I do need to clarify, the trees aren’t entirely gone, but so aggressively pruned as to leave no foliage at all, just the main trunk and several of the larger secondary trunks to grow back. These once beautiful tree-lined streets that provided the much needed shade as I walked, are now bare and cold.

I knew that the trees here in UY grow very quickly due to year-round growth and therefore while large, are somewhat weak.  Upon further inspection, these trees have seen this type of pruning before and will most likely again. Their somewhat scraggly main trunks are met with markedly newer growth just slightly above.

Photos by Sarah Piñeyro

One nice advantage to this tree trimming (if you’re looking for a silver-lining) is that you can see the houses more clearly and all the gorgeous traditional detail that they hold. If you’re in an apartment, you may now have a view where you never did before, just beware of who may be able to see you

My one question: How long until the trees grow back? I will miss the beautiful shaded canopy they provided!

Dia del Patrimonio was a great family day. We went to Ciudad Vieja’s Plaza Matriz and toured Club Uruguayo (Uruguay’s most prestigious private social club, founded in 1878), the Cathedral of Montevideo and the Spanish Embassy on Sunday. All were very beautiful old buildings, with the Embassy being an eclectic mix of traditional and austere contemporary architecture. We wanted to get out and see more places on Saturday, but we had a spring festival on the farm with Geneva’s jardín, so we were otherwise occupied with kids, animals and lots of food. Saturday was the nicer of the two days so I was happy that was our day outside. Sunday was cold and rainy and a perfect day to dash from one building to another, which is exactly what we did.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9pXFN_MTVQ

We’re busy planing our trip back to Minnesota in December and all of the festivities there. Early December brings us Geneva’s second birthday and a baby shower for G’s Auntie and first cousin. Later in the month we celebrate Christmas with multiple families and try to equally split our time, which is not always easy. We fly back to MVD on the 28th, which happens to be on the same flight as another family we know who is moving here!  We are so excited and can’t wait to have them join us in this fair city.

This past Saturday we went to our first wedding in Uruguay!! It was a beautiful church ceremony- very formal and very late. The invitation stated a start time of 8:30 PM. We were advised not to get there before 9 PM, and the ceremony started at about 9:15. A few differences: there were no attendants, no ushers, no programs. We also learned that it’s customary for there to be two or even three sets of invitations sent out: one to the ceremony only, one to the reception and sometimes one to the after-reception. Receptions usually last until dawn or later. We went to the ceremony only- but had a great dinner out afterwards by ourselves at a funky little restaurant/interior design studio called Innove.

As if we don’t have enough going on, we’ve been in our house for 6 months and are already thinking of the lease end. A unique opportunity has presented itself and we are weighing our options. A family that we know and love is moving to the USA for a year, and renting out their house here in Montevideo. It’s in the Cordon neighborhood, and is close to the jardín, hospital we belong to and many other services. This is an area we have been considering for our next house here, but since it is not the “normal” expat/tourist areas of Pocitos or Punta Carretas, the furnished rentals are very limited. This house is furnished and quite a bit larger than our current house for hopefully about the same monthly rent. Brad and I could each have private offices within the house! The lease terms don’t quite match up so we all need to talk more- but it’s an exciting prospect!

I’m definitely feeling some of the ups and downs of life in Uruguay. The longer we are here and the more we learn, the more we like some aspects of life here and dislike others. That’s true with any place I suppose.  Some days I am really homesick (mostly for how “easy” it is to exist in a place you know well) but I do like Montevideo. This is a unique place with unique people that can’t seem to understand why we would want to come to tiny Uruguay “just because”.

I found the perfect solution: Yoga in English with instructor Charla Cooper.

Charla teaches an excellent yoga class that I have been attending for the past 6 weeks. The class is small so you can get a lot of individual attention, the location is great, and it is a fabulous mix of yoga styles with Kundalini, Ashtanga and Iyengar. I had never practiced Kundalini yoga before this class and while it took a little getting used to, now it’s a part of class that I really love.

Cost is UY$ 150 per class or UY$ 1000 for a month pass.

