Travel

Road Trip to Punta Del Este: Hotel and Restaurant Reviews Included!

August 7, 2009 by Brian

After we rented a car in Montevideo, we drove up the coast and headed out to Punta Del Este. We decided to find a hotel in Punta Del Este for the night and then take a slow drive back to Montevideo so we could visit a few more beach towns like Punta Ballena, Piriapolis and Atlantida.

Even though it was raining, the drive out to Punta Del Este was nice. We were finally able to use Zoë’s car seat, although the poor little girl got a little car sick at one point ☹ It’s a pretty, scenic drive and you quickly realize how sparsely populated the country is outside of Montevideo. It was quite relaxing (but I wasn’t driving ☺).

When we finally reached our destination, it was already dark so we set out to find a hotel in Punta Del Este. We stopped by several hotels to inquire about prices and they ranged from U$S 30-100 (this is the low season for Punta Del Este hotels; I’m sure the prices skyrocket in summer). We also stopped by the hostel (Brian’s friend Johnny who is staying with us was curious about prices there), but they were full.

After checking with about 8 hotels in Punta Del Este, we decided to stay at the Shelton Hotel, which is a family built, owned and operated hotel. It was U$S 30 per night for a single room and U$S 45 for a double room.

The staff was very nice and they even showed us up to our rooms and made sure the heater and TV were working properly. The staff consisted of 5 people, the Sagorsky family. Their grandfather built the hotel in 1974 and it’s been in the family since. We like to support family businesses.

From the moment you walk in the hotel, you feel like you stepped into a bit of a time warp.

Here are few pictures of the Shelton Hotel lobby:

And the hallway on the way to our hotel room:

We even had an ocean view from our hotel room (this is a picture from the next morning):

It was definitely a solid 3-star hotel. Nothing fancy, but it was perfect for our needs… a safe, quiet place to stay for the night. We decided to rest for a bit before we ventured out to find somewhere to have dinner since it was only around 7:30 and restaurants don’t typically start serving until around 9:00 in Uruguay.

When it was time to go out to eat, we walked around Punta Del Este a bit and settled upon a restaurant called View Point. It was situated at the top of a building, overlooking the water.

We walked into the building and took the elevator upstairs. It definitely appeared to be the nicest restaurant we had dined in since moving to Uruguay. We were all dressed VERY casual, but the staff still treated us like royalty.

We had three waiters serving our table! Seriously… the best service we’ve had just about anywhere.

Zoë had the squash and spinach ravioli. They brought hers out first so we could feed her before our food came out. The fresh pasta was covered in a simple butter sauce and was delicious. They made it special with no cheese for her since she’s allergic to milk. She said, “Mmmmm!” with every bite.

I had the seafood risotto. The mussels in Uruguay are so different than the mussels in the US. They aren’t chewy and I actually like them. The risotto was great and I couldn’t finish my whole plate, even with Zoë’s help.

Brian had the pasta sampler, which included shrimp angel hair pasta, gnocchi and two types of ravioli. He said it was delicious and couldn’t finish his portion either.

Johnny had the Ribeye steak, which was also great.

In addition to the four entrees, the guys shared a bottle of Don Pascual Tannat Reserve, and we probably had 3-4 bottles of mineral water (in addition to the wonderful bread basket). Our bill came out to around U$S 160, which is by far the most expensive meal we’ve had in Uruguay, but well worth the experience. We knew the restaurant prices in Punta Del Este would be higher than in Montevideo.

Afterwards we walked around Punta Del Este a little bit more and headed back to the hotel. We wanted to make sure we got a good night’s sleep so we could head out early to check out Punta Ballena, Piriapolis and Atlantida.

In the morning we took advantage of the Shelton Hotel’s complimentary breakfast. It included coffee, orange juice, water, toast and marmalade, medialunas (similar to croissants) and some shredded apple for Zoë. Again, nothing fancy, but it filled up our bellies.

Overall, we weren’t really impressed with Punta Del Este… a lot of high rises crowded around the water. But, we’ll have to go back in high season to give it a fair shot. Before we close out this blog entry, here are a few pictures of the beaches in Punta Del Este.

