Advice for New Expats |
Do your homework. Use the resources on the Web. Learn as much as you can about the culture, language, traditions, religions, etc. before you go. Keep an open mind.
MAKE THE TIME to learn some of their language! Even a few words, such as "thank you," "excuse me," "please," and "have a nice day," will endear you to the people as someone who actually BOTHERED...
That said, you won't get far without it, as this is a Spanish-speaking country & very few banks or other businesses maintain an English-speaking employee on staff just to deal with you.
Get rid of the junk. Most Americans (Canadians, Germans, French, Italians, Brits, & Australians) have too much stuff. You probably fit into this category if you can't park 2 cars easily in your garage, or if you rent a self-storage facility just to keep things you don't have room for at home.
Learn the currency exchange rates. This is invaluable if you are to be able to figure cost of living in your chosen country.
If you have health concerns, investigate where the best care for your condition can be had. Ask residents for references of doctors, clinics, dentists, pharmacies, etc. Many Rx drugs can be had easily in UY over the counter, if you can spell it on paper (brand name & generic).
I have yet to require medical assistance for my FM but am able to access the few pharmaceuticals I need to manage it myself. There is a policlinic in every town, no matter how small.
To assume that UY is a "third world country" is an insult, as they are equally advanced in technology here, especially cellular & internet, and dentistry. Some systems, such as 4G phones (very inexpensive) and the fact that dentists do not use silver/mercury amalgam fillings or perform root canals (except in the most serious cases) are much advanced, compared to the US. All infrastructure is in good shape & functioning, even out here on the "frontier."
UY's President Mujica (who drives a baby blue VW Beetle) has the country on a good course toward green energy. Wave technology, solar, and wind power are all being implemented here. By the way, he needs no Secret Service to protect him when he is "among the people." ;-)
As for shopping, well, if you are unable to find suitable toilet paper, as has been lamented long & loud on other expat sites, it is your OWN fault. Every grocery store in town has Scott 2-ply tissue in a variety of styles...
The nearby city of Chuy (on the UY side) or Chui (Brasil side) is full of duty-free shops, wonderful butchers, wine & cheese shops, each with a specialty, like the US back in the 50s & early 60s... Make a point of chatting up the people who run the local shops - many are fascinating individuals who will be delighted to "practice their English" with you when you come in... That said, we have all the Dior, Givenchy, Ralph Lauren & other designer labels anyone can stand...
Don't expect too much from yourself when you first arrive... TAKE the time you need to de-stress from your previous life. We required about 4 months. Think "tranquilo," as that is the national mantra...
Embrace the local sports teams & futbol, as this will be one of the main topics of light conversation.
Enjoy trying all the different Uruguayo specialties - beer, cheeses, wines, meats, FRUITS & VEGGIES, and cigarettes, if you smoke... (We like Bill brand from Paraguay, very smooth & about $8.25 per carton of 10 packs.)
Learn to drink yerba mate & the proper way to prepare it... Our favorite is Flor Verde (chamomile-based) which is a Paraguayan brand. It is similar to a loose tea, served in a mate (gourd or vessel), and you sip it through a bombilla (a metal straw with a strainer on the end immersed in the mate). This is a very healthful drink for those wishing to detoxify, as well as for energy, dieting, or just to relax & unwind. Everywhere you look, you will see Uruguayos walking with their mates & their thermos of hot water...
Buy a good map at one of the Ancap stations. Look for the 3-part map of not just UY, but all of the MercoSur countries, as well as most of the larger towns of UY.
Subscribe to El Pais, the national newspaper. You can also receive this online at no cost, and can select the English version until you learn Spanish. I force myself to read the paper I buy on the square by the bank a couple times a week, just to improve my Spanish.
Traveling between the East Coast & West Coast is difficult, as there are no direct roads. One must go South to Montevideo, then back up to Salta, for example. Learn not to be in a hurry. Relax, take one of the excellent buses with large reclining seats, incredibly clean & comfortable. The double-deckers are a fabulous way to view the country while arriving at your destination without driver's fatigue.
