Thursday.....the last full build day

The "official" team photo that will be framed and presented to Alixie along with the Canadian flag which we all autographed.
Rear L-R   Marvin, Kevin, Andre, Murray, Bob, Tony, Dan
Front L-R  Wendy, Emily, Barb, Lydia, Jen, Wendy, Anne

Looks like it's gonna be a hot one folks!!!  ...and indeed it was!  ....34c + high humidity + no breeze = sweating from pores I didn't know I had!!!

Once again we pretty much picked up where we left off.....grouting, haul brick and mortar, mixing mortar and Bob got to start a new, albeit smaller pit which was the "header tank" which is the first septic pit which then feeds the main pit.
....such a lucky guy!!!!

No surprise critters today, which was a relief after the the snakes, toads and frogs and lizards and oh!....I forgot to tell you about the tarantula which was resting amongst the blocks yesterday.

There was a slightly different, almost imperceptible difference in the atmosphere today.  ....partially exhaustion but mostly knowing that this tour of duty is coming to an end and there is still so much to do! .....but we have accomplished exactly what was expected us.

There was a question in the comments of the previous blog about what happens if the house isn't finished.

The fact of the matter is we are not there to build a complete house....if that happens it is purely a bonus.  ....especially when you start from scratch like we did.

In this particular type of build we can only contribute to a certain point and then the specialty trades take over.

.... today, after we reached another seminal moment [more about that in a minute] the tasks were less construction oriented and more landscaping oriented.

Our role, as volunteers, are to help keep the costs of construction as low as possible, which helps the family, to be sure, but also allows saves the Habitat affiliate the costs which would otherwise be accrued by the masons who are working as contractors to the affiliate. This also provides the luxury of having additional funding available for other families and other builds.

To put it another way, it helps speed up the construction and as we all know [sadly?] ....time is money!

...but back to the seminal moment.....

Dani, Alixie and Barb....and a Paraguayan tradition.

It seems that in Paraguay the raising of the ridge beam [first part of the roof] is a cause for celebration up to and including the holding of hands as the beam is positioned.
....what a nice tradition!!!!

....is Alixie happy or what??

The ridge beam is very carefully manoeuvred into position.
It might not look like much but that chunk of wood is about 12' long, 4" thick and 8" wide.
The name of the wood is unpronounceable but very dense and therefore very heavy.

We were guessing at maybe 150lbs or more.

...all this happening 10 or 12 feet above finished grade!


[...and yes, those are flip flops he's wearing and no fall arrest anywhere!!!]

....very precisely placed and levelled!

At this point the masons and in particular Alberto, who acts as the General contractor, are on their own. There isn't much more we can do to help.
They will continue the build just like any other contractor, at any other build site, anywhere else, and being paid by Habitat [and ultimately the family] to do so.

There will be plumbers, electricians and a carpenter to install the doors and trim as well as a glazer to install the windows, at which point I think the house truly becomes a home.

It would be nice to be able to see the project through to that point,   ....it would be wonderful to have some sort of ribbon cutting ceremony    .....it would be fabulous to watch Carlos carry Alixie over the threshold [if they do that sort of thing here]   ....but alas....it is what it is!!!!

....a post script to another comment/ question from my dearest little sister.....
Yup, pretty much blogshy I guess.....I asked, begged, cajoled and almost bribed others to contribute but they thought I was doing a fine job so should stick with it.   ....couldn't even get different pics from them!   ...they offered but ultimately, showers,  dinner or otherwise socializing interfered   ...so you are stuck with me and my photos!

My name is Dan  ....and this blog thing is definitely eating  into my socializing time!
....but you know what?   ....I don't care! ....I'm enjoying it!!!!

Tuesday....

....and the fun continues....

Claudia, our go-to-it girl

Once again the day dawned far too early and once again it was overcast and humid.
30% chance of showers. High in the mid 20s. Should be a productive day after yesterday's rain delay.

The corrugated metal covering did it's job with far less bailing required and work resumed in the pit.

The rest of us set about our tasks as if we had never stopped, working away like a well oiled machine.

We had four masons with us today which required a hectic JIT delivery of mortar and block to each.
[JIT= "just in time" for those unfamiliar with material delivery protocols]

Barb [foreground] grouting - Wendy,
[background] receiving instruction from
one of the masons.