The story of our road trip through Punta Ballena, Piriapolis and Atlantida will continue in our next blog…

Renting A Car in Uruguay

August 6, 2009 by Brian

Renting a car in Uruguay has been one of the easiest things we’ve done since we got here. We simply walked over to Budget Rent A Car (located near Punta Carretas Shopping), asked to rent a car and got one.

To rent a car in Uruguay, all we had to do was show our driver’s license and passport, pay and we were off.

Now, it just so happened that the weekend we decided to rent a car was a holiday, ‘Constitution Day’ Weekend, so we got hit with higher prices because we had to go through Budget instead of one of the smaller local agencies (because they were all sold out.)

One of the smaller agencies would have gladly rented us a car for $20 a day, but she didn’t have any available.

Another local agency would have rented us a car for $22 a day, but he didn’t have any available either.

So renting the car from Saturday morning through Monday morning from Budget was U$S 148… A little steep, but hey, it was worth it for the great time we had.

Now one thing about renting a car in Uruguay you do need to know and be prepared for is they are sticks. Yes, manual transmissions. We had read that on a blog or website prior to moving here, but to actually see it is kind of funny.

Regardless, we had a 2009 Fiat with less than 3,000 km on it. The Fiat had CD player with detachable faceplate with a MP3 input… Our iPods provided a fantastic soundtrack for a great road trip.

Long and short, you should have no problems renting a car in Uruguay. Driving, on the other hand, is a whole different story.

What Type of Stroller Works Best for Life in Montevideo?

June 12, 2009 by Brian

This is a question we asked ourselves when we made the decision to move to Uruguay. We had a Graco Quattro (that was part of our travel system), which was bulky and just wouldn’t work for city life. So, I started researching different strollers to find one that would be ideal for life in Montevideo.

After a lot of research and chatting with friends we found 2 modes of transportation for Zoë that would work best while living in Uruguay. One is our stroller and the other is our backpack carrier.

Kelty TC 3.0 Transit Child Carrier
Review: As I mentioned in our first post about our travels to Uruguay, the Kelty Carrier has been a lifesaver. It’s a backpack that allows Zoë to ride in it. Sometimes we just don’t want to haul the stroller around, or there just isn’t room to navigate it (like at the market). Zoë loves sitting up high where she can see everything and it must be comfortable because she has fallen asleep in it several times, head flopping and all. Brian says it’s comfortable to wear (after he figured out how to adjust it). The Kelty Carrier has made our life in Uruguay so much easier than if we only had a stroller.

Baby Jogger City Mini
Review: As far as our stroller goes, we decided on the Baby Jogger City Mini because it is lightweight, sturdy, easy to maneuver, reasonably priced and customizable. It also had a very large sun cover, which seemed to be hard to find on strollers in the same class. And, the one hand fold was something even I could handle on my own. I highly recommend watching the video review on Amazon.com (click link above and scroll down… it’s the first review listed). It gives an excellent overview of the stroller’s functionality and I always find visuals very helpful.

We initially bought just the City Mini stroller, but quickly decided that we’d need to add a few accessories before moving to Uruguay:

Baby Jogger Child’s Tray
Review: It has a holder for a sippy cup and room on the tray for snacks or a toy. It also snaps right out on one side to make it easier to get Zoë out.

Baby Jogger Parent Console
Review: It has one spot for a drink and two small cooler sections. Works great.

Baby Jogger City Mini Single Stroller Rain Canopy
Review: This thing is awesome. It fits nicely over the stroller and keeps Zoë dry and warm when it rains here. We’ve used it several times already and it works perfectly… absolutely essential in Uruguay.

Mommy Hooks
Review: Another great investment… we have two. We were actually out shopping while still in San Diego and I said that I wished there was some sort of hook you could get to put on your stroller to hang your shopping bags so you didn’t have to try to carry them and push the stroller at the same time. So, I went home, got on the Internet and discovered the Mommy Hook. We have one on each side of the stroller and it’s perfect for a trip to the Punta Carretas shopping center or grocery store (we usually take the Kelty Carrier to the market). You can load them up pretty full and the stroller still handles well, even on the uneven sidewalks here in Montevideo.