Please see the Yoga in English website for more details and any updated class information. You can also email ccooper495@gmail.com for more specific questions. Hope you can join us!

I’ve been corresponding with a woman from the United States who was looking for info about a possible move here with two kids. I wanted to include a few excerpts from our email conversation regarding the most expat-friendly neighborhoods and costs of goods/services in Uruguay.

Thanks for the note! To address your questions about the Pocitos, Punta Gorda and Carrasco neighborhoods:

We love the Pocitos/Punta Carretas areas. They are considered higher end, safe and very expat friendly areas that are still close to downtown. We live on the border between the two “barrios” listed previously and are within walking distance to just about every service and store that we could want. Cabs and public transportation are excellent, so we have no problems in this area without a car. There are a lot of high rises in this area and nearly all the buildings are attached to each other. While we know of a few people with small yards here, it does not seem to be common. Our house does not have a yard. Instead, we have a small front garden and a back patio.

Carrasco is gorgeous, with big houses and large yards that feel more like any United States suburb. You would definitely need a car in Carrasco it is around a 15-20 minute drive from where we are living (on a good day with no traffic). Punta Gorda is one barrio/neighborhood closer to downtown Montevideo than Carrasco and from what I hear, it has a similar feel to Carrasco.

If you click on Google Map Montevideo, you will see the names of the different neighborhoods (you may have to zoom in) and you can get some perspective to their relationship to one another. The little pin on the map is between Punta Gorda and Carrasco. If you follow the coast to the left you will find Pocitos and next to it at the point near the bottom of the screen, Punta Carretas.

To address your question regarding items that are less or more expensive than the US: Cars and gasoline here are very expensive, as is most technology including computers and home electronics. Kids/baby stuff here is also extremely expensive (2-3x more than what you’d pay in the US). I just looked for a potty seat for my daughter at a local shop and the only decent one I found was a Safety 1st model that is $50 here but only $23 on Amazon.com. On the flip side, food, most services, child care and medical are all much cheaper than what we experienced in the US.

The lifestyle is definitely different in Uruguay. We love it but we also know people here who are having problems adjusting. They expected it to be more like the US or Europe, I guess. With such a small market in Uruguay, many consumer goods are not the quality that you’d get in the US and the imports are insanely expensive due to all the import and sales taxes. Plan trips to Buenos Aires or the US to get anything you can’t find here. While you technically could ship anything here, there is a very hefty price tag attached!

Good luck with your decision and feel free to email with any more questions-
Lisa

If you have any specific questions and would like to email us directly, please use the ‘Contact’ link at the top right of the site, or feel free to leave a comment on this or any of our posts. Thanks!

When we started hearing of the Palermo barrio of Montevideo, it was simply in passing. Then I learned of the Ecotiendas store and mentioned it here on May 16th, not even knowing where it was located at the time.

Brad and I talked that the next place we should live in Montevideo should be a bit closer to the water, still very walkable as we have no intention of having a car, and not as “uptown” as the typical expat barrios of Pocitos or Punta Carretas.  But where? Palermo looks really nice on the map…  With borders of  ’18 de Julio’, the Rambla, Parque Rodo and Santiago de Chile/Ejido, Palermo is nicely tucked between the park and Centro.

Then an article came out about Palermo on the Total Uruguay Guide and Brad and I started to talk about it some more.

This past Thursday, my Spanish tutor told me about a small Asian grocery called Bambu. Where else? Palermo. Okay Bambu is right outside of the border of the Palermo neighborhood, but within a block or two.

On Saturday, we couldn’t avoid the signs any longer and decided to use Ecotiendas and Bambu as our excuse to check out Palermo and Centro.  We visited each store and were impressed by both.  The 116 bus was a straight shot into Palermo from ’21 de Setiembre’ and we walked back through Parque Rodo.