Some hauled block to the masons, some hauled mortar to the masons, some mixed the mortar and others [myself included] busied ourselves with grouting. Then, of course, there was Bob and his crew....his pit getting deeper and deeper.

...even the young lad got into the game!

What's cuter than a 2 year old boy playing with mud?

I ask you?....so many fond memories of my messy youth!!

Kids today just don't know what they are missing!!
[but I digress yet again!]

Bob in his burrow

I brought along my iPhone and connected it to some speakers that I purchased prior to the trip.

I thought it would be nice to have some tunes to work by and indeed it was well received.

Special thanks go out to my daughter, Eden, who, on my home computer, downloaded gigs [literally] of Latino music which I loaded onto the iPod. Many of the team were unfamiliar with the various styles of Latino music..."reggae" yes, but not reggaeton, or "cumbia" or the variations that make up "salsa"....anyway, the music was welcome and enjoyed by both cultures.

We worked away, chatting, joking, and listening to the music when suddenly it was announced that we had reached a seminal moment.

L-R...Andre, Bob, Jen, Kevin, Marvin

 THE PIT WAS COMPLETE!!!


....woo hoo!!!!!

Is that not the most  satisfied grin on Bobs face?

Most of us, at some point, had a hand in the excavation. In my case at the very beginning and very briefly.
Bob, Kevin and Marvin bore the brunt of that particular project.....but all were in agreement that it really was Bobs baby!  Now it's time to set the brick lining.

...a good days work!

The rain managed to hold off until it was time to clean up anyway and we left feeling like today was indeed, a very productive day.

Time to shower and get ready for a dinner out.

...lining the pit with bricks

Dani, remember him?...the go-to-it resource with the "I" in his name?....anyway, Dani recommended we go to "Paulitos Grill" which is a "Rodezio" style, all you can eat buffet.
Those at home will recognize this as the same as "Boa Nova" in Kitchener.

Originally from Brazil, it is a typical buffet except the various meat dishes, and there are a lot, are served at your plate, presented and carved off a sword like skewer.
This method of service was kept secret from the tribe and all were surprised and impressed.

Rodezio style dinning

A good time had by all, to say the least!!

My name is Dan ....and it just gets better and better.

Of ranches and rain....

Ah Sunday.....a chance to sleep in to 9!

After a quick breakfast we gathered at the vans for an excursion to [driver] Miguels family ranch about 40 minutes out of town.
The family spends the summer holidays and weekends at this  farm along with a resident family who do the majority of the labour.
I guess our equivalent of this arrangement would be "sharecropping" and I hope the labour movement doesn't hear about it as it seems to work quite well. Very humble by our standards yet comfortable, including a round and  welcoming swimming pool out back.

They have 40 acres with 30 cows, chickens, Guinea Hens, and some cash crops for the resident family.
Miguels father looks after the dairy operation arriving at 3am to milk the cows and deliver to the dairy in town. He then starts his "day job" at the family owned bakery in town.

Prior to our arrival we stopped at the local "Super Mercado" to pick up supplies for lunch.
IMHO the best way to get down and dirty with the locals is to either ride with them in their busses or shop with them in their grocery stores.

Prices for staple goods are generally comparable to home. Some things are a bit more, some things a bit less, some things a lot less and then there is the price of wines and spirits [beer too!].....often half and in some cases a quarter of what we pay.

Lunch, siesta, swim and exploring the ranch dispensed with, it was time to head home to a room that my roomies [Murray & Bob] agreed was starting to smell like a gym bag.....funny how damp clothes don't ever really dry out in this humidity.

Badger Bob and his hole - day 3

Monday dawned with a heavy overcast and a heavier humidity level....thankfully, the forecast high of 26c was a relief and we looked forward to a productive day.

...but first, a stop at the local version of a TSC / Farmers Co-Op store where we made the shop keepers month by cleaning out his supply of gum boots @ 75,000 Guarani a pop [~$20 cdn]
...best 75,000 I ever spent!....we kinda figured the site would be a quagmire and we weren't disappointed.

Now, it's funny how some people find jobs or jobs find some people, or both, and when that happens it can be magical.