Baby Jogger Carry Bag
Review: This was great for traveling to Uruguay with the stroller. Before we got on the plane, we just popped the stroller in the bag and gate checked it. That way, we knew it would be protected from damage.

Baby Jogger Adjustable Belly Bar
Review: If you don’t want the full child tray, the belly bar is great because it gives your child something to hold onto. And, you can adjust the height, which is nice (the child tray obstructs Zoë’s view and there’s no way to adjust the height). Either way, you need to have either the belly bar or tray for folding the stroller up and having it stay in place (nice little feature for the smaller apartment size in Montevideo).

These are a few other accessories that look interesting, but we don’t own:

Baby Jogger Foot Muff
Review: I’ve thought about adding this one since the weather in Uruguay in cooling down for winter, but we probably won’t purchase this. What we tend to do now is just cover Zoë up with one of her blankets, the only downside to that is she likes to kick them off. One thing that we do when it’s on the cooler side is, we put the Rain Canopy on her stroller, which traps the warm air in and keeps her warm… and if she decides to kick her blanket off or throw a toy, it traps them as well.

Baby Jogger Umbrella Holder and Baby Jogger Umbrella
Review: I almost bought these until I read they’re specifically for protection from the sun (not rain). It may be something we look at in the future, but right now we’re looking for a good rain umbrella attachment since Uruguay has rainy winters. The one good thing about the handle on the stroller is that it is rounded, so it makes it a lot easier to navigate with one hand and hold an umbrella than the square handled strollers.

Baby Jogger Cooler Bag
Review: This cooler holds a six-pack and will come in handy this summer for trips to Pocitos beach. We are definitely purchasing this in the next coming months.

Baby Jogger City Mini Single Stroller Bug Canopy
Review: We thought about purchasing this since we were coming to South America. If we had purchased it, we would not have used it to this point. But it is winter here. Depending on how many creepy crawlies come out when it starts warming up will be a big factor in determining if we purchase this or not.

The “city terrain” in Montevideo, Uruguay is a little rougher than in some other areas of the world. The sidewalks are made of tiles that are laid individually, by hand (you’ll see workers out laying new tiles pretty much every day). We have yet to see a level sidewalk, or one that doesn’t have a least a few missing tiles. We’ll probably have to replace the wheels once a year just from the wear and tear the sidewalks put on them. But other than that, the stroller is holding up great. Overall, I would say the Baby Jogger City Mini has been ideal for living in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Baby/ Toddler Items to Bring When Moving to Uruguay

June 9, 2009 by Brian

We got a lot of advice about baby items from other Uruguay blogs and websites. Most of it was very helpful, but there are a few things that, in hindsight, I wish we would have known to bring that would help greatly with Zoë in Uruguay.

You can find most baby items here in Uruguay, but many of them are priced much higher than the equivalent item in the US.

For example, we were in Petit Baby and they had the exact same “potty” that Zoë had in the US, the Safety 1st Comfy Cushy 3-in-1 Potty.

She loved sitting on her potty and would use it several times a day. It’s listed for $18.95 on Amazon.com. At Petit Baby, a baby store down the street from us in Montevideo, it was U$S 49.99! So, we ended up buying a less expensive one at Violetas, another baby store down the street. Zoë refuses to sit on it (it’s not so comfy and cushy), so it may have been a waste of money.

You can find most any baby item you could want here in Uruguay (there’s a baby store on almost every block in Montevideo and I’ve seen a few secondhand stores as well). It just depends on how much you want to pay… pretty much everything seems to cost about 50-100% more than it would in the United States.

These are a few of the items we should have picked up before traveling to Uruguay:

High Chair/Booster Seat
This is one baby item that is extremely costly in Uruguay. They’re double to triple the price that they are in the US. We’ve been looking around for a few weeks now and we’ve only seen one of the booster seat types. It was nothing fancy and it was $86! The same one is listed for $27.81 on amazon.com. So, we are having this one shipped down here.