Ecotiendas, while large in size, is somewhat small in offerings. It is similar to a small co op that you would find in the USA. We went there specifically for more ecologically friendly cleaning products and found a few nice options.  They also have organic meat, cheese and produce. Located at Maldonado 1390, esq. Santiago de Chile, Montevideo.  Telephone 900 6560

Bambu was amazing, with a collection of asian noodles, sauces, spices, and foods that I haven’t seen anywhere else in the city. We picked up tahini, rice and soba noodles, oyster sauce and several other items. Located at San Jose 1290 esq. Yaguarón, Montevideo. Telephone 902 7720

Our impressions of Palermo were excellent.  The buildings are generally lower than in Pocitos, which means more sun.  There are many of the old colonial houses that I adore along tree lined streets.  Some parts were grittier than Pocitos or Punta Carretas, but that is okay with us.  Taking into account it was a Saturday in the middle of winter when a lot of people are on vacation, the area was quiet.

Palermo is not a typical expat area and as Elaine addressed in the Total Uruguay Guide, this may make it harder for an expat to integrate into the community.  I anticipate speaking fluent Spanish will be much more important here than in Pocitos. Costs in Palermo are also generally lower than Pocitos or Punta Carretas.

This is an area that I think we will return to often to consider whether it is a place we would like to live.  Our current lease is for nine more months, so we have some time to look, explore and dream.

We didn’t want to go to Buenos Aires quite yet and had heard a mention of extending your permit for the first time at the Uruguayan immigration office in the Ciudad Vieja barrio of Montevideo. We looked at the forums for information about this and found very little. Well, it was either the immigration office or an impromptu trip to BsAs for the weekend, so we thought we’d try here in Montevideo first.

The Dirección Nacional de Migración office is located at Misiones 1513, esq. 25 de Mayo in Ciudad Vieja. When you walk in, take a number which is on a large column and wait in the main area. Even though the place was packed with people, the numbers flew by. Pay attention as it is not posted anywhere what number they are on.

Our number was called, we went up to one of the desks, sat down and told the clerk that we need “Prorroga de permanencia temporaria” (temporary extension of stay). After they typed our information into the computer, out came official looking forms with our names/passport numbers, etc.  We brought the forms to the caja (register), paid UY$356 each (about US$15), then took our papers and passports to a third desk where we received stamps all over the sheets (but strangely not in our passports) which will extend our stay for another 90 days.  All done in about a half an hour. I bet immigration in the USA isn’t nearly this easy!

If you’re late in renewing your temporary status here, don’t fret.  You won’t be kicked out of the country but you will pay a fine.  According to the Dirección Nacional de Migración website price list, it looks like the extension of an expired stamp is only US$8 more than the valid extension.

You can make this trip to the Immigration office every other time you need to extend your visitor’s status here in Uruguay. The original stamp in your passport is good for 90 days. At the end of 90 days, go to the immigration office as described previously. At the end of the next 90 day period, you MUST exit and re-enter the country to renew your temporary status in Uruguay.

The visit to the immigration office is a great alternative to those who do not want to travel often, cannot afford it or simply don’t have the time to travel when they need to renew their visitor status. Compared to other governmental services here, we found this process to be quick, inexpensive and efficient.

It does not give you the bus schedules or when to wait for your given bus line, but the city is well covered and many buses come in 10 minute intervals.  MontevideoBus will even tell you how many stops are on each line so you can find the quickest route, if needed.  I am excited to try out the website.  We like the bus system here but it’s been kind of a crap shoot if we’re going to get exactly where we want to go. I feel like the city has just opened up a bit… Montevideo, Here we come!

Singing while bracing myself and the stroller on a moving city bus

During our visit in 2008, we spent a lot of time just wandering the neighborhoods.  We explored Ciudad Vieja and areas around Pocitos, Punta Carretas, Parque Rodo and Palermo.  We also spent two Sunday afternoons at the English Speaking Meetup at Old Maz.  This was a great group to share tips and experiences, and just hear a familiar language.   On that visit, we stayed at the Punta Trouville Aparthotel, which has an excellent location and amenities, but we found their rooms a bit small with baby and their wireless Internet was unreliable at that time. We stayed at Marti Aparthotel this year and loved everything about it.