We drive on the right side of the road here, not the left side. Sometimes we drive down the middle. Be ready.
In the cities, any space into which your vehicle might possibly fit is considered a "lane." The marks on the street are meaningless during peak traffic hours. If you are a new arrival, I suggest taking a taxi. My partner says, "In the cities, traffic lanes are more of a SUGGESTION than a rule, depending on the size of your vehicle." That said, we have never seen anyone getting a traffic ticket. You are allowed to drive on your present drivers' license; however, it must be in good standing & not expired.
Car insurance for our VW Bug is about $100/year.
When shopping for cars, it pays to have a UYo helping you... Things are done differently here & he knows the proper questions to ask, in the proper order... For instance, if you read Spanish, you will find references to "deuda" in some of the auto ads at MercadoLibre.com... This means, the seller has "backslid" on paying his annual taxes on the vehicle, so that amount will need to be added to the purchase price... buyer beware. Make some friends - get some help.
Eat LOTS of the local honey when you arrive - it will help immunize you to plant pollens & prevent allergies... Unless you're an Aussie, you're bound to have some sneezing & sinus issues when the bottlebrush, eucalyptus & other trees are blooming - which is most of the year.
Leave your heavy coats & leather jackets at home... Leather is so affordable & so beautiful here, it's a shame to waste the weight & space in the suitcases.
Consider REALLY getting rid of some junk. Put the MUST KEEP items in crates for long-term storage (in case you change your mind). Pay the storage facility at least a year in advance... Keep the receipt. Investigate the logistics of having these items shipped down BEFORE you come down here... someone will need to be on hand to assist the person doing the estimate. We have 2 smallish crates in the US pending shipment when we apply for residency.
Consider bring needed items (cast-iron skillet, wok, kitchen knives, special items for your crafts, books in English or CDs, DVDs, favorite movies, etc.). If you have KIDS, these last items are IMPORTANT.
If you bring a light bedspread & shams, a couple sets of sheets & towels & vacuum them down in SpaceBags, you can bring more for the money... Also, having familiar items around you can relieve any homesickness that pops up.
We flew down with 7 suitcases between us. We paid $100/each for the extra 3 suitcases, but it was worth every penny. We have some hand tools, full kitchen equipment, vitamins & supplements, Ranch Dressing Mix, and various condiments from home. NOTE: any condiments, vitamins & supplements must be UNOPENED to clear Customs.
Keep contact with friends in your home country. They can prove invaluable when it comes to sending you saline solution (cheaper at Walmart) or favorite condiments (Zatarain's or Slap Ya Mama or Tony Chachere's) which are unavailable here.
When someone from home sends you something, be sure to return the favor by sending them back some lovely Uruguayan or Brasiliero coffee, chocolate, or yerba mate so they can enjoy your new culture, too!
Spend lots of time at the beach, lots of time in the hammock... it will help you unwind so the trees in the forest begin to take on individual characteristics. Don't worry about the kids - they will survive without constant attention for at least half an hour...
We routinely see kids as young as 6 or 7 in wetsuits, out surfing or swimming with the black dolphins without mom & dad, OR on horseback as tiny gauchos, moving the milk cows out to graze along Ruta 9.
Send your kids to public school. Kids are KIDS - they integrate better when they can learn from one another in a group. Your kid might end up being very popular with the others just because they are interesting & from a far-off country... All the kids we've seen/met/know are healthy & happy, with no bullying or "ear-flicking" behavior witnessed on the bus to school; instead, they show off their artwork & give hugs & kisses - a refreshing change.
That said, vigorously supporting one's preferred futbol team is NOT considered hazing...
Why not bring down a baseball & bat & a COUPLE of extra gloves? UYos LOVE to learn new sports games.
Learn the proper use of the parilla. It's not a BBQ grill - it's an EVENT... Invite a few neighbors, have wine, delicious salads, ask them to show you how THEY do it. You will have a lovely time & meet new people who will take an interest in you, helping you negotiate buying cars, homes, etc. If you're not rich, this type of help can be a special blessing.
