Hola Amigos! Sorry for the delay. It was not for lack of desire.....but rather lack of electricity!
If you like to follow along...start at day 98!
Love You All!
And BTW: Debbie Scobie.....Chris says to shout out a big HELLO and congrats on the baby!!!!!

Day 102

Cabo Polonia, Uruguay

Feeling motivated from our days of relaxation, today we got up, drank our mud coffee on the porch and then hiked out into the dunes.

It was spectacular. Sand and blue sky as far as you can see. It reminded both of us of the far reaching sand dunes of our childhoods......which sadly no longer exist.

After our hike we had lunch, and then as you do in SA....we waited.

We were packed and ready, but with no access to phones or internet, where to head and how to get there was a mystery we forgot to solve.

Our predicament was ended by the kind people at our hostel. After watching us sit for hours, perplexed, the owner of the hotel......either out of kindness or a desire to have our luggage out of her lobby,........offered to 4 by 4 us over the dunes where her boyfriend would be waiting to take us to his small resort in the even smaller town of Aguas Dulces.

For those of you traking.....ARE WE OFF THE MAP YET????

Day 102

Aguas Dulces, Uruguay

Good evening!

Its actually a cute little beachside community with almost no tourists.....which is nice sometimes.

And besides........they have an internet cafe! What more could you ask for?

Day 101

Cabo Polonia, Uruguay

Much the same as yesterday...................

A day at the beach. So I´ll tell you a bit about Cabo:

As I have implied, but not completely spelled out, Cabo is an anything goes kind of place. This fact prompted Bryce to inquire more than once "Mommy...why is that girl naked?"

But, its this lacksidasicle attitude of this place that is its charm.

Its a place where the beach is never crowded. But, guard your bag because one of the wild horses running the shoreline might steal an apple out of it.

And if you don´t mind....a wandering cow may choose to share your beach blanket.

Want to go horseback ridding? The guy with the brown house, up the hill, will happily saddle you up for $1.35 US. No guide, no instruction. Just point the horses toward the beach. They know what to do.

Today a fearless dolphin played in the waves for hours just 10 feet from where Rich and Bryce were swimming.

Its a quiet town.....about the most activity we have seen is the daily Yoga in the sand.

Day 100
DAY 100 AND WE DIDNT EVEN KNOW IT! We were in la la land.
Up at 9am we were ready for a big day of........nothing.
After buying groceries for lunch and comandering a few chairs and an umbrella we sat ourselves in the sand......and stayed there.
Bryce built sandcastles. Rich played in the waves and I read an entire book.
We also enjoyed the local delicacies. One is a drink of sweet milk and rum poured over ice. The other is fried alge balls served up right on the beach with lemon and sugar. I know they sound bad....but I swear they are amazing. We ate them for three days straight.
In the evening we headed back to the hotel looking forward to a cool shower.
There on the porch....were Chris and Dan! We love these guys. Happy to see our buddies we skipped the shower and had a couple pitchers of sangria while Bryce played in the rocks discovering "sea creatures".

Dan taught Bryce that if you throw a small mussel into the open tenacles of a sea urchin....they will snap shut and the creature will devour the meat and spit the shell back out at you. Bryce reckoned this to be the best information ever gathered and spent hours "feeding the sea anenomes".

There is something enchantingly beautiful about a town with no electricity after dark. As the sun falls behind the sand, each house illuminates with candle light and walkways are lined with laterns leading the way to open doors from which music flows.
People walk the sandy paths with flashlights or simply by the glow of the moon. As they pass they smile and whisper as if sharing a beautiful secret.
We had dinner under a tent, lit by candelight, with our toes in the sand.

Day 99
Cabo Polonia, Uruguay
Our friend, Leo, had mentioned this tiny enclave of a town called Cabo Polonia and suggested it as a good way to see another side of Uruguay.
I might say more than "another side" its "another time".
To explain:
In the early 1900´s, before Uruguay had any roads, this tiny point on the ocean´s edge became a fishing village. In the 1960´s hippies discovered the remote beauty and turned the place into a kind of commune haven. In the late 1970´s the entire area surrounding the town was made a Nationally protected wilderness.....leaving Cabo forever with no road, no phones, no electricty.
This act ensured Cabo has remained about the same for the past 40 years.
Cabo is not easy to get info on and not easy to get to.
To arrive here we took two buses, the second of which dropped us in the sand about 10 Kilometers outside of the town. We then waited with all the hippie chicks for the "Cabo Bus". What arrived was a big open air safari vehicle which transported us, and our 100 pounds of lugguage, over the dunes and into town.

