Mar 5 Montevideo, Uruguay

Today Oceania held the first of their Around The World events at an estancia outside the city.  It was a spectacle and a lot of fun.

 The drive to the Estancia included a mini tour of Montevideo.  This anchor is from the German battle cruiser Graf Spee which was scuttled in the River Plate just off Montevideo.  This was the first sea battle of WW2 in December 1939.

 A brief stop in Liberation Square in the center of downtown.  The presidential building is there -- not something old and white, but a glass fronted modern business building.

 The ceremonial guard is for ambience.  Guys in camo with assault rifles wandered around also.

 Statue to the liberator in the square.

 We moved on a couple of miles to the legislative building, of which they are very proud. This looks more like a seat of government than the presidential palace.

 Across the street was a wall of murals.  Amazing art -- these are painted concrete walls.

 Montevideo has a variety of transports downtown.  This trash collector is still using the good old ways.

 We arrive at La Baguala Estancia.  There were about a dozen actors portraying the estancia life.  Here is the patron and his wife, elegantly greeting us on arrival.

 Some of the peasant class

 More rapscallions

 Lots of meat being BBQ'd

 Music and dancing broke out -- it was pretty warm out in the sun.

 We moved indoors for the sit down lunch, and there were a couple of wooden stages for the show.  These two were excellent tango dancers.

 Also very good

 Portraying the gaucho, this guy is spinning his bolas.  And to make it a dance event, the bolas hit the wooden stage every so often, in rhythm to the music.  Quite rousing, but as he rotated about I was concerned about the centripetal force on the rope and the possibility the bola might be coming my way.

 A dance off -- they sure looked like they were having fun.

 Everybody's got bolas

 Now just dancing

 and drumming

 With the meal over, the show moved back outside, and they brought in an African Marching Band.  Here's the drum line.

 Lots more performers, including several dressed as mardi gras performers, circulated among the guests who were encouraged to set aside their walkers and dance with the performers.

Very well done.  A wonderful way to spend the day.