Learn the names of the different types of fish & cuts of meat. Each butcher shop usually has a "map" of the different cuts of a cow, pig, sheep, etc. Don't be disappointed when you look in the cold case; those are just the most popular "little bites" for the parilla. I regularly request "primero costillo" (prime rib steaks) custom-cut 1-1/2" thick... and pay about $5.50 for 4 of these huge beauties.
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Uruguay: Types of Spanish:
Castellano (as in Castile, Spain) is the language of the realm... People down on the South coast can get running pretty rapidly & some of their speech is referred to as "Rio de la Platanesa."
Up here on the frontier with Brazil, we are much more relaxed & speak much more slowly, sometimes "swallowing" the last few letters of a word. Basically, we do not pronounce consonant sounds with the distinction, diction, or crispness as in English. It is like music & flows more easily when spoken as such.
Further up on the North Frontier, near Tacuarembo, this is even more pronounced, so if you are listening to find EXACT words, you will have a hard time.
For me, it makes it a bit easier... I don't have to remember how to conjugate all those verbs up here, so I slip by a bit... ;p
THAT SAID, if you speak Mexican Spanish, they will understand YOU just fine. It is YOUR EARS you will need to train to pick up the Castellano... We have many TV programs in Mexican Spanish, so no worries...
Most people will bend over backward to help you... :D
Come on down, have a great time, then go back home, please... :D
Just kidding.
Enjoy!
Uruguay: Items availability & Customs:
First of all, you can bring any UNOPENED condiments down... We brought fish sauce & many other items... Nobody bothered about it.
Meat & fish are the primary items they are concerned with. Eggs as well, of course. You can probably bring anything in a can you wish... Worst case scenario, it is confiscated.
No need to shop in Buenos Aires. Montevideo & all the South Coast, as well as up on the Atlantic Coast, have plenty of shopping. Especially, the duty-free shops of Chuy on the frontier with Brazil, you can buy Tabasco & every kind of treat you can think of...
If you are only going to be here 2 weeks, there should be NO ISSUES re problems finding your favorite things here. Just remember - they don't eat much spicy food.
Yes, friends CAN mail you things from home. Again, however, it takes some time to get down here, so if you are planning to stay just 2 weeks, mailing is kind of a moot issue, as it usually takes 2 weeks or more for me to receive anything here from the States... However, easily done.
If you need to order from a specific company & the item is shipped directly from the company with invoice on the box, you will be charged an "import tax" which, if the item is over $100 value, can be 100% of the item's value.
I bake bread regularly. People here on the seaside use the "horno de barro" which is an Earth Oven. Makes the crispiest pizza crust or baguettes ever... Easy & excellent results, but not FAST.
I have not done a lot of shopping in MVD or on the South Coast, but I can tell you up here near Chuy we have MANY different types & grades of flour, as well as different fineness of flour. EASY to get soy flour, wheat germ, flax seed, other seeds, natural yeasts (several kinds), so I doubt you will have trouble with that & no need to carry any flour with you.
Our town has an excellent naturopathic physician, as well as an excellent dentist. Since being here, most of my health problems have disappeared due to the value of the salt sea air.
However, depending on the nature of your illness, I would start looking in the MVD area. If it is only a minor illness, "you may feel free to move about the country," as every small town has a polyclinic which is open 24 hours.
I have fibromyalgia but find it is MUCH easier to manage here than in the States. If I need muscle relaxants or something for pain, I can walk into any farmacia & tell them what I want & receive it without a prescription for a pittance of what I paid in the US. Medications are of equal or better quality than the US... I have had no side-effects from medication purchased here, while I have had serious side-effects on the same generic medication made & sold in the US.
If you like, please feel free to contact me directly and I will try to answer your questions in detail or will find your answer for you...
My private email is
Cabravieja@privacyharbor.com
Or, if you prefer, you can ring me direct at 210/418-3005. This is a local call for the US (via MagicJack). If we don't answer, we are out building our home, so leave a voice mail. We are on EST & usually arrive home for the day around 3-4pm. We generally hit the hay around 9pm.
