crime. Most of the city looks run down and abandoned due to neglect, but the city itself is clean. The exteriors need a good power washing and a new coat of paint. The average temperature in winter is 50°F and in summer is 75°F, but it can get humid. It rains a lot in winter.
We drink coffee, the British drink tea – Uruguayans drink maté (it’s like green tea). Picture this: the gaucho is sipping maté under the shade of the Ombu tree, a native tree with multiple trunks. Many of the residential streets were lined with huge mature trees creating almost a tunnel of shade.
My tour was a massive city tour. I think we drove around and through the entire city. They have a ridiculous number of monuments (approximately 350) and I think we saw all of them. The national hero, the generals, the wagon train, the covered wagon, the gauchos, the Charruas, Ghandi, and on and on. We saw that plaza and this plaza, the town hall, this square and that square. It was very nice, but toooo long of a bus tour.
The best stop was the Congress Building. It was constructed in 1925 with 52 colors of local marble and 12 types of wood. It was truly beautiful, but unfortunately, the outside needed some TLC. There were many stairs to climb to get to the entrance and there were no railings to hold on to for support. Since my back surgery I feel very uncomfortable climbing up the stairs without some support. One little slip and I could be in big trouble. Where is OSHA when you need it? There were ceremonial guards at strategic locations in and around the building.
We drove through the old town in a big bus on very very narrow streets. I am amazed at how the drivers can negotiate the turns and tight spaces. Old town was clean but suffered from neglect. It could be a really pretty place if they only did some much needed maintenance.
Finally, we drove along the beach coast and through some nice neighborhoods. Modern high rise condos line the avenue along the beach strand. This could be Miami or Santa Monica.
I returned to the ship and was just in time to see local tango dancers. After a quick shower, we went to see a comedian (Kenny Smiles from Wales) who was so fun and funny that the audience did not want him to stop. I hope he is on the next segment. We had dinner with the head security officer and the IT officer. Excellent conversation …. And we learned a few secrets about cruise lines. Great evening until we got back to our room and had to deal with “the move.”
All in all, it was a good day. Our room is filled with suitcases and laundry baskets filled with our stuff. I have no idea when or how the move it going to happen except it will be sometime tomorrow. Isn’t it great to have no idea what is going to happen (said with much sarcasm).
Michael:
I had a very pleasant “Jewish Heritage” tour today. A few facts first – of those 3.3 million Beverly mentioned, only 18,000 or 0.6% are Jewish. Interestingly, this is down from 50,000 or 2.5% as recently as 1950. The Jewish migration to Uruguay occurred around 1906 as the Russian pogroms scattered that country’s Jews all over the place. This event was known worldwide as the Diaspora. The loss of Jews since 1950 is due to either immigration (mostly to Israel), interfaith marriage or simple assimilation. There are three synagogues in Montevideo, all orthodox, with either a Sephardic or Ashkenazi rabbi. They think of their congregations as “modern orthodox” which means that they sort of look the other way when you do something not exactly kosher. In other words, they wisely place more value on retaining some Jewishness in the country rather than adhering to the strict letter of the orthodox law.
Our tour began in the Old City where Jewish immigrants originally settled. We stopped at Golda Meir Square and the Hebraica Maccabi Sports Center. We visited the principal Jewish Community Center, all three synagogues and a large Jewish school. The highpoint of the tour was the Holocaust Memorial, the only one of its kind in South America. Opened in 1994, and inspired by Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall, it is large and quite stunning, both architecturally and emotionally. Adjacent to the Memorial was a single gravestone. This was placed here to remember the only Uruguayan murdered in the Holocaust. It was a young woman who chose the wrong time to visit her grandmother in Hungary. She was subsequently shipped to and murdered at Auschwitz.
All in all, it was a good day. Our room is filled with suitcases and laundry baskets filled with our stuff. I have no idea when or how the move it going to happen except it will be sometime tomorrow. Isn’t it great to have no idea what is going to happen (said with much sarcasm).
Michael:
I had a very pleasant “Jewish Heritage” tour today. A few facts first – of those 3.3 million Beverly mentioned, only 18,000 or 0.6% are Jewish. Interestingly, this is down from 50,000 or 2.5% as recently as 1950. The Jewish migration to Uruguay occurred around 1906 as the Russian pogroms scattered that country’s Jews all over the place. This event was known worldwide as the Diaspora. The loss of Jews since 1950 is due to either immigration (mostly to Israel), interfaith marriage or simple assimilation. There are three synagogues in Montevideo, all orthodox, with either a Sephardic or Ashkenazi rabbi. They think of their congregations as “modern orthodox” which means that they sort of look the other way when you do something not exactly kosher. In other words, they wisely place more value on retaining some Jewishness in the country rather than adhering to the strict letter of the orthodox law.
Our tour began in the Old City where Jewish immigrants originally settled. We stopped at Golda Meir Square and the Hebraica Maccabi Sports Center. We visited the principal Jewish Community Center, all three synagogues and a large Jewish school. The highpoint of the tour was the Holocaust Memorial, the only one of its kind in South America. Opened in 1994, and inspired by Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall, it is large and quite stunning, both architecturally and emotionally. Adjacent to the Memorial was a single gravestone. This was placed here to remember the only Uruguayan murdered in the Holocaust. It was a young woman who chose the wrong time to visit her grandmother in Hungary. She was subsequently shipped to and murdered at Auschwitz.
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