Bedrail
We thought we would use Zoë’s travel crib for her to sleep in when she isn’t sleeping with us, but the apartment we’re renting in Pocitos has a twin size bed that isn’t too high off the ground. So, we decided to buy a bedrail and let her sleep there (she really likes her “big girl bed”). However, we paid about $20 more for it than we would’ve paid in the States (U$S 45). So, you can weigh your options when packing for Uruguay.

Child Safety Locks/ Latches
When we moved into our new apartment, there were several cabinets that needed to be secured from Zoë’s reach. Although we did find what we needed at an Uruguayan baby store, it would’ve made life easier if we brought some cabinet slide locks and cabinet/drawer locks with us.

Unscented Laundry Detergent
They love their heavy fragrances in Uruguay. Unfortunately, Zoë has eczema and very sensitive skin. So, she had a little trouble with the linens at the hotel. We had heard before traveling to Uruguay that you couldn’t find fragrance free laundry detergent, but neglected to bring any with us. For now, our search will continue. In hindsight, we should have brought some with us.

These are items we brought that have been tremendously helpful with Zoë so far:

BabyBjörn Travel Crib Light
Review: Although Zoë is sleeping in a twin bed now, this Travel Crib has come in handy. We used it for naps while we were still staying in the hotel and we plan on taking several weekend trips to visit other parts of Uruguay, so we’ll use it then. It packs down much smaller than the Graco Pack N Play we had. We were able to fit it in a suitcase and fill the other half up with other items (the Pack N Play would’ve had to go on its own and take up a full piece of our luggage allowance). If I had known about this travel crib earlier, I would’ve purchased it instead of the Pack N Play.

BabyBjörn Travel Crib Light Fitted Sheet
Review: We did not invest in the special sheet for the bed, but there is one available. We are using a standard crib mattress pad and sheet. They don’t fit perfectly, but they do the job.

Portable Changing Pad
Review: If you don’t already have one, get one before you come. In the States, you can almost always be sure that there will be a changing table in the ladies restroom (at least in San Diego). I have yet to see one in Montevideo, Uruguay. For being such a baby-friendly country, that has been a surprise. So, I just bring along the changing pad and change her on the bathroom counter or floor… whatever is available.

Summer Infant Video Baby Monitor
Review: Zoë’s room is on the opposite side of the apartment from the living room. This video monitor allows us to check on her without going into her room. Also, living in an apartment building in Montevideo can be quite noisy. It’s nice being able to see on the monitor if the noise was Zoë getting out of bed, or just one of the neighbors in the building.

Angel Baby Products
Review: We only use Angel Baby products on Zoë since she has such sensitive skin. We brought a stash of Angel Baby lotion, shampoo/ body wash, and bottom balm. But, we’re starting to run low. I’ll have to order more from amazon.com because I haven’t seen anything similar in Uruguay.

Eddie Bauer Harness Buddy
Review: This cute little backpack came in handy during our layover in Panama City. When Zoë needed to burn up some energy, we just put her little backpack on her and went for a walk. If she was running around she had no problem wearing it, but did not want to wear it if we were just sitting around. Another great thing about it is that when she’s a little older, we can detach the leash and she can use it as a small backpack to carry her sippy cup or favorite toy.

Huggies Diapers
Review: We’d heard that the diapers in Uruguay weren’t great, so we brought enough diapers to last us about the first month. I’ve seen diapers several places including Huggies, Pampers and Baby Sec brands. I’ve tried the Huggies and they are different from the US version (long and skinny), but seem to work fine. We’ve also tried the Baby Sec diapers because they are a little wider, but don’t seem to be as absorbent. We’ll probably stick with the Huggies.

Huggies Wipes
Review: We brought enough wipes to last the first 3 weeks or so. We picked up some Huggies Unscented wipes… they’re awful. They leave lint behind and they’ve given Zoë a slight rash (luckily the Boudreaux Butt Paste cleared it up). I bought some active fresh scented ones and they seem to be working a little better on her (not so much lint and no rash so far). But they still aren’t as thick as the ones from the US.

Portable DVD Player with iPod Docking Station
Review: This was great for distracting Zoë during our long wait and layover at the airport. We could either pop in her favorite DVD, or dock one of our iPods in it and select a movie from there.