It would appear Bob found his calling as a septic tank excavator. He just kinda sorta adopted that task as his own and ran with it.
[which was fine with the rest of us!]
...totally polar opposite vocation from that of corporate law if ever there was one!
...nice to know that he has something he could fall back on if need be!
In any case, we marvelled at his doggedness and determination....in spite of....

....the bad news.....after Saturdays storm, Bobs burrow was quite full of water which had to be removed, bucket by bucket brigade ....all the while being on the lookout for critters of the snake, frog and toad variety. The 10" snakes in the pit resembled our garter snakes but greyish instead of green. Alberto [head mason, remember?] cautioned us that they were poisonous.....oh Alberto, such a kidder! ....hard to take that guy seriously at times.
Turns out he wasn't kidding!

Aforementioned burrow sufficiently bailed Bob jumped right in and picked up where he left off ably assisted on the dirt [more like heavy clay/muck ...but that doesn't alliterate well....but I digress] disposal duties by Marvin [mostly] and Kevin.

As mentioned in a previous post, I'm always amazed at how quickly a group of otherwise unskilled people can just look around, see what needs doing and does it!......but then the rains came once again!
...mad scramble to cover the fresh laid block with the curved roof tiles and Bobs pit with some left over [from some earlier construction project] corrugated sheet metal.

I'm at a loss for words!!!...... REALLY!!!!.......

.....more about that later.

As Miguel and Rita, our drivers, wove our way towards the futbol stadium we noticed an escalation of excitement and anticipation, and that was just in the vans.

Outside, the atmosphere was positively electric.

These people are futbol fanatics of the highest order.

We walked past an ensemble of mounted riot police on our way to meet up with Claudia, who was in charge of the tickets.

Chanting and singing fans everywhere! A sea of red and blue "Cerro" jerseys!

"Cerro" was playing "Nacional". "Cerro" was the home team, which is a bit of a misnomer as both teams are based in Asuncion....but this was their home stadium. 

This is Paraguay's premier league, consisting of 13 teams, 10 of which are based  out of Asuncion.

 Just as we met up with Claudia, a battalion [ok, slight exaggeration, but certainly quite a number] of riot police marched past looking so much like Roman Centurions with their body armour, headgear and shields.

We entered the stadium and took our seats at midfield.

I believe it was a faint hope of neutrality. As it happens however, Cerro is Miguel, Claudia, and Azu's team...therefore, we supported Cerro by association.

End zone left was obviously "Cerro" territory.

Those under the banner in the photo above chanted, sang, beat drums, tooted hooters, banged the seats and generally made some sort of noise for the entire 90 minutes.....never letting up for a moment. It was brilliant!

It was also an exciting match with Cerro having four good chances within the first five minutes and dominating possession for the majority of the first half.
A miscue by a Cerro defender allowed, what I thought was a bit of a soft goal. Nacional 1, Cerro nil at the half.

Nacional popped a second goal early in the second half and then it happened....a typical tropical deluge!....raindrops the size of watermelons!
[ok, I admit to another slight exaggeration....but you probably get the idea]
Interestingly, the harder the rain, the more intense the fan support....including many members of our group.

....which brings me to the loss of words.

Like any self respecting blogger, I keep a small notebook in my back pocket to, you guessed it, take notes.
It took all of five minutes to be soaked to the skin, notebook included and now totally illegible....bear in mind that my handwriting is unintelligible at the best of times....add water and the notebook became a soggy hieroglyphic mess.

"Centurions" keeping watch over the "rowdies"

The game was called at the end of 90 minutes [no injury time added]
The referees had a police escort of the field and a grand time was had by all....rain notwithstanding!

On the build front, I was mistaken when I mentioned the coins were planted in the threshold...they are embedded in the foundation parging  coat beside the main entrance.
I'm told that Alixie was so touched she held the coins to her breast before setting them. The masons were touched as well, to the point of creating a special mix to ensure the permanence of the installation.

Progress is obvious so "nuff said" about that.

There was a question in the comments about the neighbours house and barbed wire.
Pretty much every property, no matter where or rank, has some sort of security fencing, be it walls and gates, or steel bar and gates, or simple barb wire and some sort of a gate.
I'm not sure if it's a question of a high incidence of theft or just plain old peace of mind security.
I've noticed this throughout Latin America and the Caribbean....in fact, in Aruba, which is a desert island if ever there was one, I've seen fences made of Pipe Cactus.

