Monday, March 17, 2008

Unofficial Hiatus Now Over

YOUR HUMBLE CORRESPONDENT OFFERS HIS APOLOGIES:
My faithful readers will no doubt have noticed that it has been some time since I attended to this blog. In the hopes that they can forgive this prolonged absence I offer up the excuse of having been torn away from the maintenance of my travelogue by the distractions of domestic companionship. What of these lost weeks, though? When last I left you, gentle reader, Tayler and I had only just arrived in this large and strange country. Surely, you must imagine, that in a land so fruitful with opportunity as Argentina, I would have engaged in gripping adventures. Is it not for first hand accounts of my sojourns in foreign lands that you even seek to turn to my words? 

I can offer you only so many words. Shamefully I allowed the time to pass me by, and now I have only the most fleeting recollections of my stay here up to this point. I will attempt to provide some background on the photos that I am able to supply to this website, otherwise I should let the images speak for themselves.

COLONIA DEL SACRAMENTO, MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY:



Our lodging in Colonia was more than adequate. We stayed in two different places, because the website I used to book my reservation did not send it through to the hotel pictured above. They only had a room free for one night. There are no pictures of the other hotel, but I assure you it was very nice. Please note that in the second picture you see me pricking my finger on an extremely rare species of cactus, native to the River Plate area. 


Colonia is famous for its perfectly preserved colonial old town.  Founded by the Portuguese in the early 16th century, it is one of the oldest European settlements on the entire continent. The ghosts of yesterday haunt the quaint cobblestone streets of the town, the erie still of the dilapidated city is pregnant with the hushed voices of countless past generations.  Naturally the optimum means of conveyance in such an  atmosphere of living history is the "Go-Kart" or "Buggy," which can be rented for very economical prices from many reputable local businesses. These thrifty gentlemen pass the savings on to the customer by avoiding unnecessary frills (which have, inexplicably, become the fashion in our own country) such as seat-belts or wind-screens. 

Behind me in this photograph one sees the old Plaza de Toros, now abandoned. The Uruguayans, being a fairly civilized bunch, no longer practice the ancient sport of Bullfighting. On occasion the locals are known to get their blood up (being so disposed by their largely Iberian background) over matters of the heart, and the sand of the arena is considered the ideal stage for these personal dramas to conclude in bloodshed.

Colonia and it's surroundings have fantastic charm, although it can often prove quite difficult to discern where one is ever actually going. Here Tayler decides against asking the local in the background for directions and consults her map instead. 

Eventually, of course, we did arrive at the magnificent Playa Ferranda, on the River Plate. This humble establishment serves a very fine array of barbecued items and beverages of both local and international provenance.
 
Here I, taking my inspiration from the great Díaz de Solís himself, claim the beach, much as that illustrious Spaniard must have done before being savagely consumed alive by the locals.

I am pointing towards Buenos Aires, 220 kilometers away in this picture, on the other side of the river. I should at this point note that Tayler has elected not to have any of her swimsuit shots appear on this portion of the website.

How sad we were to be leaving beautiful Colonia, Uruguay, back to the hustle and Bustle of Buenos Aires. I see now that this entry has grown long and ungainly, and I will be sure to make another soon. Eventually I plan to actually bring the blog up to date, nearly in synch with the present moment at every moment. 

1 comment:

jonathan said...

nick this is amazing.