I also have Skype... Look for CabraVieja in UY.
I have had difficulty responding to messages on my page here...
Note: If you are only coming for 2 weeks, just relax... UY is NOT a 3rd world country... That is an insult. We have all the Chanel & Gucci & Prada you can possibly afford down here. Think European. Most homes/hotes have bidets.
RE: Hotels... I highly recommend Hotel Palacio in Ciudad Vieja of MVD. Best rooms for the price... If you choose a "doble superior," you will get 5th or 6th floor with a lovely terrace which makes it more like an apartment... HUGE bathrooms, 1920s furniture & photos... Very elegant grand old hotel with CLASS. It has a charming wrought iron ELEVATOR in working condition & the staff are great. Security is not a problem in the area unless you are out walking late at night. If you are a light sleeper, ask for a room at the back on weekends, as there is a loud nightclub downstairs on Fri/Sat nites. They have Tempurpedic-style mattresses which are very comfy. You will be right next to Plaza de Independencia & all the shopping.
Have a good trip & enjoy UY! There are many beautiful sites to be seen here...
Uruguay: AMY from Santiago, Chile:
Dear Amy -
I received your private message, but you left me no mailbox to reply to & the browser did not take me to your page at EE where you posed your questions...
Please feel free to contact me directly at cabravoladera@privacyharbor.com or send me your Email address & I will respond directly to you.
Cheers,
CV
aka Flying Goat
Uruguay: Visiting Uruguay for 6+ months:
You did not mention if you are traveling with children. Other items you might want to bring are books/DVDs/music CDs. We do have a few TV programs in English, but most are in Spanish (some with subtitles, such as Animal Planet & Discovery Channel, which help with grammar, etc.) While books are available here, very few are in English.
As far as a bank account goes, if selecting BROU (Banco Republica Orientale de Uruguay), which is owned by the government & probably the safest, one needs an address & a utility bill in their own name, in addition to birth certificates & passports. Deposit minimum is $500 USD.
I have not investigated medical insurance, as I am seldom every sick, but do have a chronic illness - fibromyalgia. However, I find it easier to manage here than in the States. I can purchase Gloriax (a benzodiazepine/muscle relaxer) and Diclofenac (muscle relaxer) very cheaply over the counter without a doctor visit. Then, during winter (when it is more intense due to barometric changes) all I need is a nice fire & comfy place to lie down... No need for doctor. For me, the savings over the prescription drugs in the US, along with requisite doctor visits, makes the purchase of insurance a non-issue.
As far as small injuries or illness is concerned, there is a policlinica in every neighborhood, with excellent qualified doctors, and very inexpensive.
A good dentist is easily found. I can recommend MY dentist, a wonderful fellow who has offices both in MVD & Punta del Diablo, Dr. Mario Garcia.
If you wear contact lenses, do bring several large bottles of solution with you, as these are quite expensive here. If you buy in a farmacia, you could pay as much as $40/pint. If you buy in an "optical shop," the cost is 1/2 of that. I have a friend in the States who sends me a couple bottles of Walmart brand every few months... I send her coffee & chocolate in exchange... :D
If you have allergies in the States, you will probably have them here as well, as the eucalyptus & bottlebrush & other trees are in bloom now & some bloom all year. Loratadina, an antihistamine, is readily available here & very cheap. If you get congested, you can buy Sinutab (yes, with REAL pseudoephedrine in it) over the counter, no problems. They will first offer you a pack of effervescent powder, but explain you want "pastillas en caja" and they will present you with a box, also very cheap. Ibuprofen, aspirin, etc. are MUCH cheaper here than in the States.
Prices for most things are the same as in the US, especially in the area you are visiting. If you come North to the frontier with Brasil, you will find many items at lower prices, especially in the duty-free shops in Chuy... (a great place to pick up souvenirs or gifts for loved ones back home).
