Colonia, Uruguay

Colonia is another UNESCO designated World Heritage Site, across the water from Buenos Aires and 2 ½ hours by bus from Montevideo. It’s the sort of place where Thrifty rents golf carts as well as cars.

But you don’t need a car, you can walk almost everywhere. The town consists of two parts; an old historic area, and a newer area with streets lined with wonderful old plane trees.

We stayed in a typical small charming 18^th century posada in the centre of the historic area, with rooms located around a central courtyard, and stone walls in the bathroom.

In many ways, Colonia reminded us of Parati in Brazil. Both have become tourist destinations, with numerous restaurants, art galleries, souvenir shops and small hotels. However, although Colonia is on the ocean, its streets are not flooded at high tide like those of Parati.

Many of the buildings have a rough stone exterior, which when combined with the rough stone streets, creates a very interesting effect.

Other buildings are covered in stucco that over the centuries has faded and been painted and re-painted. The result is a very beautiful effect.

The town has a variety of restaurants. Some offer tables and chairs set up in the middle of the pedestrian only roads. However my favourite had seating in an old car parked in front. Now there’s an idea for an enterprising restaurateur like Peter Horwood; a drive-in restaurant for people who don’t own cars.

Before dinner, we wandered into a small art gallery with some very good paintings and interesting sculptures. We subsequently learned the gallery was owned by a husband and wife and he had created the sculptures. A very passionate man, he gave us a brief lecture on Uruguayan art…in Spanish, while his wife tried to translate. When he learned I was an architect, he brought out a small sculpture he had made of an architect with a very rotund belly, that they both thought suited me well. They couldn’t understand why we didn’t buy it right away, but we were concerned whether we could make room for it in our luggage. However, just before leaving the town, we decided to go back and buy it. They were literally overjoyed to see us since they feared we had left without the piece. We were so glad we had gone back. Now we just have to figure out how to get it home.

I dwell on this story since I think it describes the Uruguayans we met during our brief stay. They were very proud of their small country, which lives in the shadow of Argentina. They were passionate about the arts, and had a creative edge. This was exemplified by a restaurant where we ate one evening. It was not a barbq house. It was a sophisticated place in a renovated castle that would not have been out of place in a major European city. There’s much more to Uruguay than cattle and beef. It’s well worth a visit.

Underrated Uruguay

We first decided to visit Uruguay 10 years ago, after a dinner in its pavilion at Expo 97 in Lisbon. It’s a small country with a very small population. Although most people are Catholic, there has been a longstanding separation between church and state. As a result, the population has stopped growing due to the government's extremely effective family planning programs.

Half the country's 3.3 million people live in the capital of Montevideo, a 2 ½ hour fast ferry ride from Buenos Aires. We arrived on Thursday night at a hotel near the old city waterfront without a reservation. Much to our surprise, it was full

The clerk was very helpful and recommended a nearby Holiday Inn. For 8 months we have managed to avoid Holiday Inns; but the hour was late, so we agreed. It turned out to be a good decision, since it appeared to be in a livelier part of the city. The new reception clerk asked if we wanted to book a City Tour and a tour of Punte Del Este, Uruguay's popular beach resort. Again, contrary to our normal practice, we agreed; and this too turned out to be a good decision.

The next morning we set off for Punte Del Este in a small van with four other people; a mother and son from Brazil and a husband and wife from California. She was the most stupid person I have met on this trip. One of her typical questions? "What country is Uruguay in?"

Punte Del Este is located on a long narrow peninsula, 140 km from Montevideo. Initially developed as a summer resort for locals and Argentineans, in recent years it has started to attract an international clientele with its beautiful beaches lined with apartments. It was surprisingly sophisticated. We were told Ralph Lauren rented a house last season for $12,000 a day. Although we were out of season, it was still an interesting place to visit. In addition to wandering through the small town, we watched mating sea lions, and fisherman pulling fish off their nets. We also saw the famous hand in the beach.

The town included every architectural style imaginable. Some of the new low rise apartments, with their elegant clean lines, could have been on the Vancouver waterfront. There were some outstanding buildings designed by Carlos Ott, Uruguay's internationally celebrated and award winning architect. However, I was impressed by the buildings with Uruguayan thatched roofs. These roofs are quite different from English thatch and are still regularly constructed.

I was also delighted by a small bridge that had been designed like a roller coaster! Can you imagine that being approved in Vancouver? While it was justified on its structural engineering properties, it was a thrill to drive over.