My name is Dan .....and I'm still 2 days behind in this blog!!!!

Jo soy malo.....and misc. musings

....well, the last time I felt like this was 30 years ago as a young and stupid visitor to the Club Med in Guadeloupe and who, against his own better judgement, participated in an excursion to a private beach and played young and stupid beach games involving lots of alcohol with a lot of other young and stupid Club Med-ers ....by 3pm I was down and out with all the classic symptoms of heat exhaustion.
....although I'm no longer young and stupid [ just stupid....but I digress]  the same symptoms manifested themselves late Thursday afternoon [flushed, feverish, shivers one minute then sweating the next, a bit woozy, achey, flu like, etc...]  and were in full force by the evening. ....fortunately I missed out on the messy ones like nausea and....but that might be TMI.....then again, it just might be the flu!.....btw, others, myself included, are exhibiting cold like symptoms...
...who wouldn't, going from +34c and humid to a nicely air conditioned 22.

...took Friday off....spent most of the day in bed...going down to the lobby around 3 so housekeeping could do their thing.....and blogged.

...I was somewhat overwhelmed by the concern shown by the crew upon their return. All the, let's call them the "more mature", female members felt my forehead and concurred that I was feverish....Wendy went so far as to kiss my forehead and announce that it was 102 degrees!
...I wanted to know when her lips were last calibrated.

...I'm not used to all this attention and quite liked it .....
...definitely raised my spirits a notch or two.

...also pleased to report that Emily, the first victim, is feeling much better. So much so that she participated in the town excursion today.
I'm feeling much better today as well but choose to pass on the town trip as I had been there, done that, and, unfortunately, the trip to the orphanage was cancelled....besides, I need to save my strength for the futbol game this evening!

...oh yah, and the build!.....I'm told that all went well with walls rising rapidly. The weather being somewhat more agreeable on site.
[and dare I say that it was announced that my presence was missed...but modesty forbids!]
Apparently a looney and a toonie were embedded in the concrete threshold of the main entrance. "with this, you will never be poor!"
Alixe was overwhelmed by the gesture, the masons were touched as well, never having seen the ritual before....and the crew was pleased by the reaction. I somehow suspect that it might have gotten a tad emotional but no one fessed up to that.
I will try to score a few pics......but first comes futbol!

Day 2.....sunny and HOT!!!!.....and no breeze to speak of.

The team at the end of the first days work!

...but first some unfinished business. After dinner, Dani [yup, one "i" ...his name is actually Daniel but the locals didn't know how to handle that, so it was just shortened. He is our Habitat International contact....a great guy, originally from Seattle and working here for a number of months. he is another who can't do enough for us and a valuable asset to have around as he knows the "lay of the land" so to speak....but I digress]
Anyway, Dani suggested we check out "Moby Dicks", a beautiful upscale bar settled amidst lush tropical vegetation.
This is where I introduced the rest of the group to the aforementioned "Caiprihinas"and needless to say a good time was had by all

This particular house will have a living/dinning room, 2 bedrooms, a small modern bathroom, small kitchen and an outside [covered] food preparation area/ cleanup area c/w a sink. I'm guessing it might be around 530 sq/ft.
The typical builds here range from 250-530 sq/ft and designed so that it can be added to in the future.
Houses cost anywhere from $5,500 - $7500 usd and does not include the cost of the land, which in this case cost $7000 usd. It is ~40'x100'....a nice sized corner lot. The lot has to be owned for 4 years prior to the build and is part of the qualification process.

Alixe and son.

Our family is comprised of Alixe and her son [shown here], her husband and two older kids presently away at school.
Her husband Carlos works about 500km away and only gets home about once a month.

They have a combined income of roughly $400.usd a month.

Other family members include her mother who is living in Spain and her sister, currently studying medicine in Cuba.

Paraguay itself is the third poorest country in Latin America with fully 20% of the population living in slums or slum like conditions.

...but back to the main story!

...a beautiful day dawned....a beautiful day to laze about the beach and take a dip from time to time....manual construction work?...not so much....but it is what it is.

Sadly, one of the crew was struck down with a bug...but that too happens.

Azu and Claudia, our Habitat Paraguay connection

Work proceeded at an astonishing pace.

