Simultaneous Vacation.

After a couple of weeks in Buenos Aires, Natalia and I parted ways as I was headed back to Dallas for my last week of work.  Luckily I didn't have the same issues we had with the flight on the way in.  I arrived in Dallas on Sunday and was ready for work the next day.

I walked into the office and as we had a meeting that morning, I informed the boss that my contract ended that coming Friday and it would be my last day.  I will spare you all his reaction.  I worked for one more week and prepared to head out to Alaska.

Cell phone photo but here is what the bike was looking like when I was loading it up.









As I have already posted most of the trip on my other blog, Another Irregular Trip, I will only summarize here and add some photos from the highlights.

One of my first stops was the Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota.  I doubt we'll ever see it finished, but at least I got to see the face.

The next stop was Mount Rushmore.  Not as impressive as Crazy Horse, but still worth checking off of the list.  Quite a bit more touristy as well, especially being the 4th of July weekend it was packed with tourists.



While still in South Dakota, I figured I would stop in Sturgis, home of the famous motorcycle rally.  I have never been to the rally, but have seen pictures and video.  Interesting to see the streets empty this time around.

Skipping ahead a bit, this was taken right as I crossed the border into Canada.

"The beginning" of the journey.  After riding through a pretty heavy storm for two days, I made it to the beginning of the Alaska Highway.

Entering the Yukon Territory.  Some of the worst road I've been on (for this bike anyway).

And finally made it to the Arctic Circle!

The map of the route.  I only made it back to Portland, OR as I started having trouble with the motorcycle and decided to play it safe.  I flew back to Dallas and had the bike shipped (It should be here any day now).

An Anniversary to Remember (Trip to Uruguay 4)

A few hours later, we were in Montevideo.  The first thing that caught our attention was the beautiful waterfront, where locals were walking and enjoying a peaceful afternoon.  Again, we have nowhere to stay, as this was not the original plan. Some walking was in order to find a place.  We were lucky to find a brand new hotel with fabulous introductory prices!  With the discount, we paid exactly the same amount than in Colonia.  Luxurious is the word that comes to mind after our previous hotel.  It was wonderful.



Sorry this is blurry....  I was taking pictures from the car while
driving/ walking around looking for a hotel.



The night was cold, and a there was a light rain over the city.  We decided to relax/celebrate over sandwiches and beer.  There was a nice bar a few blocks away.  A perfect way to end the day. However, about 10 minutes later, it was pouring. The rain was not stopping. We talked and laughed until we ran out of topics.  We were full. A couple has been waiting for our table.  I was tired.  It was time to go.  

We ran back to the hotel, stopping from time to time under a balcony to catch our breath.  This technique didn’t work.  We looked like we had been thrown in the shower with clothes and all.  A water trail was left in the hotel’s lobby when we made our way to the elevator.



This is Jose Luis and I anniversary celebration, remember? The rain didn’t spoil the fun.  I was with my family, we were traveling, and there was hot water, with good pressure!  What else can I ask for?





PS:  For those of you wondering what else went wrong with this trip, let me tell you:  We got lost on our way back to Colonia, but I will save that story for another occasion.  J

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Things we liked about Uruguay:

1.      Palacio Salvo in the plaza was impressive.  Built in 1928, it was at the time the tallest building in South America.

2.      La Rambla de Montevideo

3.      Teatro Solís

4.      Walking and taking pictures in ciudad vieja.

5.      We saw so many women, that we wondered about the gender radio in Uruguay.  We have not been able to find anything current on this topic.

A Three Stars Hotel (Trip to Uruguay 3)

After the excitement faded of, it was time to rest.  Remember our hostel situation? Our last minute booked hotel, offered the following:

1.      Internet connection only in certain corners of the room.

2.      “Vintage” accommodations, with a strong 70’s vibe. Complete with flowery, bright pink covers, and “retro” furniture.

3.      Missing buttons remote control, which I solved pushing inside the holes with a pen or bobby pin. Other buttons didn’t work.  To change the channel you could only go down.

4.      The bathrooms have had some fixing done, and it showed….  Just not in a positive way.

5.      Water had no pressure. What came out of the shower was a coooold drizzle. Taking a shower was a torture. 

This was supposed to be a 3 stars hotel?  Hostels seemed better, and were half price!  We were annoyed.  Our pockets were sore…..*sigh*



Our room.  No internet on this corner.



To be fair, I have seen worse. There were some positives:

1. Hotel was conveniently located, close to shops, restaurants, and historic quarter.
2. Our room had a great view.
3. The heater was working! The remote had to be held directly in front of the unit, but we slept in a warm room.
4. Breakfast was included.

Nope, it just does not balance things out.  It was too expensive for what they offered.

We were the only ones in the dinning area next morning.  I was wondering what we were going to do that day and the next one. After all, we had seen most of the town main attractions.  While silently eating our barely average breakfast, Jose Luis proposed to… leave. We cancelled our reservation for the second night, and turned in the remote control, the keys, and an electrical converter to the person at the front desk. No questions asked.  That small, white rental car we got immediately after was an instant mood fixer.  No more silence, just laughter and excitement. See you later Colonia!

Mood Fixer

Railway Awesomeness

Going through the photos from our recent trip to Buenos Aires, I came across this one.  We were about 15 feet away from witnessing a taxi cab being struck by a train!

The Town (Trip to Uruguay 2)

Window

Immediately after dropping off our luggage at the hotel, we walked around town.

By the river. 

We walked by the river.

It was a typical winter day, cold and cloudy.  The water was gray as the sky, but it was still a nice view.  This is a must do during summer months.

There are small stores, coffee shops and restaurants in the historic quarter.

We wandered the streets.  

Although smaller than what we had expected, the historic quarter has cobblestone streets and short, pretty houses. There are remains of the wall that once surrounded the city, which tells of its military past.  An old lighthouse is located where the wall ends.  I later learned the lighthouse was built on top of San Francisco’s Convent ruins, which are the oldest ones in Uruguay.  

La Calle de los Suspiros

We found La Calle de los Suspiros (The Sighs Street)

It is one of the most picturesque places in the small town of Colonia.  Legend says the street was full of brothels.  When sailors walked on it, they sighed at the view of the beautiful women…

Parrillada includes several cuts of meat. 

We ate a very tasty parrillada uruguaya!

(To be continued...)