Out Of The Pan de Azúcar, And Into The...

In late December, early summer, we were invited by some friends out to their ranch and tree farm for a big family asado to enjoy some roasted flesh over an open fire. The combination of forestry and raising livestock is a growing industry in Uruguay, that maximizes the use of land and resources. We invited Javier, and he drive us an hour outside of Montevideo and into the hills behind the small town of Pan de Azúcar, which means "bread of sugar"...

Although the four seasons are less distinct in terms of weather, vacation time--like many cultural patterns in Uruguay--can not be more obvious. The roads were packed--well one side was--as everyone's cars were loaded up and heading out to the glorious beaches in the department of Rocha, from Piriapolis and Punta del Este to La Paloma and Punta del Diablo. One little known sport in Uruguay is sand boarding--there are some impressive dunes along the beaches and we passed a vendor along the highway selling some boards...Another sure sign of summer traffic was the long lines at the transportation department toll booths along the route. And, even more classic, are the girls in matching outfits, all pushing promotions for various companies from MacDonald's to Tienda Inglesa to 7-Up. They line the meridians along the lanes, and literally hand out piles of fliers and free samples...


Once we turned off the highway and cut through an de Azúcar, it was twenty kilometers of rolling green hills before we found the ranch hiding in the woods...And, despite an eventual tropical downpour of sweet rain, we first enjoyed hours of meeting and making old and new acquaintances, everybody practicing Spanish or English and enjoying the potluck of food, followed by a ferocious game of family soccer, before relocating indoors under a thundering sky...
Racks of roasted cordero, lamb, and some freshly toasted pan, bread...
Fiesta familia...
Estadio Campo...
Por la casa, por que...
Poca lluvia...

Spirits were not nearly as damp as the earth but just as bustling as the din of the tin roof...

Before everyone said our thank yous and goodbyes to the process of piling back into our various modes of transportation, I took a look at the chicken coop which was a practical piece of art...
Lines of eucalyptus in the background, and a cargo of people in the pickup...
Then, we were back on the road, rocking to some Uruguayan bands, rolling home to Montevideo...

There's nothing like the perennial hospitality of this place and its humble but proud people. It was just another time well spent with family and friends, a special treat, like sweet bread, in the cerros of Uruguay...