This bumpy ride along the sand caused Bryce to declare "Getting there is half the fun!"

The transport drops you in the center of town where pregnant woman where sarongs and dread-lock headed teenagers sell handmade jewlery in the sand.
Rich hiked it to the only decent place we had heard of to stay. He returned only moments later with, Tony.....from Lemonminster, Ma.! Small, small world.
Together they got all our stuff uphill to La Perla Hosteria our home for the next four days and three nights.
With everyone easily getting over yesterday´s stress (how could you not....this is the most laidback place on earth!) the first order of business was to kick off our shoes.

We would not be needing them again until we departed.
Tired from the trip we set ourselves down into comfy chairs on the front porch of our hotel. We sat there drinking Sangria and listening to the waves crash all day.

We stayed there.........

Through sunset.

And into the night.

Day 98
La Barra, Uruguay
About 12 hours after reading about our "super-suite" our friend Chris (who we had left behind in Beunos Aires) was on our doorstep in Uruguay.....with his friend Dan.
Excited to have company we all had fun going out to dinner on the Strip and even more fun the next day just sitting at the beach.
Its good to have company because no matter how much we are loving our adventure......and no matter how much we love each other......24/7.....the three of us.......I will admit at times we get on each othes nerves.
Rich was going through a stag of "do his own thing" which could leave Bryce and I a bit stranded....and now we are in trouble because entertaining Bryce has kept me from trip research.....which has left us with nowhere to go in the AM when we have to check out of this hotel!

Day 97

Jose Ignacio, Uruguay

Day Trip! We rented a car today and headed 45 minutes further North up the Coast to the last town on the paved section of Ruta 10 (The Coastal Highway). We had heard many a rumor about Jose Ignacio.....but could gather no information. The hotels dont really advertise and when you call they tell you "show up and we will see what we can do". We are told this is meant to keep the riff raff out and protect the privacy of Jose Ignacio´s privledged visitors. Our friends say you are just as likely to stroll down the beach in this remote village with the president of a small nation...or Angie and Brad.

We just had to check it out.

From the moment you arrive in Jose Ignacio it becomes instantly clear to you that you have found the birthplace of "Shabby Chic". And her mother, "beachfront elegance", still lives here

too. Its nothing but a tiny beach hamlet, and there is nothing gliz or flash about Jose at all.......but you can just feel quiet paradise seeping out of the air in this place.

We strolled town for a bit (10 minutes), then strolled the breathtaking beaches, then found a place for lunch. The most adorable seaside cafe, Los Negros, comfy waterfront seating. Casual, yet perfect toes in the sand kind of a place.

It was here we found out the other way Jose Ignacio keeps out the riff raff.

A side salad was $30 and entres went from $80 to $150! YES...I am talking US dollars. (They only accept US dollars in Jose Ignacio). I´ll say it again.....What country are we in???!!!

A kind soul back in La Barra explained to me that the restaurants in Jose Ignacio need to ensure "casual tourists" dont stay long. Well......they may have succeded with us. We enjoyed our lunch, felt we had paid for another walk on the beach, and then headed back to La Barra. Hamptons.....this town makes you look cheap!

But, we did have a great day!

Day 96

La Barra, Uruguay

Well....if Punta Del Este is the hot stuff.....La Barra is her cool little sister. Only 30 minutes up the coast we have moved ourselves to a big "kid friendly" resort in La Barra. This town is tiny compared to Punta, but every restaurant is sheek, every store sells the highest in beach bum fashion....and the sand is beautiful. Its quieter here than in Punta, but obivously more "in the know".

Anyhow.....when we arrived at the resort (which needless to say is way out of our budget) they showed us to our room. It was in the basement and there was one double bed.

Oh no! Not having it.

I explained to the bellman that I needed a King Size bed if there was only one bed (we are sleeping three people here)....well the manger called back, said it was impossible......you know the drill.

But, I know nothing is impossible.

So I had another nice chat with my lovely bellboy, and after paying for our entire three night stay up-front cash, in US dollars......The Heralds moved to the Presidential Suite. (For the same price as the small room in the basement).