Sony Children’s Headphones
Review: Although Zoë wasn’t very happy about keeping these on her head for very long, they’re great because the sound is kept much lower so it won’t damage her hearing.

Shushybye DVD
Review: This is Zoë’s absolute favorite show. She sings and dances and squeals with joy every time it comes on. We had the BabyFirst TV channel back in the States and this is one of the shows featured on the channel. We knew we wouldn’t get it on Uruguay television… luckily it’s available on DVD!

Miscellaneous

The next two clothing sizes up, stored in Space Bags (we packed all of our clothes in space bags)
The next size or two up in shoes
Sippy Cups
Extra Binkies (if you use them)
Snacks (to last the first couple weeks until you get the lay of the land)
Cheerios (I haven’t seen them here yet)

A side note:
If you’re planning to buy or rent a car in Uruguay, bring your child’s car seat. But, don’t expect to use it other than that. The only law in Uruguay is that children must be in the back seat, so it’s not unusual to see kids standing up in the back seat.

Also, the taxis here are much smaller than in the States, so if you have a bulky car seat, it may not even fit in the back seat (if you can even access the seat belt). Just another reason to enjoy walking everywhere!

Our stroller and child carrier have both been absolutely essential in Uruguay. I’ll review them in another post because there are so many options that go into the stroller and this post has already run so long.

I’ve been to many of the baby stores in Uruguay, so if you have a question about the cost or availability of anything specific, please post a comment and I’ll be happy to help if I can.

Packing to Move to Uruguay

June 6, 2009 by Brian

When we first decided we were moving to Uruguay, we thought we would ship our household down with us on a container… until we started looking at the headache of trying to find a good shipping company and the shipping costs.

It would have cost us at least $20K. Not to mention, all of the “stuff” we owned would only weigh us down.

So, we decided to go ahead and sell everything and only bring the necessities with us to Uruguay. It’s amazing what is actually important when you get down to it.

We knew we could only bring 15 suitcases on board, so we really had to do some research and evaluation to decide what to bring.

We made the decision to rent a fully furnished apartment, which is absolutely the way to go, so that eliminated the need for many things. From what we’ve found so far, in addition to the basics like clothes and such, you’ll want to bring:

Quality pots and pans. I can’t stress this one enough. We brought our full Calphalon One set and couldn’t be happier. If you’re renting a fully furnished apartment in Uruguay, pots and pans will be provided, but they are very flimsy and cheaply made. And, they cost a pretty penny if you need to replace them (we haven’t even touched the ones included with our apartment for fear the Teflon will come off in our food). Even if you just bring a few good pots and pans, you’ll be happy you did.
Good knives. If you already have a good set, bring it with you to Uruguay (we brought our CutCo set). Even if you don’t own any, you may want to consider purchasing a few good knives to bring with you. The quality of the knives here is similar to the pots and pans… poor quality and high price. Steak knives (that were part of the cheap silverware set) were included in our fully furnished apartment, but no other knives so we’re very happy we brought our own.
Linens. You can definitely find linens in Montevideo, but they’re pricey. We didn’t originally plan on putting Zoë in a twin bed, so we didn’t bring twin bedding with us. We picked up a set of twin sheets for around U$S 30! And they’re nothing fancy, just 180 thread count. I probably could have gotten the same set in the States for U$S 10. We got her a cheap comforter as well for about the same price as the sheets.
Spices you use regularly. You can find the basics like oregano, basil and rosemary in Uruguay. But, if you use anything spicy like cayenne pepper, or anything beyond the basic basics, bring them with you. If you use sea salt, I highly recommend bringing that with you as well. The only salt we’ve been able to find in Montevideo is not only iodized, but fluoridated! I don’t know about you, but we don’t want to consume fluoride. Unfortunately the box of sea salt we brought didn’t make it through the travels down to Uruguay (it’s amazing at how a little box of salt can cover the entire interior of a suitcase). So, we’re now in search of more.
Hot sauce. This goes along with the spices. Tabasco is readily available in Uruguay for no less than U$S 10 a bottle, but if you want anything like Tapatio, Cholula or Louisiana Hot Sauce bring it.
Reusable shopping bags. We only brought two; we should have brought more. If you’re going to shop at the open-air markets (ferias), it’s really nice to have these to carry all of your produce in. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a couple hundred plastic bags by the end of your first month. They also work nicely with our stroller.
Sporting goods (like yoga mats, tennis rackets, etc.). We didn’t bring ours and wish we had simply because of the cost in Uruguay. In the States, I would usually pay around U$S 8-10 for a yoga mat. I got one here for about U$S 30 (and that was with a 20% discount). The least expensive tennis racket we’ve seen is U$S 85, and it was nothing special. A Head Ti S5 was U$S 180, ouch.
Favorite cosmetics and toiletries. Especially if you use anything in the “all natural” category. You’ll find the basics in Uruguay, but nothing like Dr. Bronner’s, Burt’s Bees, etc. I’ve also seen a chain called La Pigalle that carries brands like Lancôme, Neutrogena and Clinique, but they are at a minimum of double the price you would pay in the US.
Ziplocs. You can buy Ziplocs in the grocery store in Uruguay… in packs of eight. And, they’re not cheap. If you use them regularly, we recommend bringing some with you.
A few books in English if you like to read. You can get amazon.com to ship some items to Uruguay, but if you like to read, I’d bring enough to get you through the first couple months.
Space Bags. These were essential in allowing us to maximize space in our suitcases. All of our clothes and linens were packed in Space Bags and it allowed us to fit a lot more into our suitcases (although they were all overweight, so keep that in mind if you’re on a budget).
We’ll cover baby and toddler necessities in the next post so we can cover them more in depth.

