A Year in Uruguay

This week other Latin American countries celebrate Semana Santa and Uruguay enjoys its Semana de Turismo with events throughout the country. In Montevideo, gauchos compete on horseback during Semana Criolla. Riders, called jinetes, ride wild horses. They are amazingly good.














I put together a video slideshow from last year's Semana Criolla competitions. You can watch it here:


Earlier, I posted short videos of Semana Criolla at Parque Prado and at Parque Roosevelt.

Labels: rural, sports, Uruguay, video

Since we didn't have a visa for Brazil, we had a free day in Iguazu so we went to the tourist office and said we'd like to see more of the selva. We were in luck, they told us, since a 4x4 tour was leaving in an hour. We grabbed some sandwiches and climbed into a rugged truck and headed out of town. Minutes after turning onto the red dirt road we were at the edge of the jungle and we passed little farms cut from the surrounding forest. As we drove, the guide explained the afternoon's events and my wife expressed her surprise. We thought we'd be taking a drive through the woods looking for toucans, coatis, or monkeys but the plan was somewhat more adventuresome.

We started by strapping on climbing harnesses, followed by a short walk through the jungle to a cliff. There, we hooked onto a climbing rope and rappelled down the cliff.

This was a new experience for all of us, and the prospect was a little scary. The actual rappel was pretty easy & we all enjoyed it afterwards. Next was a walk through the woods, crossing above a small waterfall, and eventually reaching a panoramic view across the Rió Paraná to Paraguay.

Then we climbed several storeys into a huge old tree using a rustic staircase. There we clipped our harnesses to a zip-line, grabbed its handles and took off through the canopy. We accelerated over the treetops, using the brakes only when we reached the landing-- halfway down another forest giant. Then up more stairs to another cable, another "flight" and then a third. Very cool!



See a short video:

Labels: Argentina, nature, sports, video

The Hipódromo de Maroñas is Montevideo's racetrack. The track is on the city's gritty northwest side, but the facilities are luxurious. We enjoyed a lunch of beef loin in Tannat sauce, in their fine dining restaurant looking over the track. (They also have a buffet restaurant and food stands.) The track is very family-friendly with free admission for kids under 12 and childcare for young ones. (Minors aren't allowed to bet.)

Today's races started at 2:15 in the afternoon. We left after the 8th race, as the sun set, but there were a half dozen races yet to be run.

You can see a few more photos or
watch a short video:

Labels: Montevideo places, sports, Uruguay

A few days ago I saw someone flying above the apartments in my neighborhood. At first glance I thought it was a hang glider but it wasn't. In some ways it looked more like kiteboarding equipment, but instead of skimming the water, it was 10 stories high. The aircraft had a motor with a propeller just behind the pilot. I'm not sure what this is called, maybe "powered parachuting" or "powered paragliding."I

Labels: sports, Uruguay

Landboarding, or land kiteboarding, uses an off-road skateboard towed by a huge kite. I'd never seen it until this afternoon at Playa Malvin. There were several kiteboarders in the water and one landboarder on the sand.

Here's a short video of the landboarder.

Labels: sports, Uruguay, video, waterfront

Peñarol vs. Nacional is the classic soccer rivalry in Uruguay. We watched them compete this afternoon in Montevideo's Estadio Centenario. The game was a lopsided Peñarol victory, but to me the most interesting action happened in the stands.

Peñarol's hinchada, [hardcore fans] all dressed in their team's yellow and black occupied one end of the stadium. Nacional fans-- red, white, and blue-- were at the opposite end. Fans displayed their loyalties through banners, fireworks, flags, non-stop chanting and singing, whistles, highway flares, and smoke bombs (with smoke in the team colors).

Our seats were in the center section which was more peaceful. The fans still followed the game closely, swore at the referees, threw confetti, and cheered each successful move by their players (and each mishap of their rivals), but they didn't take the slogans "Peñarol until death" and "Nacional until death" quite as seriously. Family members could even cheer for rival teams.

We'd been warned that violence wasn't uncommon between the hinchadas. While we didn't see any clashes inside the stadium, after the game a Peñarol fan was being chased and hit by a large group of Nacional fans. A squad of mounted policemen rode over to quell the disturbance.

Labels: sports, Uruguay

Truco is a popular card game in Uruguay. I've watched people play it many times and I've had the rules explained to me, but I still don't understand it. I like the funky drawings on the cards.

I'm told that if you don't drink mate and play truco you're not a true Urguayan.

Labels: sports, Uruguay

Yesterday we saw a couple of hang gliders launch from Punta Ballena. It was a beautiful spot high on the crest across from Punta del Este. The gliders seem effortless-- a few steps and they launched into the air, then soared above the coast. No engine, no fuel, no exhaust. After 15 or 20 minutes they landed on the beach.








Here's a short video:

Labels: interior, Maldonado, sports, Uruguay, waterfront

Semana Criolla at Parque Prado seems to get all the attention but for 30 years there's been a second Semana Criolla festival at Parque Roosevelt. This location also features wild horses and jinetes, music, food and shopping. In addition they bring amusement park rides to Parque Roosevelt. The Lion's Club started the festival for people in Montevideo who couldn't afford to travel during Semana de Turismo.