Now, this hotel room is probably bigger than our next house will be. Two floors, multiple bedrooms and baths, living room, kitchen, three decks......all looking at the ocean, and of course, a private roofdeck with lounge chairs and BBQ. Now this is how you live in La Barra!

Above: view from our master bedroom.

Tonight we are off to The Sushi Club for dinner on the beach. It does not even open until 10pm....but they say kids are no problem. The culture here is so different!

Bryce Quote of the day:
After dinner I took Bryce's hand. Only to realize it was covered in goop. "Bryce, how did you get so sticky?" I asked.
He looked at me seriously and said "Mommy, I have been sticky for years!"

DAYS 92-95
PUNTA DEL ESTE, URUGUAY
Another two hour bus ride up the coast brought us to Punta Del Este..a.k.a The Bevery Hills of South America.

To be honest.....I don't think there is this much money in Beverly Hills and Bel Air combined! The streets might as well be lined with gold....and we might have to mine them if we stay much longer.
The broadways here are lined with palm trees, and high end shops. The women go by on scooters wearing hand woven straw hats and white Gucci crepe dresses. The restaurants all have sections for regular customers and seperate rooms for VIPs, as well as outdoor lounges with comfy sofas and candelights which are filled with pretty people until five am..... on a Monday. Even the taxis here are Mercedes....S class.
We quickly discovered that $100 per night (our high end) buys you the roach motel in Punta....but drawn in by the glitz and glamour, I turned to my old friend, Expedia.com and got a decent deal in the residential section. (Where you can not distinguish which monolith is the 50 room hotel and which as simply the neighboring private homes). WHICH COUNTY ARE WE IN AGAIN??? Who knew.....Uruguay!
Anyhow....Expedia served me well and the hotel is lovely. L'Auberge....its...5 stars (and actually deserves them), excellent sevice and a mellow atmosphere that could keep you in a lounge chair for days.
Side Note: Heather mentioned in the comments section that she had never seen me so much in sunglasses. True...I dont normally wear them. But, if there is one thing to remember in South America....its is Al Gore's cry "No O-Zone."

Back on topic......Of course...please note, we are the black sheeps of the resort. While other guests sit around the lounge discussing their "private islands", yachts, and art shopping sprees.....we have laundry hanging all over our room, because we cant afford the hotel rate for laundry service. Ooops.
The only real downside was Bryce woke up yesterday morning with a terrible cough and shortness of breath. We immediately went to the front desk to ask where we could find a pharmacy. But after hearing his syptoms.....the receptionist replied "I think Bryce should see a doctor."
"We dont want to get him out of bed and put him through hours of waiting a clinic or hospital" I told her.
With a scewed expression on her face she said "Of course not! Who would ever do that to a sick child?"
The entire American Medical System is what I thought.....but instead of saying it I quiried "Then what do we do?"
She told me she would call the local pediatrician and he would arrive at our hotel room within the hour. Who knew!
20 minutes later the doctor...and his nurse arrived. They put Bryce on vapor oxygen and gave him some medication (most likely never approved by the FDA) and he was better in 20 minutes.
I do suppose there are some major disadvantages to "the modern medical system" of the good old USA.

Anyhow...with Bryce feeling better....we decided not to waste the 85 and sunny day (of course, they all are/but none should be wasted) and we headed for Playa 12. What we had been told was the"fun beach". Fun it was! Cocktails, food that makes you feel bad to be wearing a bikini, rides, beach massages, slides, bungi jumping.....The works!
Bryce promptly found a group of fans (little Uruguan hotties) and all of us had a blast.
At the end, Bryce announced "You are the best parents ever!" I'll take it while I can get it.

Yes...that is me on the slide to the right. I am always happy to humiliate myself to keep things interesting on the blog!