Another thing you will want to bring is a laptop & MagicJack. You can get the MagicJack at Walmart & a year's service for $19.27USD. It must be set up in the US. Then, once you're down here, you can plug it in & turn it on & VOILA! You have a local phone number so people in the States can call you for free & you can do the same... Much better than Skype, altho Skype does allow webcam, which MagicJack does not.
You will want to purchase a cell phone down here. Go to an Antel store. I bought a middle-of-the-line phone with camera, mp3 player, bluetooth, and internet capability for $26. Service for this prepaid phone is $5/month. You can make international calls from this phone but it is very expensive. If you do not bring a MagicJack but want to call home more cheaply than by your cell phone, you must go to the Antel office & use their international phone cabins. These are quite inexpensive. Before getting our MagicJack, we would call home to the US & only spend about 100 pesos ($5).
Use SpaceBags when you pack. You can bring more items. You will want to bring a set of sheets, pillowcases & towels for bath & kitchen, as many times these are not supplied in "furnished" rental homes. Once down here, if you decide to move about, you can cheaply buy a hand-held vacuum in one of the duty free shops for about $16. (I also noted Customs is not as likely to open vacuum-sealed bags.)
Be prepared to WAIT for things you need done down here. Renewing a visa is an interesting way to spend the day - running back & forth. If you ONLY stay 6 months, you can renew happily in MVD or Maldonado... Just be SURE you don't lose the little slip of paper they give you.
We just got finished with our run to Brazil & back. If you decide to apply for residency, you must do so within 80 days of entering the country the "first time," meaning, you must leave & come back with a fresh visa stamp, then apply within 80 days of that fresh stamp.
Happy to be of help, as UY has enchanted us & we are now in the process of clearing land & building a home here. Still, we are learning step by step, as there is no "manual" for doing things properly according to the UY bureaucracy. Sometimes, even THEY don't know what's going on...
Come down, relax, depressurize. But be aware - the Uyo people are thieves - they will steal your heart. You may not want to go home.
Uruguay: air fare:
The cheapest city to fly out of the US to Uruguay is Miami, Florida. Search TripAdvisor.com (Cheapo Flights) for TACA airlines... They have a flight that has a 1-hour layover in Lima, Peru to change planes & terminals (easy - Lima's airport is beautiful & well laid-out) before continuing on to Montevideo. We selected the flight that takes a total of around 12 hours.
The cheapest times of the year to fly are March & April. We logged what we wanted into TripAdvisor, then watched the email updates for flights until the price dropped to $640/person. Then, we went to a travel agent & paid for the flight.
No need for round-trip tickets if you plan to stay for awhile... Ask your travel agent to double-check, if you feel uncomfortable. We had a bit of hassle with a Cuban fellow at the TACA check-in, when he remarked about our one-way tickets, stating we would be detained, then put into jail if we did not show round-trip tickets... This is patently FALSE, as it is VERY normal for people to fly into a country here, then tour all of South America before flying out from another country...
We were greeted with "Bienvenidos al Uruguay" by a smiling young lady, who stamped our passports & moved us forward... How refreshing!
Turns out, our bags got left in Lima for 2 days, but the airport in MVD took a description of each of our 7 bags, provided us with "grooming kits," and paid us $50USD for each day the bags were late. They were delivered to our hotel without our ever having to clear customs! What a refreshing change from the US...
Uruguay: Moving to Montevideo, Uruguay:
Dear GaryChar -
Please don't be discouraged by the previous opinions re Uruguay. I enjoyed reading how you are into LOW MAINTENANCE a/k/a more natural lifestyle...
My husband and I have been here since 4/2011 - NOT in the South of the country (PDE, Piriapolis, Atlantida, MVD) - but up North near the frontier with Brasil...
We had no dramas buying a car. Roadworthy, transferred ownership the same day, papers same day, taxes paid, insurance bought for $100/year. 1968 VW Beetle - all original - 2nd owners - cost $3500 USD.