The highlight of the tour was a visit to Casa Pueblo, a large building complex overlooking the ocean just outside of Punte Del Este. It was designed and built by Carlos Paez Vilaro, an internationally renowned Uruguayan artist, adventurer, and philanthropist. From the air, it looked like a small Greek village with its white walls terracing down the hillside. But it was also a fantastic, organic sculpture containing a studio, gallery, restaurant, hotel, and private residence for its creator who is now 83.

Before touring his property, we watched a film about Paez Vilaro’s life story. It was an extraordinary tale. He got his start when he was asked to paint a mural at Marlon Brando's Tahiti house 55 years ago. Since then, he has explored the world, painting murals everywhere he goes. He also does other work, including large colourful paintings, sculpture and ceramics. But his mission is helping underprivileged people, especially blacks around the world. In Uruguay, he is a major celebrity. The gallery was full of photographs of him with famous international figures. There he was with Picasso or in an embrace with his friend Brigitte Bardot. There were pictures of him with Fidel Castro, JFK and Sophia Loren. In addition to everything else, one of his sons was a survivor of the famous plane crash in the Andes that was immortalized in the movie 'Alive'. And yet, we had never heard of him.

Our tour of Montevideo the next day was not quite as interesting. But as our guide forewarned us, Montevideo is a city of contrasts. While many areas are very run down and disturbing, there are many beautiful buildings and areas, including a waterfront road lined with high rise apartments overlooking the city’s beaches. I was impressed with many of the large sculptures around the city.

But the downtown office high rises could have been in any North American city.There are impressive 18^th and 19^th century buildings just waiting to be renovated. Unfortunately, the economy, which is very much dependent on beef exports, and closely tied to the Argentinean economy, is still recovering. But one day there will be money to restore the properties, especially if the recent influx of foreigners buying real estate continues, and Ralph Lauren and his friends keep spending $12,000 a day for accommodation.

Before leaving Montevideo for Colonia, we did what the locals did. We went to the waterfront market for lunch. The place was full of parillas or barbq restaurants. We had never seen so much barbq'd meat in one place in our lives. It was difficult to decide where to eat, especially with each restaurateur trying to get us into his place. In the end, we picked one, and my only regret was that I couldn’t eat at all the others. But we’ll be back.

The Glories and Vexations of the Guardian Guide (Updated)

Well, I don't know what I was expecting -- that somehow the Guide (the Guardian's weekly TV Guide equivalent, with various cultural events written up as well) would ditch their near-weekly Studio 60 reviews to instead praise yet another mediocre sketch show, or that Andrew Mueller would have spontaneously discovered sanity -- but it's happened again. I won't quote the review in full, because if you haven't seen the show it sounds fairly reasonable, but: "There's little doubt where [Sorkin's] sympathies lie, but he's punctilious in letting the opposite case be put humanely and articulately." Certainly this was the case with The West Wing, but with Studio 60, Sorkin manages not only to rehash WW plots (as he did, endlessly, in this stretched-out two-parter) but to shit all over them, tarnishing every good memory you had of his previous work. When a character's Midwestern parents are such rubes that they have never heard of any form of media except Fox News, and are assholes to boot, that's not punctilious fairness to the opposite case. That's just shitty writing.

Okay, I'm not going to write about this anymore, because it just makes me angry. You win, Andrew Mueller! You have beaten me, sir, and not through the force of your argument but by the strength and scope of your madness. (And if it's not madness then I have to believe it's subtle sarcasm, or payoffs from Channel 4.)

Though happily there was a contradiction to this insanity earlier in the Guide -- Jonathan Bernstein, who has his own column on shows from America. was writing about shows that are coming to the UK in the next couple months:

When NBC announced its 2006 schedule would feature two fictional shows purporting to examine the inner workings of Saturday Night Live, the critical consensus was that Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60 would be quoted, praised and discussed at length. As it turned out, Studio 60 was smug, confused and, on no occasion, funny. 30 Rock's breakneck pace, unabashed absurdity and ridiculously gifted ensemble -- headed by writer Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin and Tracy Morgan -- helped it blossom into the funniest network sitcom since Seinfeld.

Finally! Okay, I know this is the standard line that American journalists have been taking for months and months, and that Jonathan Bernstein is reporting from America, so it's not exactly a radical viewpoint. But still -- it's the first mention like this I've seen in UK newspapers (though AdmiralNeck has told me that he's seen a UK reviewer or two start to turn on the show), so it's to be welcomed. (We've ordered the Region 1 DVD of 30 Rock's first season, btw, so prepare yourself for endless fawning praise as we rewatch it.)