It never fails to amaze how 14 perfect [or imperfect in my case] strangers can come together and gel as a unit in such a short period of time.

Each member is assigned a task and that's about it.

If you tire of the task at hand or otherwise need a rest someone will swap or fill in. It's almost a sixth sense whereby you just look around and note what needs to be done and like "Nike"....just do it.

Everyone has limitations or are better at somethings than others and that's ok too. If it needs to get done, it will get done. ....Note to self....I must remember to chat with Lydia, who is an accredited psychologist about this "team work" phenomenon, but I suspect it just boils down to a group of people, of a like mind, participating in a common cause.

As mentioned, work proceeded at an astonishing rate in spite of the heat and humidity.

Fearless leader Murray suggested that if he were to do it again, he would research climatic conditions more closely and perhaps delay further into fall, or even winter.

But again.....it is what it is.

It also amazes that within two days a group of Canadians can be laughing and joking, in two languages, with spanish speaking masons.

Who said there are language barriers.

One member, [Jen], who struggled with basic spanish phrases the first day, immediately picked up  

"Alberto esta caliente", or "lindo culo Alberto".

I think we should get Jen out of Fort Mac more often! ....admittedly though, Alberto, the head mason, is indeed an attractive fellow.

....site clean up at the end of day 2

As you can see, the structure is beginning to actually look like a house.

 Alixe is thrilled at the progress.

....btw, as part of the Habitat agreement, the home owner must contribute 500 hours of what is referred to as "sweat equity".
I'm thinking that she will fulfil the obligation with ease....never seen anyone work as hard as she does!!!



....a post script....

Joc commented about the overhead wires in an earlier photo of old Asuncion.
....well, the technical term, in the lines trade, is "a dogs breakfast", and very common throughout latin america and the caribbean.
Usually caused by lack of pre-planning or just laying circuit after circuit, willy nilly and as required.
That same method of line construction, multiplied by 3 [power, telephone and cable] leads to the aforementioned dogs breakfast!

My name is Dan ....and the Saturday excursion to a local "futbol" game has been  confirmed and I'm excited!!!!

Time to catch up.....Asuncion and Day 1 of the build

I believe I mentioned that the bus ride to Asuncion was uneventful.
If I didn't, it was.
Claudia, our Global Village contact down here had a cab waiting for us and we were whisked away to our hotel.....but you already know that.

We arrived a day early and took the opportunity to explore the old part of the city with a few of the other early arrivals.

Asuncion is a city of ~1.2 million yet it has the feel of a small colonial spanish town....especially the old part.

-preparing "Yubba Mate"

Again, the square is a treed mish mash of vendors selling lace and shoeshines, "Mate" [mah-tay] and jewlry, tatoos and artwork.

"Mate" is a traditional drink in Paraguay as well as Uruguay and Argentina.
Served hot or cold [terere mate is cold] the herb mixture is placed in a cup like vessel, traditionally a bulls horn and hot or cold water is poured over the herb mixture. It is sipped thru a [usually silver] metal straw with a spoon shaped sieve at the end called a "bombillo".
Tradition dictates that the "Mate" be shared among friends. It is supposed to be a healthy "cure all" that invigorates and refreshes.
I don't know about the cure all but it was indeed refreshing.
The cold version I sampled reminded me of cold Camomile tea with a hint of mint and a touch of sweetness. You will see people sipping everywhere!

street vendor - but note to her right, a "Mate" cup and silver "bombillo"

There are a wide assortment of herbs to chose from and many people develop their own personal medley.
The Yubba leaf itself is very bitter but is the prime "medicinal" ingredient.

The containers for the hot [or cold] water are similar to a large thermos but usually wrapped with stitched and intricately embossed, or hand tooled leather.

The next day dawned a bit overcast which, in my mind is ok for the first day of a build in a sub tropical country.
...but first, a bit of housekeeping.
There was an "orientation/ safety meeting" held at the hotel where Claudia introduced us to other members of her "Habitat" team and went over the usual construction site safety rules as well as how the house will be constructed.
In this regard, the build here is more organized than the one I attended in Guatemala.
Then, off to the worksite about 20 minutes away where we would meet "our family" [more about that in a bit] and participate in an opening ceremony along with a short prayer of thanks and safety. [did I mention that Habitat is a Christian organization but they don't overdo the worship aspect at all.....but I digress]

The jobsite that greeted us.