We had only a week's delay in closing on our property here... We have bought a "solare" out of a "manzana" (a slice of the apple) in this sleepy little tourist town of 1,000 full-time residents. Not on the beach, but well within walking distance & located in the eucalyptus forest. We paid $9k USD CASH, went to Rocha with our attorney to arrange to pay back taxes (you do NOT need to pay more than 10 years' back taxes, by UY law, so be sure & get an attorney to represent you. What the escribano puts down on paper IS the LAW & must be accepted here. For the price of 500 pesos ($25), he was WELL worth the price of his services - and a delightful man, to boot!).
When I first went to the Intendencia to arrange for payment of the back taxes, I was told I would have to pay them ALL... back to 1996! This amounted to about an extra $3,600, which was insupportable for us. So we called our escribano (recommended by our WONDERFUL landlord) and all was remedied. We even came out $300 better on the deal.
I speak Spanish (Tex/Mex) & have been training my ears for the Castellano (pure Castilian, as in Spain) which is spoken here... In the South Coast, they speak Rio de la Platanesa, which can be very difficult, but up here they speak slowly & distinctly, altho they tend to "swallow" the last few letters of a word... It all flows together. You will make your way, no worries. I am Native American but very pale at this time due to extended illness over the Gulf issues, as we used to be Alabama residents. Getting stronger with every day now...
I have NEVER felt as if I were being made fun of up here on the frontier, altho this did happen in MVD, most notably at Hotel Iberia, which I would never recommend to anyone... Hotel Palacio is half the price, IMMACULATELY CLEAN, and the staff are outgoing & friendly... For $45, we received a nice clean room, a bit crowded with 1920s marble-topped dresser & end tables, etc., but with tempurpedic-style mattresses & real comfort - even in the dead of winter... The bath was the same size as the bedroom, with tub, shower, and even a bidet... Best was the 20' x 30' terrace we had on the 6th floor. Tiny view of the River, but excellent views of the architecture of MVD.
When we bought our land, the price was never raised. Rather, other lots are selling at $15k and, because our landlord had bought 3 lots at $9k, he called & made sure we got the same price from the owners... No prob.
We did have to travel to MVD to close, which because of our bus driver, we were late for the meeting... However, greetings were exchanged, money changed hands, we signed ONE paper (instead of the volumes one must execute for purchases in the US) after the reading of the document (by our escribano) was satisfactory for all parties. Papers are in the hands of our attorney and, after being recorded with the authorities of UY & the Dept. of Rocha, he will hand-deliver the finalized documents to us... :D (We gave him a nice bottle of tannat liqueur as a "thank you" for his services. It is a truly excellent liqueur and only $9/bottle.)
Yesterday, with chainsaw, tape measure, twine, bow saw & limb loppers, we went to our property (which does not even have a street cleared yet) and cut trees, limbed them up, and sank the first 3 posts for our new home... In about an hour's time, we head to work again & hope to get at least 6 more posts up & ready... (By the way, we are both age 50 & have grown soft, but are intent on doing this work ourselves...)
Our income level? Less than $1200/mo. We spend about $50/week on food, drink, wine, etc. We sold all our possessions before coming down & came down with 7 suitcases... We paid $100 each for these, which to my view was way cheaper than trying to ship them down.
At the moment, we are still on tourist visa status. We renewed the 2nd time last week, in Chuy. We went to the Brasiliero Consulate, bought visas for $175 each, were photographed, 1st 2 digits of each hand electronically printed, then had a nice lunch while we waited for our passports to be updated. When we got back, the chief in charge came out to the sidewalk with our finished passports, saying he was leaving for his lunch & we had made him hungry thinking about the rotisserie chicken & pork at Walter's Buffet on the Brasil side of Chui. All that was necessary was for us to drive 3km to the Brasil aduana, get stamped "IN" and "OUT" of Brasil, then back to the Chuy aduana on the UY side to get stamped "IN" again... Homeward bound, no issues.
We have had very little crime in our area. I have found all of the locals to be genuinely good people, especially the lady who runs our post office & a restaurant (out of her home). People have gone out of their way to show us properties for sale, etc., and we have NEVER dealt with an "inmobiliaria" (real estate agent) at all. Boots on the ground, driving/walking & talking to locals is how you find property here on the frontier.