Parque Roosevelt doesn't have the fairground infrastructure that the Prado has, so the event seemed more casual. Admission was free; parking cost 50 pesos and most people seemed to arrive by bus. The bleachers at the rueda were smaller so the audience was closer to the competition. We didn't stay for the evening entertainment but Araka la Kana was scheduled to perform on the outdoor stage that night.

See my video:

Labels: rural, sports, Uruguay, video

Besides the music and horse competitions, Semana Criolla at Parque Prado has folk dancing and lots shopping. It's a good place to buy all things gaucho: knives, boots, sombreros, or ponchos.

It's had lots of online coverage recently. The Miami Herald had a story and "This is Uruguay" had a nice blog post on gauchos and Gabo posted on Semana de Turismo.







Here's a video I made of Semana Criolla:

Labels: music, rural, sports, Uruguay, video

The horseback competition is the biggest attraction at the Semana Criolla. Riders compete in three categories a pelo [bareback], a basto [saddle] and a basto argentino [a mimimalist saddle]. The object is to stay on a wild horse for 12 seconds (or 10 seconds, if bareback) while the horse bucks and runs and tries to throw the rider. Jinetes [the riders] are judged on the quality of the ride-- my impression is the wilder the better. At times, the horse rolls on its back in an attempt to dismount the rider. More than half of the riders we saw were thrown before the time limit.

Jineteada was declared Uruguay's national sport in 2006.

Labels: rural, sports, Uruguay

The admission "fee" to this big-- maybe 100 feet high-- climbing wall near Pocitos beach was 1 kilo of non-perishable food. On Sunday there was a long line of participants bringing bags of rice, lentils, and noodles. The "proceeds" were donated to the Ministry of Social Development.

Here's a short climbing wall video.

Labels: sports, Uruguay, video

On Sunday, while we were enjoying steaks at a parrilla in Florida, several race car drivers appeared in the restaurant and headed to the bar. After lunch, we saw the rally cars lined up in a nice park alongside the river. These cars were substantially more modern than the historic rally I'd seen in Montevideo.

Labels: Florida, interior, sports, Uruguay

Our apartment is 10 stories up, so it's unusual to see things pass at balcony level, but this afternoon a glider sailed by. The "pilot" was down on the beach with a radio controller while the plane soared above. He was able to ride the wind for a long time, chasing seagulls and making the glider fly in loops. Eventually he landed it right at his feet.

Labels: sports, Uruguay

Today was the first time I went swimming on New Year's Day. I'd seen photos every January 1st of the Polar Bear Club diving into icy waters, but it never really appealed to me.

It's a lot easier in the Southern hemisphere. It was so hot today that the brown water of Río de la Plata was very attractive. Pocitos beach was active all day, starting before sunrise. The all-night partiers greeted the dawn with firecrackers. By mid-morning the beach was full of sunbathers and swimmers.

Labels: sports, Uruguay, waterfront

A combination between windsurfing and flying a kite, kiteboarding looks fun. It looks hard, too, at least in winds like we had today. After some warm summer weather it's become cooler with a strong wind. No one was at the beach today, except for two kiteboarders and a windsurfer.

I'd seen kiteboarders in Montevideo earlier, but this is the first time I'd seen them on Pocitos beach.

Labels: sports, Uruguay, waterfront

The Nike 10K was another heavily promoted event in Montevideo this weekend. The race was along the Rambla, so we could watch from our balcony. There were a lot of runners; it must have taken an hour for them to all pass.

Labels: sports, Uruguay

At the beach, it's 60 degrees, with a stiff breeze: a good season for kites. We bought a stunt kite-- controlled by two lines-- at Tienda Inglesa. Single line kites are much easier to fly, but we had fun with this one, despite our lack of expertise.










See the video:

Labels: sports, Uruguay, video, waterfront

I bought an inexpensive bike at the Tienda Inglesa (about $80 US). It's made in China and it's about the same quality bike you would find at K-Mart. There are excellent bikes available here (Trek, Giant) but they are much more expensive. I don't like the typical hobbyist advice, "buy the most expensive _______ you can afford." I've heard this advice for cameras, binoculars, camping equipment, kayaks, bikes, etc. An economist would advise, "buy the cheapest __________ that will work for you." This saves money and saves resources for society as a whole. The problem is misjudging how cheap you can go; if it doesn't work you've wasted both money and resources. Anyway, this bike seems like it will work for the time I'm in Uruguay.

I took a nice long ride along the Rambla this afternoon, 20 kilometers round-trip. The sidewalk is wide and smooth. I think there are only 2 or 3 driveways to cross in that entire distance. The shore alternates between sandy beaches, low dunes, and outcroppings of rock. Fishing boats are hauled up behind small markets offering fresh fish. It's been a few years since I've been on a bike for that distance. I think I'm going to be sore.

Labels: sports, Uruguay

A ficha medica is required to compete in any sport in Uruguay, from fútbol to competitive fishing. The cards are issued by the Centro Médico Deportivo, part of the national sports and tourism ministry. My daughter needed one before she could play soccer. She had her appointment Tuesday morning and we picked up the card Friday morning. As a kid, her dental and medical exams were free. We did go to another ministry to have her US vaccination records transferred onto the Uruguayan form.

Labels: government, sports, Uruguay