These are things we consider “Nice to Have,” but not everyone may consider them necessities:

MacBook. Our business is on the Internet, so we need our laptops. The MacBooks work great because they’re small and reliable. And, they have built in webcams, which makes it nice for communicating with family and friends back in the States.
iPod. We both have the 32 GB model. We downloaded all of our CDs onto our MacBooks so we could load them onto our iPods and eliminate the need to bring our CD collection. You can also download apps to help you with the move to Uruguay, like Spanish-English translators, metric converters, etc.
Time Capsule. This is both a wireless external hard drive that backs up your computer automatically on a schedule, and a wireless router. It saved space in packing because instead of needing a wireless router and hard drive, we have both in one. We also noticed back in the States that it sped up our Internet connection; it seems to have the same effect here in Uruguay.
Universal DVD Player. We have an extensive DVD collection we wanted to bring with us to Uruguay. But, we didn’t want to be limited to only getting more DVDs from the States so we got a universal DVD player. It allows us to watch movies from our existing collection, and purchase movies here in Uruguay or anywhere in the world.
A good phone. We have used many different phone services in the past and have a Packet8 ST2118. Not that you need to get a Packet8 phone, but a similar phone that it is also powered (meaning you can plug it into the wall) is recommended, especially if you’ll be using a VOIP phone service. In addition, make sure the phone is corded and that it has a speakerphone. Corded, because it’s reliable. Speakerphone, because it’s convenient. A comparable phone to the Packet8 would be the Panasonic Corded Speakerphone with Call-Waiting and Caller ID (Jensen Adaptor is Necessary).
Plantronics CS361N Binaural Wireless Headset. One of the best things for using with the phone. (Jensen Adaptor is Necessary).
Jensen Universal AC Adapter. If the AC/DC power supply that comes with your electronic device DOES NOT READ “INPUT: 100-240V- 50/60HZ” you will have to get one of these to make it work in Uruguay… DO NOT GET A STEP DOWN CONVERTER. IT WILL NOT WORK. Even though it steps you down from 220V to 120V, the US is on 60HZ and Uruguay is on 50HZ (HZ are cycles of current per minute). If you use a Step-Down Converter, your electronics will still fry if they have an engine. Not at first, but within a week or two, tops
Plug Adapters. These are the adapters you need for your electronics with inputs that DO READ “INPUT: 100-240V- 50/60HZ” Yes, it says for Continental Europe, but they work here in Uruguay.
Flip Flops. We are from San Diego and wear flips on a regular basis. The selection in Montevideo is a small fraction of what you will find in the US, the quality is different and they are pricey. Our favorite flips are Reef, and we highly recommend you bring yours with you.