As far as crime, almost no one has bars on their windows up here... Locals or tourists. We did have an incident where some other Americans came down & got robbed in the cabana where they spent the night... BUT they were "Ugly Americans" who showed up in a flashy rental car, flashing a wad of money almost as big as my head, with a HUGE gold chain & double-eagle gold medallion around the neck of one of them, talking loud, acting big shots, spending big money on wine, etc... Basically, full of crap people... (You might say, based on their behavior, that they deserved it.) People consider it bad style to throw money around up here.
We have very little abject poverty up North. Everyone works. I have seen boys as young as 9 or 10 with their own pony cart delivery service in Chuy.
As far as public transportation, altho we own a car, we still prefer to travel to MVD (when we must) on the bus. Buses in UY FAR outshine anything you've ever experienced in the US. CLEANER by far, with better, on-time, more regular service than Greyhound or Continental ever FANTASIZED about, they are our preferred mode of transport when going any great distance. In fact, the first 2 months, we either walked or took the bus wherever we went... Even to Chuy to buy groceries (as things are more expensive in our little village).
I recommend that you not limit yourself to the expat communities on the South Coast or Gold Coast... Visit, look, then move on. That's the area the young lady was warning you about.
Move on up North, to the frontier & you will find a safe haven. The home we are building will be a log home, as it is legal to cut timber from any UNUSED, IDLE land, and our building cost will be approximately $5/square foot - that is NOT a typo. However, we are NOT buying all new lumber... We are cutting our own trees & setting our own piers. We will have a wood floor with a concrete "skin" overlaid with terracotta tiles for a floor, complete ceramic shower & bath, concrete countertops, gas cooktop, outdoor earth oven for pizza, bread, suckling pig, etc., and of course, the obligatory parilla...
HOW on Earth do we get that price? Our home will be 20' x 20', have a deck around it (approx. 18" above land level), and will be 1/2-moon timbers 1/2-way up, with lapped boards above that, and a corrugated concrete composite roof... We have bought used toilets, sinks, and etc. for very cheap.
Up here, one can buy a 6" wide board 6 meters long (20 ft) and 1/2" thick for only $1.00 USD.
IF you decide to build in brick, you will pay a substantial tax on bricks, mortar, etc., plus you will be required to use an architect. Wood homes are not so regulated. I also prefer the vibration of wood to the stone-like feel of concrete.
Our lot size is 510 square meters. When we move into this house, it will be temporary. We will live in it while we take our time constructing our "dream home" which will likewise be of very simple but elegant construction. Then, learning from the locals, especially my excellent UYo landlord, we will rent the original house out during the tourist season for approximately $2500/mo. During the peak months of December/January, that will be the price... Discounts for "shoulder" months of high season and the "temporada baja" or low season if we decide to bother with it... Basically, here people earn in 2 months what they need to live on the rest of the year... And then they relax for the next 10 months.
At the same time, we plan to keep 3 milk goats, some chickens, rabbits, & a couple of pigs so we can provide our own food...
I might mention that beef here is excellent - we routinely buy 1-1/2" thick prime rib steaks from the butcher in Chuy. FOUR of these beauties cost us the equivalent of $5.50 total.
If you have not already arrived or if you have & are interested in looking at other areas and options, please feel free to contact me at CabraVoladera@privacyharbor.com.
Regardless, one thing I can assure you is this - you will NOT be the object of discrimination down here unless you make an ass of yourself. UY is a multicolored country and I have never seen any racism here at all. The earlier writer, Jean, certainly never has experienced any of the treatment Native Americans and Blacks are subjected to up in the States. I am Native American/Scottish & suffered racism on both sides - by NDNs and by whites. My partner is Filipino/German, so we are a true interracial couple. YOU GUYS are welcome at our parilla anytime... :D
Best of luck in your venture!
Cheers,
CabraVoladera
aka Flying Goat
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