Also in this week's guide we have critic John Patterson ranting about James Mangold's decision to remake 3:10 to Yuma. Apparently he is shocked -- shocked! -- that Mangold chose to remake a decent old movie instead of an "untouchable" (his word) classic like Once Upon A Time in the West, because the latter would have more political relevance. What?? Isn't is a better idea to remake old movies that weren't that good in the first place (see Ocean's Eleven) instead of trying to improve on classics? People seem offended when classics are remade and merely perplexed when middling oldies are improved on -- as if this was really a strange idea, to want to improve on a movie that had some good ideas but failed in the execution of them. But Patterson seems most outraged that the movie seems to have no political relevance (I've not seen it yet, but it sounds like a relatively straightforward adventure plot) -- something he apparently feels a Western must have.

Why, exactly, are Westerns in particular beholden to comment on current political troubles? Was he outraged that City Slickers didn't comment on the Gulf War, or that Young Guns II didn't metaphorically reference the inner workings of trade sanctions? He explains by saying that since George Bush and Dick Cheney are "pseudo-Westerners" and they are trying to accomplish their "Mid-Eastern Manifest Destiny", Mangold should have picked up on this and made his big post-Stalk the Line movie something akin to Apocalypse Now. I don't even know where to begin with this, except to say that while 3:10 to Yuma looks like it'll be a great, fun movie, I really don't think Mangold has Apocalypse Now just boiling inside him, straining to get out. If I'm wrong, Mangold, I forgive you everything I said about Kate & Leopold. (Though to tell you the truth, Hugh Jackman was really charming in that, and I already kind of forgive you anyway.) However, I will NEVER forgive you Identity.

In other movie news, Superman Returns is premiering on Sky Movies this week -- it gets a lackluster review in the Guide, as it should, but Phelim O'Neill complains about Brandon Routh's lack of presence, since he seems younger than Christopher Reeve, even though they were the same age when they played the role. Even though I thought the movie itself was underwhelming, I thought Routh was wonderful -- understated, maybe, but that's no bad thing; he inhabited the role by echoing Reeve's mannerisms, though it was no impersonation, and brought a quiet dignity to both Clark Kent and Superman. He's also got sexy thighs.

However, the Guide gets an overall pass this week because it features a random picture of Matter-Eater Lad chomping on what looks like someone's garden trellis -- yes, he is real, and I am furious that no one's making a movie about him. Ant Man gets a deal and yet there's no love for Matter-Eater Lad? (It's the "Lad" that makes him so special.)

Oh, and the Guide shows us that it looks like our tireless campaigning for Peter Serafinowicz has paid off: he's got his own show! It will be on BBC2 in October! Suck it, Doctor Who and your Sopranos-esque hiatuses! Peter Serafinowicz doesn't need you! There's an awesome picture of him high-kicking with his arms in the air, as if to say, "Thank God I'm not on ITV!" but I can't find it online. Oh well. Go, you confusingly-spelled comedy titan, go!

Finally, I leave this random post with this, one of 30 Rock's finest moments. Even if you don't know who Barbara Walters is, I think you can still heartily enjoy this moment.



Update: Further to my iPhone love from a couple days ago, I found this quote from Nathan Fillion (star of Firefly and Slither) about it [by way of the OTZ]:

I have one. Can I say that it has made my day better? Can I say that it has amazed me with its wonders? Can I honestly say that it has improved the quality of my life? Yes. Whilst others click, poke and plod along with their "smart" phones, I rub, slide, flick, and pinch like I'm on a third date at a county fair.

As if I needed another reason to love Nathan Fillion! Please become a bigger star immediately, you magnificent bastard!

At last! Buenos Aires

When we were planning this trip, Buenos Aires and Rio were the two South American cities I was most looking forward to. While I was a bit disappointed with Rio, I was not at all disappointed with BA. After just three days, I think it’s a place we will definitely come back to, and could even imagine living here for a while, should the opportunity ever arise.

We stayed at the Claridge, a lively, urbane hotel that we booked through Wotif, our favourite hotel reservations site that we had not been able to use for some time. From our central location, we could walk to Florida Avenue, the major pedestrian shopping street, where dancers performed the tango while nearby stores sold leather coats and jackets. We tried to buy some leather jackets because it was cold...10 degrees one morning. But we couldn't really find what we wanted, and weren't sure we needed the extra baggage. We bought long underwear instead!

Near the hotel, Sally came across a kiosk selling maps. She was surprised to discover on one world map, that within Canada, one of BC's five major cities was...are you ready?...Richmond. We decided that the map must have been printed in China by a man whose brother lived in Richmond.