Back in MN, our research continued with the help of all the great people we met during our visit and one websites in particular: Uruguay Connection.  Uruguay Connection includes a blog, forum and Uruguay news in English.  David Finzer, the blogger and mastermind behind the Uruguay Connection site (among many other ventures) also has an ebook about everything Uruguay which I found invaluable, The Southron’s Guide to Living In Uruguay.  We also visited their Thursday Expat meeting, which was an eclectic mix of people in a comfortable scene.  This meeting has changed locations since our visit but we have not been able to attend at the new location yet.   Since coming back this year, we have also found Total Uruguay, which is an excellent Uruguay compilation website.

On a side note regarding prep: We also urge everyone that is bringing an extreme amount of luggage  and pets with them on an airplane to visit the airport ahead of time for a dry run.  We’ll give more details of why, who we talked to and what we accomplished in a later post.

It all boils down to this: Do your research, check your options, ask lots of questions (to us or others). There is always the good, bad and ugly with any place in the world.

Just think though, this was a 40 year old water main that burst to an city of 1.5 million.  New York has a water tunnel that is 114 years old that serves a city of 8 million.  That would really be bad!

Now we can really get to the work of cleaning and moving in.  With two pugs and a toddler underfoot (and falling hard on all this tile flooring), it should be interesting!!

We’re in the house.  A cute little furnished one level on the border of Pocitos/Punta Carretas.  There really is just about everything within 8 blocks.  For the last 24 hours though, that has not included running water.  What????  I said the same thing.  No running water. We got all the boxes and suitcases moved and we were starting to get things unpacked when the water in the kitchen sink slowed to a trickle…. and then stopped altogether.  I thought the water must be shut off to the building. No, all the lines were on.  What could be going on?  I called Jorge, he’ll know what to do (thankfully we have Jorge!) Well he tells me that half of the city is out.  A main burst and they don’t know when it’ll be restored.  Hmmmm.  Okay.  The Disco (supermarket) is 2 blocks away. We’ll get a few 5 L jugs of water, but no shower, no flushing toilet and no hard-core cleaning of this place before we unpack.  

Here it is 24 hours later and still no running water.  El Pais (newspaper) says they are working non-stop to fix the problem, but it was a 40 year old concrete main that is very deep.  They hope to have it repaired by the end of today.  All of the coastal and downtown neighborhoods are affected including: Buceo, Pocitos, Punta Carretas, Parque Rodó, Barrio Sur, Palermo, Cordón, La Blanqueada, La Unión, Parque Batlle, Tres Cruces, Centro, Maroñas, Flor de Maroñas, Cerrito, Villa Española, Pérez Castellano, Larrañaga, Bolivar, Brazo Oriental, Jacinto Vera, La Figurita, La Comercial, Villa Muñoz, Sayago, Peñarol y Retiro. 

Happy Earth day!  We’re conserving water!!

Other than the *minor* water issue, we are thrilled to be in the house.  It is working out really well for us, and we’re getting into our routine.  Internet was set up this morning and Brad will comment on that. I met with the security company who came by to make sure we understood the system. There was a technican with very good English as well as another “translator” that they sent with. They left a manual for the system in English and also gave us the phone and email information for an English speaking customer service agent in case we have additional questions.  I appreciate the English help but certainly didn’t expect it. Talk about service!  The technician also stopped by again this afternoon to make sure he got the monitoring setting correct.  After he left, he said that he was questioning himself if he did the final setting and he hadn’t.  At home, I would have expected a phone call to set up another time to come by a week from now or something.  Wow. 

Next thing to arrive this afternoon should be our two furry friends, Pablo and Paloma!  I am thrilled that after a month they will be part of the family again.  I should learn all of the Spanish commands that they have been hearing from their temporary family.  For a month stay for both dogs I think it ended up being 7000 pesos ($280 or so).  Plus we had a minor incident with a need for a vet visit  and antibiotic shot for Paloma’s bladder infection and a refill of her perscription food.  Still not nearly the cost it would be in the US, and the vets come to you instead of you carting a sick animal to them.  Seems more humane to me. 

So that covers the gamut:  House, water, technology, dogs.  There is so much more to say but I have to leave something for later.  

Please send good vibes this way that can fix water mains. We need water soon!!