Day 90
Montevideo, Uruguay
Sadly....we had to leave Colonia.
Our last night there we were sitting at the outdoor cafe in the square. Richard and I were sharing a bottle of wine and listening to the Sax player belt out Frank tunes, while Bryce sat under the table sharing his dinner with the lot of local dogs......the air was warm, but with a nice breeze....and we met a woman from Canada. She said she had also happened upon Colonia by accident, she was not even suppose to stay one night. But, now she had been there a week and the next day she and her husband were meeting with a local real estate agent. Yes.....its just that wonderful.
Anyway, we decided we had to leave because as lovely as it is.....there is nothing there. No travel agents, no shops to speak of, and nobody speaks English. Hard to plan anything that way.
So we got on the local bus, traveled three hours and arrived here to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay.
As for Montevideo....
We came
We saw
Were leaving.
A. Nothing is open here on the weekend.....so our entire plan of getting things done is shot.
B. After Buenos Aires....this city is quite a let down. Just like a little BA wanna-b, but dirty and noisey, and quite boring overall. The city is not so well kept and we cant find anything to do.
Last night we actually took a cab out to the suburbs (to the shopping mall) to see a movie. We saw the new movie (is it new in the US?) Noche a la Museo.....Night at the Museum. It was in English...with Spanish subtitiles. At least Bryce had a good time.

Day 80

Colonia, Uruguay

Yesterday we officially dragged ourselves out of Buenos Aires. We spent our last night there at a fun and very "IN" restaurant called, Osaka, with Chris and then I went home at 1am. Rich did not arrive back to the hotel until nearly 5am.....but he managed to make it up at 7:45 for our cab to the dock. Chris had given us the "inside info" that there is no need to fly or bus it to Uruguay from BA....there is a Ferry! So, at 10am yesterday morning we and about 500 well-dressed Argentinians cleared customs and loaded the "ferry". Turns out its a huge ship with a casino, shopping mall, restaurant, top deck bar........needless to say we did not take it all in because we slept the entire three hour ride.

I knew nothing of Colonia, had never heard of it in fact, but thats where the boat went....and you know me....if I can cross a border without flying or terrifying roads......that is how I am going to do it. Hence, our last hotel in BA had booked us a cheap hotel ($50 per night) in Colonia for one night and I figured we would figure it out from there.

Here we are.....two days later. Colonia is beautiful! Its like going into the past. It has that Spanish Colony feeling I have discovered only a former port town in a country that has never fully reached the economic status needed to explode can have. Everything here is so perfectly charming. The cobblestone streets, the two story haciendas, the majestic government buildings mixed with English cottage style churches. Cafes line the avenues and all roads lead to the water.

Where the Uruguayans seem to sit for hours watching the boats come in and out of the Harbor.

Even the cars here seem to have been forgotten in time. Not that you really need them. The town can be walked top to bottom in 20 minutes. And it appears some residents have figured that out and left their cars parked for....well.. can we say "A little too long".

As for our cheap hotel, I mentioned, Don Antonio Pousada......well........its incredible!
Not to mention my lunch today was $3.25 with drinks! OK...so what did we do today....Ummmm....NOTHING! What are we up to tomorrow?? Ummmmm.....I think the same!

Day 78

Buenos Aires, Argentina

This morning we woke at the horrific hour of 8:30Am to hop a ride out to Estancia Santa Susan, an old fashioned ranch about 1.5 hours outside of Buenos. As much as we have been loving the city of Buenos Aires....we thought it might be nice to see the outlying area called The Pampa. A massive amount of land filled with large ranches and farms, the way it has been for hundreds of years.

The day turned out quite nice and we had a great time. We started out with a little horseback ride, and then a big Bar-B-Q, called a Parrilla.

Of course, Rich and Bryce enjoyed that part a little more than I did. But, the wine was flowing freely, the gauchos were singing and the whole event turned into a real old fashioned sing and dance fiesta.
After getting us livened up and happy......the ranchers took us outside to watch them do round-up. I must tell you these guys are amazing. Many of the guachos were fifth generation Argentine ranchers and they work a horse better than I work my own two feet. I thought about Darci and Grace......you guys have got to get out here!

After the round-up we hung about visiting with the family who owned the estancia. As some of your know, Bryce has been begging me to ride horse for over a year now. I have insisted he can not ride until he is 7.

However, I turned my back for one minute..........and it seems like the rancher´s daughter, Yasmine..aka Bryce´s new girlfriend, had other ideas!

She threw out a hand, Bryce hopped righ on and off they went across the field! She is a young, rough and tumble tomboy with the looks of a future super model. And a rich father to boot! If this is Bryce´s type......we are in for a heap of trouble!

