Dia de Independencia !Extravaganza!

Using TLFOS, (time lapse fotography of sorts), I will recreate the Uruguayan and estadounidense Independence day !Celebracion! Starting off with the host of the night, Brandon fired up the grill and made some incredible peanut butter bun hamburgers. At first I thought it was just the best tasting sticky bread I had ever eaten. Three thumbs up. PEANUT BUTTER!!Then comes the Utter Uruguay on Flaming Fuego! (That's the best I could do for alliteration; U's don't offer many options). Ready- Aim- Fire- Finale!!

So that was the first annual 4th of July celebration in Uruguay!! We'll see if they can pull off the second with such style next year :)

Carboneros vs. Bolso

I've got a special sunny day treat for everybody today! The futbol season closer "Penarol y Nacional" The two biggest, baddest teams in Uruguay.

Getting into the stadium was a real trick. Like good Uruguayans, we arrived late and then worked our way into the front of this writhing mass of "hinchas" or "crazy soccer fans". I would say that we "cut" in the "line" but neither of the words really exist at this point. South of the border, lines are generally not respected. And this compacted ocean of sweaty bodies cannot really constitute a line.

If you look closely there is an entire SWAT team up front and anti-riot police with the whole gettup (shield and big stick). They are formed in battle formation. Picture us 5 friends and Penarol fans about 15 people deep, swaying to and fro along with a 1000 others that are pushed by one thousand others. In the sweltering crush of bodies, Brandon tests his mob survival tecnique (lift your feet and let the mob carry you so you don't get trampled underneath upon falling). After seeing his success, I do the same. The police seemingly allow people to pass at random, one here, another there; the real fun begins now. The formation of police is tired of the continous press of bodies so they begin to push and push some more. They can't push enough so they begin to strike those in front. As the first strikes fall, defenseless fans try to flee into the mass behind but the mass, instead of ceding, surges forward into the hole created.

Now, we are in the front of the line. We are all sweating under a merciless sun and being pushed by police that are equally merciless. Milagrosamente, the line of police opens and they begin to let all of us through. My relief was palpable until I was stopped abruplty by an elbow in the chest. My friends had entered the stadium grounds but I was now on the front lines of the madness. Pushed from the front, pushed from the back, I had no recourse but to try and breath. I could feel the desperation behind, women crying, claustrofobes in panic, shoving and yelling, and the bodies oozing sweat.

I tried to protect myself, bringing my arms up to force space for my ribcage. And the officer pushing on me quickly jammed the butt of his knight stick into my stomach. Stunned, I managed to squeeze to one side and I desperately asked another officer to let me through. As he let me pass, I noticed his eyes were wide with fright and adrenaline, probably just like mine.

Leaving the swirling press behind, I was happily reunited with my friends, and I spent the first half of the game trying to fight off a queasy feeling in my stomach and my instinct for self preservation.
Half Time! Look closely, what you are seeing are the referee and his helpers being escorted by about two dozen police. No, they were not arrested; it is a common safety measure.

Mid game fun, waving a big big flag and celebrating.

There is the team flag that Quique and his bro Mateus made. Thanks for tuning in. A special thanks out to the guy he let me into the stadium grounds.

Ah, and here is a picture I found of some after game fun in which I luckily did not take part.