14.07.2013 Bulletin

by Marita
(Montevideo Uruguay)

Consider:

"Never judge a man until you have walked a mile in his moccasins: Then you are a mile away and he has no shoes." ---- Johnny Carson

Dear Folks,

Happy Independence Day! Hope you had a good celebration.

Mid-week holidays tend to throw off one's orientation, so, for the record, the holiday was on Thursday, so when you get this, it will be Friday, after which comes Saturday. And then it will be Sunday, the day for getting together at La Papoñita again at the corner of 18 de Julio and Minas, right next to the park.

Other things to keep in mind:

1. One of our number has just finished renovating his house, and has some tips for dealing with contractors for those who are or will be doing the same:

JUST WANTED 2 SHARE SOME INSIGHTS AFTER HOME RENOVATION IS DONE:

PAST/PRESENT...IN DEALING WITH CONTRACTORS/HANDYMEN..ETC. MAKE SURE 2:

RATE/COST OF LABOR IS QUITE CLEAR & DEFINED....WHETHER IS DAILY OR OVERALL BUDGET
CLEAR ON SCOPE OF WORK...BUDGET COVERS IT COMPLETELY!!
KEEP TAB ON DATE WHEN WORK BEGAN/ENDED...HOLIDAYS!! WEEKENDS?? HOURS WORKED??
NO "HIDDEN CHARGES" = EXTRA TIME 2 COMPLETE JOB, GASOLINE, DELIVERY/PICK UP OF MATERIALS, ADDITIONAL WORKER NEEDED 2 ASSIST, TRAVELING OUTSIDE OF WORK AREA, EXTRA $ 4 USING A CREDIT CARD, ADJUSTING $$ EXCHANGE ACCORDING 2 THE MARKET RATE...
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED...HAVE IT IN WRITING!!!
HOPE THIS IS HELPFUL!!! SALUDOS!!

2. Recommendations for places in Montevideo
a) for an Italian Deli: La Italiana: tienda de especialidades en flambres y parrilla, on 21 Setiembre 2701, esq. Jamie Zudanez; Br. Artigas y Burgues; and Garibaldi 2064.

b) for stores with all manner of flours, spices, and other hard-to-get items:
i.) Singer in downtown Montevideo, just a bit east of City Hall near La Papoñita: El mundo de las especias. 18 de Julio 1612, casi Roxlo. www.casasinger.com
ii.) El Granero has flours, cereals, spices, chocolates, teas, and lots of bulk items, and prices are lower than in shops in the downtown area, but it closes early, about 16:00 (4 pm). Bv. Batlle y Ordoñez 3224, with a website, but the site has only a fraction of the items on offer www.elgranero.com.uy.

3.Music: The ballet Swan Lake will be performed at the Sodre Auditorio Nacional at the corner of Andes and Mercedes on August 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 ,18, 20, 21. Some people have suggested the dates 10, 11, 17 or 18. Saturday performances begin at 20:00 (8 pm), Sunday performances at 17:00 (5 pm) and the cheapest tickets, which we have always be satisfied with, cost UYU pesos 120. Let me know by July 23rd, 8 pm, if you are interested, and which dates would be best for you.

The next event in which people have expressed interest is the Joshua Bell (violinist) concert at the Sodre on September 8th at 19:30 (7:30 pm). The program includes
W.A. Mozart. Sonata en Sol mayor K301
L. Van Beethoven. Sonata opus 47 Nº 9 en La Mayor "Kreutzer"
C. Debussy. Sonata en Sol menor L140
E. Grieg. Sonata Opus 45 Nº 3 en Do Menor
Tickets are considerably more expensive, starting at UYU pesos 700 for the cheapest seats. Start thinking about whether you want to go, because tickets will have to be bought early to be sure that it will be possible to get them. Deadline for responses is next Thursday, July 25th at 8 pm.

4. Another helpful participant has info on mortgages and wrote:

Mortgages for Expats: If you are an expat, like me, who cannot qualify for a mortgage here, because of lack of a Uruguayan based salary, you can still get a mortgage. Private mortgages are available for homeowners who have titles. I have done this twice, with no problems. The interest rates are high........up to 15%, and the escribana usually takes 9-10% of the loan amount as his/her fee. However you can borrow with interest only due on a monthly or quarterly basis for extended periods of time; with no penalty for pre-payment.

Contact ccooper495(at)gmail.com for more information, if you are interested.

5. A sign on a tree in Cordon advertised:
Visitors - Students
Private rooms, temporary apartments for rent, weekly, monthly. Residential area. Clean and modern. Fully furnished. Call: 2710 1013, 096 595 903, or 096 332 104.
Portuguese, French spoken.

Nothing more is known about this offer, so no recommendation is given--it is just info, for whatever it's worth. If you are interested and call them, it would be good to receive a report back so that an evaluation of this can be given.

Which should be enough for today.

Cheers, Marita