That ancient chinese proverb about many hands making light work could not be more true.

The foundation lines were already laid out and with 14 eager navies toiling away [perhaps too eager considering the heat] , it wasn't long before the foundation was excavated.


Once the masons were satisfied with the excavation, the trenches, we so carefully burrowed were filled in again with rock and rubble. [counterproductive?]

The trench was then filled with a slurry of concrete, sharp sand and mortar sand.
[ah...ok...now I get it!]

I'm not sure which job was messier, adding the components to the cement mixer or the pour of the slurry [yes, we had a mixer....what a novel concept....one that Guatemala should adopt]



    ...very messy as it was a slurry remember, and prone to splashing about as it was mixed or and as you can imagine, the pouring of the sludge was just plain messy by default.

By the end of our day all were astonished by what was accomplished.
Foundation dug, footings in place, the first course of foundation block pretty much in place.

Time to clean up the job site in preparation for tomorrows activity, head home to a hot shower and a cold beer.  [woo hoo!!!]                                

Quick update.....

....as mentioned, the police [well, actually Rocky] escorted us to the bus terminal
[airports, ferry and bus terminals.....do I detect a pattern here?]....anyway, the 5 hour bus trip to Asuncion actually took closer to 6 what with a number of stops and all.
It was otherwise uneventful with the scenery flowing past and me dozing from time to time.
Arrived at the Pelican Hotel which is just on the edge of the commercial district, unpacked and settled in. The owner, Emilio, a retired Brazilian pilot is most hospitable.....bending over backwards to fulfil our needs. The wee cynical bit in me suggests that he should since Habitat Paraguay can feed him a lot of business and bad reviews from the participants could compromise the arrangement.

The balance of the team should start drifting in tomorrow and then it is down to business.

My name is Dan ....and the fun has just begun
Stay tuned.

Adios Argentina [please don't cry for me], C U Uruguay [though I might miss Montevideo]

We are now off to Asuncion, capital of Paraguay and the start of our build.

John graciously arranged a driver [Rocky] to take us to the auto ferry across the river to Paraguay, guide us through immigration, and drive us quite a distance to the bus terminal where we caught a bus to Asuncion.

Rocky more than delivered! Not only did he get us to the terminal, but helped with the tickets and made sure we got on the right bus.

As it turns out, Rocky, when not ferrying John's clients around, is by day a police officer.....so you could say we had a police escort out of Argentina!!!!

3 frontiers...Paraguay straight ahead, Brazil on the right, Argentina on the left

Iguazu

...also at the wine bar in Montevideo

Wine bar and Tango show



My Name is Dan ......and I'll see you in Asuncion!

Puerto Iguazu here we come.....

....up at the crack of another ridiculous hour.
Sergio arranged for a driver to take us to the airport.....yes!!!, another airport.
Montevideo is a beautiful city....as mentioned before, complete with a sea side promenade very similar to the malecon in Havana. A stunning mixture of old and new.
The flight to Iguazu was by way of Buenos Aires.....this time the municipal airport.......did I mention how much I love airports?.....flight was uneventful.

Iguazu is fantastic!.....and the falls are pretty cool as well!
Sorry, just kidding, if it weren't for the falls the town wouldn't exist....and they are as spectacular as you can possibly imagine.
All the nature shows, even in Hi-Def, don't do it justice....IMAX might come close, but I seriously doubt it!
As far as the town goes, think Whistler and Banff with a touch of Huntsville and a tad Lake of the Woods.
Ahhhh....but the falls....amazing!!!
However....the day started very early with a birding expedition to Iguazu National Park, also home of the falls.

Murray and Barb are avid birders and I enjoyed their, as well as our guide, Daniels', excitement at seeing the avian variety. I'm told that seeing 33 different species is something special. I suspect they enjoyed watching me fumble with my photographic paraphernalia just as much.
It was a great experience traipsing through the jungle trails with an accredited naturalist.

