Just left Miami

After a straightforward and eventless flight we arrived in Miami. It was a daytime flight so we arrived in good shape;well fairly good shape. Ping had a bad earache which was excruciatingly painful during the flight and I was still recovering from a cold. 

We had decided to hire a car as it would give us a bit of freedom and they are not very expensive in America.How wrong we were! We arrived at our hotel to find that not only did they not have any parking, but that parking in the area is so expensive it made our eyes water! Because of the hour we found all the private car parks were already closed. On our first night we had to leave the car on a meter overnight and then feed it at $3.50 per hour when it started operating  in the morning. This of course meant that Ping had to go out in her nightie and curlers at 7 am to feed the meter! I would have done it but I was tired.

So with our hotel at $60 a night and parking at $30 it was already getting pricy, one of the options was to return the car but then that would have been difficult and would have costs.

Anyhow that is my first little rant out of the way. Our hotel was shabby but quite okay. 

Downtown Miami is superficially interesting though I think we only scratched the surface. It really is a stunningly uncomfortable mix of incredible opulence contrasting to a shockingly large street population many of whom are people in very poor condition, amputees and major disabilities. People exhibiting major mental health problems are commonplace. Some street dwellers are simply decrepit! 

Stunning modern buildings

This against the backdrop of a beautiful modern city with some of the finest modern architecture imaginable. There are many fine and ostentatious restaurants with well dressed people dining inside and sick old men sleeping outside. I found it very hard to reconcile in my own mind, it made me feel bad. When you cross over, just a short hop to Miami Beach, you find a rich mans' playground of monstrous proportions. One of the most striking features are the lavish boats and yachts that are everywhere. 

These floating gin palaces were everywhere

Thousands of the most fancy, and often large boats imaginable. I did wonder at one point if it might be compulsory to have a yacht as a condition of living there. I was also left wondering seriously in view of their universally gleaming shiny newness if they are forced by some local law to simply scrap their boats when they become no longer shiny! 

Glorious Deco!

In amongst all of this is the so called ‘Art Deco district’ which is a mile of stunningly beautiful buildings a mix of shops, hotels, restaurants and private houses that are all carefully preserved examples of that 1930 period which produced so much lovely architecture. 

It is noticeable that many owners have dressed their properties by parking classic cars and motorbikes outside to set the scene a bit more. It is all very glamourous and well worth taking the time to see it. Interestingly ,though,as you drive further around Miami Beach you find that there is lots more all over that is not celebrated in quite the same way these buildings are just in use in a sort of workaday kind of way and some are quite decaying.

Just add a bit of dressing to make the picture

We also made a point of visiting another area of Miami , ‘Wynwood’, Which is a very large industrial area that has apparently fallen on hard times and most of the factories and warehouses have been left empty. Something remarkable has taken place. 

Street art everywhere in Wynwood

 
A typical Wynwood car paint shop

Graffiti artists have moved in on a grand scale!  Over huge district every conceivable space has been covered with street art of all types.

There are Murals of incredible art and beauty. There are gags and some very humorous  paintings. Interestingly we see again where the local businesses that remain have joined in and commissioned work depicting their business’s.

This is the place for maritime clothing
The very few new buildings that are starting to emerge are decorated in a theme in keeping with this new environment.

New building still includes art to add glamour

Inevitably many mainstream artists have taken to setting up commercial galleries in the area. 

Amazing art round every corner

 These contrasting against a plethora of mindless 

tagging where less inspired people have left their signature or ‘Tag’ daubed on some of the art.

The overwhelming impression is one of beauty and humour and liberty on a grand scale. Too much to take in in one visit. Well worth the effort though!

Fun too

Over all our visit to miami has been a very expensive diversion spending these few days here was capped off by my becoming ill. I had a very unpleasant cold since we left England. I do worry on these occasions that I may have one of my very unhappy asthma attacks. So I have persuaded my GP to prescribe me some steroids to take with us on the trip just to be on the safe side. Inevitably, however they had been placed safely in the van!