We would have gone shopping at the only branch store of Harrods outside of London, but it had closed down. While we couldn’t find out why, it may be because BA is a relatively inexpensive city, especially compared to most of the places we have visited. The best deals are in the restaurants where we generally paid a third of the price for a similar meal in Vancouver.

A few blocks away, we walked along Avenue 9th of July, the widest street in the world. It takes a few minutes to cross! Like many other streets in the city, portions are lined with magnificent old buildings, including some excellent examples of Art Nouveau.

Buenos Aires is a very big, lively and busy city. To get an overview, we took a bus tour and learned about the city in Spanish, Portuguese, and English. Sometimes, I couldn’t tell which language was being spoken. We saw some very elegant old and new apartment buildings, and impressive public buildings, usually well guarded by waiting police officers.

However, two highlights were the Recoleta Cemetery where Eva Peron is buried; not because she was buried there, but for its amazing layout with row upon row of large mausoleum structures. It had a nice urban feel!

I also enjoyed Boca, a poorer Italian neighbourhood, with colourful painted buildings and lots of art for sale in the streets. I was tempted to buy a painting of tango dancers, but Sally had already purchased a small 'tango' painting, and didn't want our house looking like a dance school. There was also a lot of work in local galleries that I would have liked to have brought home. This is a city that places a high value on the arts.

The Teatro Colon Opera House, considered by many to have the best acoustics in the world, was near our hotel. I walked over to buy tickets for an evening performance, unaware it is closed until May 2008 for renovations. I suggested to Sally that we see Cabaret instead; but she wasn't as keen to hear 'Money Makes the World go Around' in Spanish, as I was.

Fortunately, there was a Tango recital in the hotel bar that we watched instead, before heading off to dinner at a nearby Argentinean Grill house, which served some very large steaks.

We traveled around by Subway. BA has a very extensive system with four lines, and an excellent mapping system which helps tourists get around. Our favourite line was the first one, which still uses old wooden cars with wooden seats.

On the third morning, we came upon a large Travel Agency. We needed to get to Lima, our final destination. While we had investigated flights on the internet, I wasn't sure we had found all the options. So we went inside and met a very knowledgeable English speaking agent, Florencia Vallarolo. She had a very lovely and professional manner, and within no time she had found a better flight, and suggested we consider a tour package for Lima, Cusco, Aguas Calientes, and Mach Pichu. Thinking a tour package might eliminate some of the customary drama from not knowing if we'd get on the train, or have a place to sleep each night, we booked it. We even purchased altitude sickness pills, so we are ready for all eventualities during our last five days.

But first, we have decided to take a 3 day side trip to Uruguay. We are traveling by fast ferry from a terminal in the revitalized waterfront area, where there are some very large and beautiful new residential and mixed use buildings, and some of the city’s most expensive waterfront restaurants.

After Uruguay, we'll have two more nights in Buenos Aires, before flying to Lima. This time we will stay in another part of the town and hopefully see more of this lively, sophisticated city that feels a lot like Paris and New York. I may even look for a leather coat.

Comics: The Good and The Bad

When the Black Canary Wedding Planner was solicited, I thought it was a little aberrant, considering the usual DC fare (months and months of Countdown crossovers, multiple Batman comics, and the odd lonely sighting of a Wildstorm title coming out 9 months late). Comics readers are most often male, and without wanting to seem like a cultivator of negative stereotypes, men don't seem to find stories of wedding preparations that thrilling. Besides, if they were, where's the Green Arrow Bachelor Party special? The only thing I could think of was perhaps DC was bolstered by the Minx titles, thinking that they could continue to bring female readers to their fold with wedding comics. Surely only someone who's never met or interacted with a woman really believes the phrase, "Wedding dresses!" automatically increases sales within that section of the readership. So it continued to mystify me. Until I read it, and came across this exchange between Black Canary, Vixen, Wonder Woman, and Oracle (relegated to the bottom of the panel). As ever, it's all about the improbably nubile women, this time with the added bonus of underwear. ::sigh::

Still comics can be great. I've only sporadically enjoyed Reginald Hudlin's Black Panther series, and have only been buying it recently because of the Fantastic Four connection. The current Marvel Zombies arc has been annoying, mostly because I find the zombie universe just really depressing. Don't get me wrong, I love zombies, but a whole planet of zombies just makes me feel sad and a little creeped out. Having them absorb Galactus' power and then attack the Skrull homeworld, while a very clever idea, just makes me even unhappier. So, with two strikes against the latest Black Panther, why did I like it so much? Because...

...everything is better with Thanos.