....for me though, the falls were the thing to see.
I am at a loss for words to describe the vista. [those that know me will be shocked and surprised that I could ever be at a loss for words....but I digress once again]
This is Niagara x1000.
Interestingly, there isn't the thunder or  the roar of Niagara except at the top of the "Devils Caldron"...perhaps the most famous of the Falls.....and arguably, the absolute best feature is the absence of "Clifton Hill" and all the ticky tacky glitz.
No wax museum was indeed a treat!
I must confess that having grown up in southern Ontario and having visited Niagara on countless occasions, I was wondering if Iguazu would impress all that much.
I remember well, bringing friends and relatives to Niagara for their first time and being bemused buy their reverential reaction to the site.....after all, it's only Niagara.

Suffice to say I was as gobsmacked as the aforementioned friends and relatives.

It is indeed a wondrous place....the obvious power of the water.... so violent yet so serene.
I could have easily spent the entire day just wandering the abundance of trails.

Accommodation wise, we were split up.
Murray and Barb stayed at a small B&B called "The Secret Garden"....and it was!

John, the proprietor, was the epitome of an aristocratic Indian gentleman. He had a fascinating past ending up doing professional photography and ultimately running a B&B in Iguazu. He was the consummate host, inviting me to join my two companions for his "Happy Hour" where he plied us with endless "Caiprihinas"....a Brazilian version of a Mojito, without the mint and soda and made with "Caisasha" instead of rum....otherwise the same!

Mi casa....Le Boutique Hotel

Ok....basically, quartered limes and sugar, muddled together, add ice and top up with the Caisasha, which is similar to white rum insofar as it is made from cane sugar, and it has the same effect as Mojitos....very refreshing but be careful because it will sneak up on you....if you know what I mean.
John could not have done more for us....arranging cabs, dining suggestions etc.
My accommodations were gorgeous.....lush tropical setting, very comfortable room, and again, a host [Simone] who could not do enough. We opted to have a dinner at "my place" as her husband is a professionally trained Italian chef...needless to say the dinner was awesome!!!

My name is Dan.....and I'm falling behind on these blogs!!!

Where was I….

…oh yes, off to the Museo del Vino to take in the “Gardel desde el alma Tango”.

It was “un espectaculo cantado y narrado, emotive, con humor, didactico!”

Did you get all that? ….no?

…well, and very loosely translated, a spectacle of song and narration, an emotional, with humour, dedication to the Tango….with a selection of wines, cheeses and a pizza thrown in.

Sergio sat with us for a bit and chatted about the show, the food, the wine, his life in Uruguay [he is actually Argentinian], our lives, etc.,  ….a very interesting fellow with a fascinating background.

Afterwards, outside and waiting for a taxi, we were privileged to be able to chat with one of the vocalists [she had a beautiful voice by the way, who sang with such passion!] and a couple of the musicians via the vocalists’ friend who spoke English. They wanted to know how we, obviously tourists, came to be at a show normally frequented by locals, and they seemed genuinely thrilled that we were there …..we also exchanged  the usual chit chat and travel questions….where are you from? …..what do you do?....what is life like where you live ?…..

Great live entertainment, great company, great food and drink!!!....what's not to like!!!!

 All in all a memorable experience!!!

Got home around 1am…..posted a blog and crashed….well, tried to crash but a group of somewhat inebriated revelers created quite the hub bub beneath our windows well into the remaining wee small hours.

…. Up at the crack of something ridiculous and off to the airport to head to Puerto Iguazu to explore the world famous falls.

That will make a total of 6 airports, 2 ferry terminals and a bus terminal in 5 days.

I hope Murray doesn’t work us that hard on the jobsite! [ just kidding Murray! ]

My name is Dan ….and I’m feeling a bit sleep deprived!

....a little more time, a little more blog....

...Ok, Wendy, no bugs so far but we haven't been out of urban development as yet....that will change tomorrow, when we head up to Iguazu Falls and do some hiking, but it is the end of summer here and the bugs should hopefully be on the wain.

...and to the anonymous commentator....patience please, detail will come as time and WiFi presents itself.

On the previous build in Guatemala, one team member, Megan, initiated a daily ritual whereby, at dinner, we went around the table and played "good thing / bad thing / new thing" which was a family game she played while growing up.
To those who do not pick up on the obvious, the game involves each member, in turn, announcing, admitting to, or otherwise revealing a "good thing", a "bad thing", and "something new", that happened or was learned that day.
I hope we can continue this exercise when the rest of the troop arrives and we begin the build portion of this adventure.....in the meantime....

