This year, we were invited to one of the exclusive roof top parties where a premium view comes with drinks and food. Our host was Luis, a friend and owner of Montevideo's newest and best hostel, the Palermo Art Hostel. Javier came along and we arrived to find a group of excited locals, tourists, and and friends waiting to make the short walk through the Palermo neighborhood to the party...
Outside the hostel, I met Raul, Luis' friend and professional photographer. Uruguayos are always eager to share their mate...
An hour before sundown, a lost drummer hustled down the street looking for his troupe...
Moments later, everyone walked to the venue, entered someone's house, climbed their stairs, then a ladder through a crawlspace entrance to the roof, and we found ourselves at a fully catered fiesta...
Besides all of the wine, beer, and liquor you could want, delicacies like foie gras with fresh bread were served...
Meats, cheeses, pastas and salads were regularly replentished by the wait staff...
And, of course, the asador kept barbecue beef coming all night. This man was such a master with meat, that I unknowingly enjoyed numerous tidbits of intestine, thymus glands, and kidney, having mistaken it for sausage and steak....Mmmmmm...
Meanwhile, this was the point of the party: to have a perfect view of the oncoming parade...
The "mani" man, selling his sugar coated peanuts made rounds between groups, while kids danced around and sprayed unknown foamy stuff from aerosol cans at any parade participant. It's quite the tradition for kids to kick, smack, slap or spray people--especially the floats, flag carriers or anyone in costume--that are performing in the parade...
Floats came early, but most of the parade were competitive candombe groups lead by their flag bearers and dancers...
Javier and Nico, the son of Ramon, owner of the El Fortin Hotel that we visited a week earlier. Montevideo truly is a town that looks like a city--everywhere you go, you see people you know. Even, if you are a couple gringos that have only lived here a year...
The feathered and sequined dancers, the baton twirler, the old man and woman, all lead the drummers...
More friends we barely know appear at the party. There names are forgotten, but we had dinner with them half a year ago in Punta del Diablo with Brian and Heidi. After this picture, without warning, the skies openend up and unleashed a torrential tropical downpour...
But soon the rain stopped, and the party did not. And neither did the parade...
Enjoy the parade...
No comments:
Post a Comment