Dia del Amigos July 20, 2012

One thing of special note about this country is their love of holidays.  Every month thus far has had at least one if not two or three days of no work, just relaxation and introspection of the navels which accompanies.  Wednesday was July 18, a day off for us from teaching because in 1830 they adopted their first constitution.  So, we jumped a bus with two friends and went to the beach.  Today, July 20, is Friendship Day.



We catch a lot of our buses in front of the neighborhood's old Public school which has an ancient Kapok tree to stand guard over all the children as they play in their school yard.

First bus, first light to meet up at the downtown Terminal with our Friends and head out of town.

Two Yanks (a long way from home), a physical Italian and his British beauty prepare to storm the deserted winter beaches of Pariapolis, Uruguay with its armada of 

dry-docked vessels from around the world



The chair lift from the marina up to the top of the mountain probably offered a fantastic view, but your humble servant this author was told we were going to "take the hill" which didn't include a ride.

Of course, when a guy's married to an Amazon he can accomplish anything

and summitting is easy!

Especially when the hill is named after you.



Descents are much easier when it's back through a historical timeline which you can study.

  

 Now, this is as good a place as any to say a little something about our friends; since it is, after all, Frienship day.  Let's just call them Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni's David and his Lady Godiva.  Right about the time a guy and a gal start to think they're something special just because they rode a bus down the length of South America, they meet another couple with Round-the-World airplane tickets.  And, we're not talking, fabuously wealthy jet setters, either; but regular working stiff people, Dave and Diva.   Who, maybe, woke up one morning looked at each other and simutaneously asked, "Is this all there is?"  Then, jointly acknowledging Life's brevity and uncertainty decided there might be more out there than the seven hills of Roma and Carnation Street. So, "What the Bloody Hell", they decided, "Let's take off and see it."

Let's go see if there aren't places where people play basketball on the sand and balls don't bounce;



where dads explain to their daughters that a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle;

where you can meet and make friends with people even if they talk a funny kind of English, like Americans;

where all kinds of public sacrileges take place like signage extolling people to Turn Off The TV, which God the almighty Consumer, blessed them with;

where some stairways lead to a heaven of friendship

with palaces that reside in mud puddles and

where endings are actually only the beginnings of life long camaraderie.

Growing up in a world super power a Guy has to ask himself, "How come we didn't have Friendship Day?"  "Did our predecessors once have the option on the table, but Hallmark Cards decided it didn't `pencil out`?"   Hmmmm.......