Traveling to Uruguay: What a Journey!

May 15, 2009 by Brian

We’re happy to say that we made it safely to Montevide! It was a long journey down, but we’re excited to start exploring our new home of Uruguay.

Our journey started Sunday, May 10 at 5:00 pm when our shuttle picked us up at our home in San Diego to drive us to LAX (Los Angeles Airport) for our 2:12 am flight on Copa Airlines.

It took us 45 minutes to load the shuttle… we had 13 large suitcases, 2 small suitcases, 2 guitar cases, 2 backpacks, a stroller, car seat and the 3 of us! Luckily we hired a private 15-passenger van so everything fit neatly.

My Dad (Rick) made a surprise last minute visit to see us off and helped us get everything out the door and packed onto the shuttle van.

Our driver wasn’t informed that we had so much luggage (even though we let them know when we booked the shuttle and again when we confirmed it). Our driver was a little (5’3” 120lb) Filipino woman. She was great, but thank goodness Brian had Dad there to help him get the van packed.

The drive up to LAX was pleasant; our driver was very friendly and we chatted with her a quite a bit. We had to be there by 8:30 pm when the Copa Airlines counter opens, because we had so much luggage with us.

We got there with about 30 minutes to spare, so after Brian and our driver got everything off of the shuttle, we got in line and waited (see picture below).

We experienced a slight glitch when checking in for our flight to Uruguay…

The conveyor belt behind Copa’s check-in counter was out of service… So after Brian carted the luggage to be weighed, he then had to haul each suitcase (average weight of 68lbs each) to the TSA security checkpoint about 30 meters away.

When we had only four bags left for Brian to haul down, the conveyor belt behind Copa started working. So the bright side is, at least he didn’t have to cart down the last 250lbs+ of luggage ☺

Although the line was quite short, going through the security gate was a bit of a fiasco since we carried most of our electronics on board with us. But, the TSA agents were very accommodating once their Sergeant came over. They wanted us to open up and look through and x-ray everything.

Their Sergeant began asking what things were. Brian started piping out, “This is the router for this… the adapter for that… this wireless gizmo for this… these are our personal papers… blah blah blah…”

The Sergeant smiled and asked, “You guys are moving, aren’t you?” When we looked up and said yes, he smiled and just waived us on through. For a minute, we thought we were going to have to get a TSA cavity search.

Once we were through security, we headed over to our gate to camp out for the next 4 hours until our plane boarded. We found a little corner we could section off so Zoë had room to play.

The 4 hours passed relatively quickly and we boarded our plane, the first of two flights to get to Uruguay. There was no family boarding so it was a bit of a struggle lugging Zoë, her car seat, 2 roller bags and 2 backpacks on board.

We gate checked her stroller so we could use it in Panama City since we had an 8 ½ hour layover there.

The flight went smoothly. It was about 6 ½ hours long and Zoë slept most of the time. We were able to use her car seat so I think that may have helped. However, next time we’ll be leaving the car seat behind… it was a pain to lug around, even with the Traveling Toddler (a simple strap that lets you connect the car seat to your roller bag), which made it much easier than the trip we took to Texas without it.

We had also bought the CARES Child Aviation Restraint System to use on this trip, but decided at the last minute to go with the car seat onboard. We will definitely be using it instead of the car seat next time.

Zoë spent the little time she was awake charming the other passengers, as usual. We brought some new toys along with us so that we could give her a new one whenever she got restless.

Luckily that didn’t happen on this flight. We got many complements on what a good traveler she is. Of course we already knew that ☺

We arrived in Panama City on time. After waiting for all of the other passengers to deplane and a huge struggle to get the car seat unstrapped, we got off the plane and went to look for Zoë’s stroller… it was no where to be found! Neither was my other Ugg Boot. I wore both on the plane and took a pair of flips in my carry-on… Somehow I left one onboard.

So, Brian asked one of the attendants to take him back to the plane just as the cleaning crew was deboarding… The attendant asked if anyone had seen the boot. One of the cleaning ladies piped up and started digging through the trash and produced it in perfect condition. That was almost an expensive mistake…

Next we had to find the stroller. The woman at the information desk directed us to baggage claim, which is outside of security and the customs checkpoint.

