Tuesday, April 08, 2008

At the Jagüel and around Maldonado...

Caballos! Horses are really part of the Uruguayan life. In the countryside, you'll often run into people who go around on horseback, and old-style gauchos, with their typical hat and their guitar, can still be seen, leading cattle with a hyper-active dog in tow... The saddle is usually made of leather, of course, with a plush thick layer of local sheep's wool...
I have always loved horses and ever since I was a little girl, I've gone horseback riding in the Jagüel park, in Punta del Este. These past few days, I have been riding black Lucifer, a gentle beast despite his name, and white Paysandú, in fragrant Eucalyptus woods... Bliss!

I went for a walk in the town of Maldonado this morning... In front of the public Liceo (high school), a group of girl friends allowed me to take their picture before they went to class. Today April 8 is the 18th birthday of Natalia, of the beautiful smile, at the center of the picture - Feliz cumpleaños, Natalia!
Unlike children, Liceo students are not required to wear a túnica. I saw plenty of super slim jeans and Converse sneakers, a style cherished by teenagers the world over these days, and was saddened to see many girls and boys smoking...

14 comments:

Jill said...

Beautiful horses...sounds like you are having so much fun there! Can't wait to see what you are doing tomorrow!

Unknown said...

Pretty horses,I like the white one!!

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Natalia!

Esti said...

Cada día nos traes detalles de tu estancia en uruguay. Todos son frescos y dulces. estoy disfrutando contigo.

Anonymous said...

love these posts mary-laure, you have such a way of bringing us all with you on your trips, merci beaucoup px

Solange said...

You see so much, you travel so much, its very intersting to read your blog and just the small details you tell us about!

have a nice evening,

Solange

Anonymous said...

nice bunch of girls, great picture.

tangobaby said...

What beautiful horses, all of them. I would love to see a picture of a gaucho with his hat and guitar.

Mary-Laure said...

I'm glad you all liked the horses! I actually ended up also riding the light beige one - his name is Chiquito. I am crazy about all 3 of them and have tons more pictures of them.

Anonymous said...

Me alegro que te halla gustado nuestro departamento, y que puedas encontrar cosas, que muchas veces nosotros pasamos desapercibidas!

En los liceos que son de ciclo básico si tienen uniforme, pero al que nosotros concurrimos no nos obligan a llevarlo, por eso hay tanta variedad de ropa, influienciados por estilos musicales en su gran mayoria.

Me encanta lo que haces, y ojala yo tuviera algun dia esa oportunidad, asi como el coraje de hacerlo.

Fue un placer haberte conocido!!


Natalia (no la del cumpleaños)

Kira Aderne said...

Hello!

so amazing your trip!
all the countries from latin america are so amazing and full of good people and rich culture...
i went to buenos aires some few weeks ago and i really enjoy all!

a kiss and a hug,
kira

Mary-Laure said...

Natlalia, que encanto oir de ti! Cual sos en la foto?
Tus companeras vieron la foto? Les gusto?
Contame mas del estilo de ustedes. Que tipo de musica les gutsa?

Anonymous said...

Hola!
Mis compañeras aun no han visto las fotos, pero ya les dije que estabamos en el blog, y quedaron en entrar.
En lo particular me gusta el rock nacional, ya sea No Te Va Gustar, Buitres, Once Tiros, La Trampa, La Vela Puerca y mas. Algunos de ellos con influencia de Ska, Reggae, Punk Rock.
Para contarte un poco mas, el fin de semana que paso fui a ver a No Te Va Gustar (www.notevagustar.com)a Montevideo, que se presento en el teatro de verano, y para mi fue uno de los mejores recitales en el que he estado, lo disfrute mucho, a pesar de la imparable lluvia que no desanimo a nadie, todos los fanaticos cantamos y bailamos bajo ese cielo toldados de nubes y lluvia.

Hasta pronto!!


Natalia (Soy la de la izquierda de la foto.)

Mary-Laure said...

Hola Natalia, que LASTIMA que no pude hablar mas contigo y con tus amigas cuando estaba en Maldonado, me hubiera encantado escuchar el rock nacional y charlar con ustedes! La proxima vez tenemos que ir a tomar una Coca juntas.

Fuiste vos que trataste de madarme un instant message con MSN? No conteste porque no sabia quien era (y hay tantos locos en el Internet!!!!) pero si me mandas otro mensaje te contestare.

Saludos a tus amigas y contame si les gusto la foto cuando la vean...

Un beso desde Paris!