Well, on the evening of day three the cold was dragging on and I was becoming aware that all was definitely not well. We ended up going to the hospital for help, though my departure was delayed as we were about to leave, Barak Obama's motorcade came hurtling through Miami. It was quite a sight I guess about thirty vehicles in the party escorted by maybe a similar number of police motorcycles all flashing and howling. After Obama had passed Ping reminded me that I was mortally ill and we continued on to the hospital.

Just waiting for my mum to pick me up

I should have got a sticker for being good

By the time I got there I was quite wheezy very glad to be there. The staff were terrific, they listened to my account of how I have dealt with attacks in the past and readily agreed to prescribe me the steroids but made sure they were having good effect before chucking me out. I was very glad that we had, at the last minute , taken out extra daily insurance to be in the US which covered the cost.

 However the hospital were very clear, contrary to popular belief, that they do not allow payment to be a barrier to treatment. I was very impressed.

I almost forgot that Donald Trump held a hurriedly arranged rally opposite our hotel Apparently, Florida has become very important in the campaign. We were surprised to see that there so few supporters outside the venue there was a motley crew of about 50 people shouting and moaning in support of Trump’s inane and bigoted claptrap.

The whole thing was quite underwhelming.
Whatever will happen after this election?

The next day we flew out to Montevideo feeling much better and not worrying about an asthma attack on the 8 hour flight.

Dateline Montevideo.

I have no idea what that really means, but I think it looks rather exciting!

We have arrived to collect the van, an event that we are really eagerly anticipating.

We had arranged to be taken from the airport to our hotel. Sadly, having been dropped off we discovered as the taxi disappeared, that the hotel neither had our booking, or any free rooms. This was a shame on two accounts, one was that it seemed to be a really nice place with charming staff, but also it meant we had to drag our very heavy bags about half a mile down the road to the mildly unpleasant Hotel Mediterranean. Where we are now installed. This inconvenience meant that we were really too tired to start organising the various bureaucratic matters that needed to be dealt with. We eventually pitched up in The Immigration department 3 minutes after it closed, oh bugger! 

However we did get to meet the clearing agent who amid being very pleasant and helpful has explained all we need to do.

 There is a bit of a nuisance in all of this in that during this time we have been tracking the ship on the interweb and we now think it may dock over the weekend and we are not quite ready  we have a couple of offices to visit  and we have been told that the van cannot be released until we have insurance in place which have so far not done.

The magnificent  theatre

It is the weekend now so we have been mooching around Montevideo which is a very pleasant city It is quite obviously steeped in history but much of that is obscured by being in Spanish. The city is quite small and quite old  has beautiful buildings but some are quite decayed which in my view rather adds to its charm. 

some houses neglected some cared for

It seems that it may be a bit underpopulated, the streets are not crowded and the traffic is light So it seems to be a very relaxed place where people generally have time to be pleasant. 

someones roof garden

Actually we are rather unwilling tourists as we really want to get on with recovering the van as well as being quite tired.
However from Monday there is lots to do. One real problem that is emerging is that the whole business living in hotels is expensive and continuing and of course it is really not our thing. 

We do intend to move back to our original hotel, the one we are in, is ok though the lobby smells a bit and the toilet cistern is very odd, it is mounted on the wall but is clearly designed to be perched on the bog itself and it has been heavily painted with ‘Artex’ that’s the stuff you use on dodgy ceilings to hide the cracks. 

strange  bog!

This is made further surprising as there is no sign of Artex anywhere else. Interestingly the bog seat itself is air cushioned for extreme comfort, classy eh? 

Breakfast is $5 and consists of a prepacked sandwich. I think you get a cup of instant  as well. Its not exactly 'Bates' quality but I have seen better

So tomorrow we lug or cases back over the hill to the much nicer Hotel Iberia.

Now we have moved and are more comfortable. We have now learnt that the ship will not now dock before Thursday so we have plenty of time to sort out the admin required. as we watch the progress of the ship online. We still think it may dock early but who knows.

Port of Monevideo

Gazing out to sea!. Our ship will come through here.
The Graf Spee is out there somewhere

                          All over Montevideo there is an array of magnificent statuary here is just a few. So many heroes of so many revolutions, so little time.
Here are some of the less predictable example.

This is treated as a popular shrine

Confucius, not a hero of the revolution

We are optimistic to have the van back by Friday so we can get started properly.

Finally here is one for the Ladies!!!