Brian and Zoë waited upstairs while I went through what we thought would be a crazy long ordeal. But, apparently security is much less stringent there than in the US, so I was able to walk right through, check with the airline’s baggage claim counter (the stroller was nowhere to be found) and walk right back up the stairs to the terminal without someone so much as checking my passport. I was told that we couldn’t file a claim until we reached our final destination.

The funny thing is I was fully prepared to practice my Spanish (Necesito saber dónde está mi trolley (I had heard the airline staff use “trolley” when referring to the stroller).

However, the man that approached me to help spoke English. At least I know that he understood what I needed. I’d have plenty of time to practice my Español later.

So, back up the stairs I went and we were off to find the gate our next flight would depart out of. Thankfully we had also invested in the Kelty Carrier (a backpack/child carrier). Otherwise I’m not quite sure how we would have gotten all of our baggage and Zoë across the airport.

We found the gate and again sectioned off a little area for Zoë to play safely since we would be there for another 7 hours before boarding for our final flight to Uruguay. Brian got us some food (some very interesting sandwiches) and we sat down to wait.

We talked about how it was actually kind of nice that we had such a long layover because we were forced to just sit and relax (there was no way we were going to walk around with how much baggage we had to carry around).

It seemed like months since we had just been able to relax (with all of the preparation to move), and it would probably be about a month after we got to Uruguay before we would be able to relax again. So, as usual, everything happens for a reason.

Finally the time came to board our flight. This flight went relatively smoothly as well, and Zoë slept most of the flight again (thank goodness for night flights!). I got to sleep quite a bit, but a few people snoring behind us kept up Brian most of the flight.

Although we arrived in Montevideo, Uruguay about 20 minutes earlier than scheduled, the landing was one of the roughest either of us has ever experienced (the plane bounced 2 times before grabbing traction to slow down). But, we made it safely to the gate.

Again, we were the last ones off the plane, but the staff was very courteous and helped us get our luggage off the plane. We hopped on the shuttle (after maneuvering our luggage down a very tricky staircase… well that was mostly Brian) and headed to customs.

We were the last ones off the plane, so we were the last ones in line… or so we thought. We were quickly ushered into the “priority” clearance lane (for families and flight staff).

After less than 10 minutes, we were through customs. Uruguay customs is the easiest we have ever had to clear.

So, we headed over to baggage claim where we were informed that only 8 of our bags made it on that flight. Luckily, one of them was our stroller! We were so happy as we had gotten that stroller especially with this move in mind.

The staff from Copa at the airport was amazing with how nice, polite and professional they were with our luggage. Our flight had been to capacity, so because we had so much excess luggage, we were told the rest of our bags were still in Panama City and that they would be on the next flight arriving in Uruguay in about 24 hours.

(Quick side note: When our luggage arrived, everything was there. Brian tucked the laptop with the 17” screen in a suitcase, plus a lot of small electronics… Nothing missing, nothing disturbed. The ONLY thing that happened to our luggage was a moron at TSA at LAX couldn’t figure out to open Brian’s unlocked guitar case and broke the lock on it… Yes, the TSA is an equal opportunity employer, they will equally employ anyone who couldn’t quite pass the entrance exam to Mickey D’s…)

We headed outside to meet the relocation specialist we were working with***, and he had a van ready to pick up our bags and transport them to Punta Trouville Apart Hotel, where we will be staying for the first three weeks while we searched for an apartment.

We had initially planned on renting a van and driving ourselves to the hotel. We are sure glad we didn’t. After getting the van loaded (and realizing that both the relocation specialist and Brian tipped the porters, which made the porters’ night), we hopped in the car and got our first experience of Uruguayan driving. There will be more on the topic of driving in Uruguay to come…

It was around 5:30 am (1:30 am San Diego time) on Tuesday, May 12 when we got to the hotel, checked in and headed upstairs to get a little sleep before the consultant picked us back up for lunch that afternoon.

Overall, the trip to Uruguay went very well. I hope that’s a sign we’ll enjoy living in Uruguay as much as we anticipate.