I got a McD hamburger & medium Coke Light at the Montevideo bus station…cost $10! It tasted great but not $10 great! We were pretty awed by the Airbnb we'd booked. So elaborately decorated with stain glass windows, chandeliers, unique tiled floors, chess sets from many countries & musical instruments including my old accordion & Rog's trombone. Every corner, table and shelf had an antique. It's truly a hidden gem in this old part of this huge, sprawling capital city and a peak into a past world of a rich life style. We went out for a walk around the area and were surprised & fascinated by the many ornate, beautiful old buildings with balconies, terraces, rotundas, cupolas & other classical architectures. When did we quit building these types of gorgeous buildings?? Next morning we went to another part of town and found more buildings with lots of character. At noon we had to leave our fabulous Airbnb and move to a more affordable hotel much plainer but very functional. Our first goal was to secure tickets for the carnival show tonight. We were told just to to a Abitab store so off we went searching…found 5 but all closed. Went back to our hotel, got on WiFi & using our phone to translate….managed to secure tickets at the Teatro de Verano 8:30 Carnival show!! Then off we went to the Groucho Museum which we thoroughly enjoyed…especially the immersion show. A great peak into the life of the Gaucho (cowboys here). It was housed in a massive & spectacular building which was one of the first banks. Still had the old teller cages. About 5 we decided we'd better take a nap. At 7:15 we were getting into our Uber car & by 8 into our seats in the outside theater. When we were booking, it looked like all the center seats were reserved & we wondered if that was possible. Yup! Filled to the max except for the nose bleed section. It was so fun watching people arrive greeting each other with hugs. It appeared many were season ticket holders who knew everyone seated around them. People of all ages came carrying their thermos & mate cups. A count down clock gave them fair warning when to actually sit down at which time the crowd started clapping a five beat clap while flashing lights & pounding drums filled the air. Then the rumpus began! Flashy costumes, feathers, glitter & lots of shaking of every possible body part all moving to a sound of the booming drums & other instruments. The crowd swayed & clearly was enjoying it…as were we! After an hour show, the performers exited the stage & paraded through the welcoming crowd. Since no seemed to be leaving, we didn't either. The the count down clock started again…20 minutes later…another amazing show! This one was a bit less dancing & more talking so we used our translators to give us an idea of what was being said. We couldn't catch it all but enough to know it was about whites not loving blacks, US stealing Venezuela oil & the importance of brother hood. Again that show ended with the parade of performers greeting the crowd as they left…but all in the stands stayed. Third act was also full of dancing & more political jokes. The guy in front of me was laughing so hard he was crying! It was now midnight and though we didn't see others leaving…we did! We later heard we missed 2 more acts. How do they stay up that late??? We got back to our room around 12:30 and fell into bed and slept until almost 9 am the next morning. Headed to the Andes Crash Memorial Museum first. In 1972 a plane crashed in the Andes that was carrying the Uruguayan Rugby team & others…45 in total. 16 managed to survive the incredible odds with -22F and after a few days, an avalanche that covered what was left of the plane where the men were sleeping. They survived by eating the dead after agreeing to a strict code of conduct & brotherhood. After 62 days, the two healthiest men hiked for 10 days climbing & descending the Andes until they finally met a cattle drover. 72 days! The survivors stories were heart wrenching. This incredible story was published & made into a movie: ALIVE.
Lunch next at a shawarma place. Best sandwich yet! Grilled meat, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers added in a well toasted tortilla. After a quick rest, we went to the Salvo Palace. A 1928 building that was the tallest in South American when first built. Now it has apartments ($350/mo), offices & tours. It had once been an exquisite hotel…now it's scraping by. The alterations someone did to make the apartments reminded me of how Gordon Hall in Dexter was totally destroyed by U of M when they made it into an apartment building. With a bit more daylight, we headed to the walkway along the ocean. Lots of people catching the cool ocean breeze joined us. We passed a couple bars on the way back hoping to see some tango dancing but since it was only 10…we were too early. So just went back to our room. Early to bed for us ol' folks!