DAY 77

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

This town loves their tango!And Bryce loves a good show.....so with a little begging the concierge managed to get us three box seats to one of the best Tango shows in town. It did not disappoint. The event is held in this old Opera House about 15 minutes outside of dowtown. The building alone is enough to put you in the mood with the thick red curtains and bronze balconies. And the production! What can I say....

This is is like the Boston Pops, Chicago lyric Opera, and Broadway all rolled into one..... with the difference being that they serve wine and liquor in your box! And one more difference.....this show is.................................

!!!!!!SEXY!!!!!!

(OK.....had to throw that in. I figure a little skin keeps you reading. :)

Anyhow....needless to say that seeing Tango in an antique theatre in Buenos Aires was a life experience of grand proportion.

They finished the night with "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" in Spanish sung by three Opera Singers with a full orchestra behind them. I must say....it put Madonna to shame.

I openly sobbed like a baby and jumped to my feet with thundering applause!

Hey Everyone....just wanted to let you know that Tim and Ligia (our new commenters) were the Brazilian family we met on the trip to Cape Horn. Great to have fellow travelers reading and putting in their take of certain days as well!
Thanks Guys!

Day76

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

Sorry to have been so remise about writing! But, we have been so enthraled with enjoying our time in this incredible city that we have not had a moment to stop! So...I'll start at the beginning.....our first full day here we checked into the Four Seasons (Thanks Mom!). We quickly got our barrings in the "high rent district" of Recoleta where the hotel is located......and Bryce quickly reverted back to his roots by happily taking a call (on the private cell phone the hotel provided him!) from Braden and Madison.

Upon returning from our reconnisence mission to explore the neighborhood....we found Rich's friend, Chris, from high school hanging out in the lobby! He had been keeping up on the blog and email.....and decided Buenos Aires was as good a place as any to hang out with us. Those of you who know Chris...are not surprized. Anyway....our foursome quickly gathered friends and by the first night we were in a Argentine steak house having dinner with our new "crew". Rich and I, Chris, a vacationing couple from Italy named Paulo and Antionella, and Leo...the local professional soccor player.

The next day we all just relaxed for my birthday. The group hung out at the pool and I treated myself to a day at the spa and indulging in the wonderful Argentine tradition of siesta.

Hey! Its necessary! My birthday in Buenos with this crew....I knew it was going to be a late night!

My birthday evening started with a cake surprise from the hotel, which was very nice as it gave me the opportunity to have a little singing and celebration with Bryce.

We then headed out to a Japonese place the hotel recommended....very strange..but I have too much to tell to get into it....so we will skip it!

Following our very weird....three hour dinner, Chris insisted the Boston girl should spend some of her B-Day at a good old fashioned Irish Pub. So off we went to a place called Kilneys where the boys enjoyed Guiness and I drank two Cosmos that were even more strange than my dinner.

But the bar was fun and lively and all had a good time.

Around two am I ready ready to party and our group moved onto the Puerto Madero Barrio to a hot spot club called Asia De Cuba.

Packed in like Sardines, but enjoying the loud music and intense crowd of young and wild Argentinians we danced the night away into the wee hours of the morning when I finally convinced Rich the babysitter probably wanted to go home before noontime!

After sleeping away half of the next day we decided to take it easy and just stroll around the districts. We got lucky in that it was Sunday and the streets of Buenos Aires were alive with activity! Craft markets, street fairs, antique bizars, bands, jugglers, and more filled the cobblestone streets of the San Telmo Barrio and we spent hours just enjoying the vibe of the city.

Families dining in the streets.

Tango in the Square

The mime who stole Bryce off Rich's shoulders!

Just a lazy afternoon in Beunos Aires.......Thouroughly exhuasted from living the lifestyle of bed at 4am/wake up at 11.....we decided the Italians last night in BA would be a quiet one. Leo invited me to cook dinner for the group at his home and it sounded like an excellent plan. The only catch was that Leo took me to the grocery store and between an American (with terrible Spanish) and a single 20-something Argentinian soccor player (who had never grocery shopped before) it was a bit of an amusing ordeal to get all the ingredients. However the night turned out perfect. I managed to wiggle my way through Leo's kitchen as he set up an outdoor table in his backyard (turned private soccor field in dowtown BA). The night was warm and friendly and overall a perfect way to enjoy this incredible city.