"Good thing", so far, ....the company that I have the privilege of travelling with  are great! ....Very easy to travel with....very easy going and accommodating.
"Bad thing", so far, ...so much to see!....so little time!
"New thing learned" .....it's totally impossible to blog on a moving bus!

Now, picking up where I left off and otherwise filling in some blanks....

As I said, Buenos Aires is huge!....lots of hustle and quite a bit of bustle to boot!
...quite modern...the drive from the airport to our Hostel was much like driving through the GTA [Greater Toronto Area for those not familiar with the so called centre of the universe] from Pearson to downtown.

We checked into the Hostel on Florida St...very comfortable....and young!
[I guess that I could file that under a new thing as well...never stayed in a hostel before....but I digress]
....it kinda felt like I was a chaperone on a school trip, except I didn't know any of the kids....but all were very friendly.

Florida Street is a closed-to-traffic pedestrian mall with lots of street vendors, bright lights and more of the aforementioned hustle and bustle.
As we wandered in search of sustenance, we came upon a Tango demo at the intersection of another pedestrian mall[what a passionate dance!!]....found a fairly classy restaurant and commenced to chow down slabs of grilled beef tenderloin about the size of a volkswagen c/w mushroom au jus....and souffled potatoes chips, which were awesome!!! ....some fine Argentinian Malbec topped things off nicely....and it was surprisingly cheap....about $20 cdn each !!!!

Drawbridge and gate into old Colonia

Very early the next day, a quick cab run to the ferry terminal.

Catching the ferry to Colonia Uruguay is much like catching a plane with the same line-ups and waiting around. The ferry itself was about an hour and when we arrived in Colonia, we opted to check our luggage and explore the "Barrio Historica", the historical district.
 Much of what remains was built in the 18th century and has a colourful history....we explored for a couple of hours, gathered our things and took a cab to the Posada del Bosque, where you last caught up to me.

The wine and cheese bar

....most lasting impression? ....the place is SPOTLESS!!! ...everywhere!!!
... went back to the Barrio for dinner and discovered the quaintest wine and cheese bar in a building built in 1720 [mas o minos!]
The server quickly became our new best friend with very generous pours of different Uruguay wines!
His English was good enough to provide fascinating historic, as well as vinicultural information.
...and btw, ....Uruguay is to cheese [best ever!!]...what Cuba is to ice cream!!!

Yes, it's been a whirlwind so far but I'm enjoying every moment.

Today we boarded the bus from Colonia to Montevideo.
Very interesting scenery en route. ....Hard to describe as it is very similar to other countrysides yet also very different in it's own way....just when you think "that reminds me of such and such in Guatemala, or Cuba" you see something else that is unique....it's all similar but different! [if that makes any sense]

Plaza Independancia - Montevideo

We arrived in Montevideo and cabbed to "Casa Sarandi Guesthouse" located in the heart of old Montevideo....a two bedroom apartment on the third floor of what was probably quite the apartment building in its day.
Built in 1939 during Montevideo's hay-day, the stairs wind around an operational caged elevator located at the back of the building. Sergio, the owner, was extremely helpful, suggesting places to go etc. He even arranged for a private car to take us to the airport tomorrow.

Montevideo is a cosmopolitan city of approximately 1.5 million [total pop. of Uruguay is roughly 3 million] yet it seems very laid back and operates at a much slower pace than Buenos Aires.....I like that!!!

Plaza de la Constitucion

We wandered around the heart of Montevideo and all I can say is ...this is more like it!!!....a little like old Havana but more modern, with up to date goods and services....yet you will still see the odd horse drawn cart, beat up 60s something VW beetles and Fiats.
...lots of vendors in the Plaza de la Constitucion and along the adjoining pedestrian street only that leads to Plaza Independancia.



We are off shortly to the "Museo de Vino"....a wine and cheese bar featuring a tribute to and history of the Tango, highly recommended by Sergio.
It seems there is debate as to where the tango originated with both Argentina and Uruguay laying claim.

...lasting impression?  ...all the streets are line with beautiful mature trees!

Tomorrow it's an early rise again as we head to Iguazu Falls where we will be for more than one night [woohoo!!]....and where hopefully you will hear from me again.  

My name is Dan ....and I do believe I could live here!