Government plans taxing overseas assets of residents in Uruguay

MercoPress reports that Uruguay is planning to tax deposits and other assets held overseas by residents in the country. Opposition leader Pedro Bordaberry is speaking out against some aspects of the move, but international pressure to get off the "grey lists" is heavy, as other countries in the region have experienced firsthand this year. The bill is expected to be sent for legislative consideration in coming days, announced Economy minister Fernando Lorenzo.

May 18: Remembering the Battle of Las Piedras

Today's May 18, the anniversary of the Battle of Las Piedras, which sealed Artigas' victory for independence. "Clemencia para los vencidos!"

job posting: curator for Latin America at Mpls Inst of Art

Friends of Minnesota-Uruguay Partners, please feel free to circulate this job posting for an Associate Curator of Latin American Art, Arts of Africa and the America at the prestigious Minneapolis Institute of Art (hat tip to Rachel Olson Limon for pointing it out to us).

Bourdain in Uruguay!

Marcos Villanueva mentioned this episode the other night... Bourdain does his food thing in Uruguay, where he has family roots.

Uruguay election results

Uruguay held local elections on Sunday. You can read about results in local daily El Pais.

Head to YMCA family camp in the Colorado Rockies

Rocky Mountain National Park's gorgeous valley on the drive to Bear Lake.

Like special effects on cue, a double rainbow arced over the mountains when we discovered the YMCA of the Rockies’ Estes Park Center in Colorado. How appropriate. It was our nirvana during a family vacation road trip to see Rocky Mountain National Park. This place, with an historic log welcome center that’s older than the park itself, was the perfect fit for our kids after a few nights of minding their manners at a B&B and a night at a past-its-prime resort. Here they could run through our cabin snarling like dinosaurs, then quietly marvel at the deer munching her way through the grass out front.

YMCA welcomes non-members to resort

This Colorado YMCA deserves its own zip code with beds for 3,500 guests in seven lodges and 206 cabins scattered throughout an 860-acre valley. Wow. It’s both resort and conference center plus a command central for family reunions. YMCA of the Rockies members get first dibs on vacation dates each year, but reservations opened to non-members last week. We were there in early June without any reservations and were lucky enough to score two nights mid-week. It was perfect.

Jackson Stables trail ride into Glacier Valley.

Saddle up for trail ride fun
What we wanted was an affordable, basic cabin with horseback riding nearby. Our son, who was 7, was considered two months too young for most trails rides. Most also use the huge horses that leave you bow-legged and wobbly. Jackson Stables uses delightfully smaller quarterhorses at Jackson Stables on the YMCA property. They had wonderful wranglers who talk you through what you need to know. Even better, our girls, despite being 3, also were able to ride ponies (“Strawberry” and “Shortcake”) and be led around a short course.

A snowy early June drive to the Alpine Visitor Center.

Do-it-yourself camp itinerary
Besides the memorable trail ride, the YMCA offers a jaw-dropping lineup of activities and facilities that are open year-round. Half-day or day-long summer camps give kids the chance to try everything from archery to rock climbing while parents enjoy down time. Families preferring to stick together can go swimming, mini-golfing, roller-skating, sightseeing, or sign up for hayrides, campfire sing-a-longs and stargazing. You can do as much or little kum-bay-yahhing as you want. It’s all there. My favorite? The mother of all craft halls with piles of hand-woven baskets, tie-dye T’s, hand-painted scarves, clothespin guns, leather crafts and pottery galore.
During our afternoons, we took day trips into Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park to see lush meadows and marmots, climb across boulders, and drive up purple peaks that left us breathless from the altitude.

Kids camp in session near YMCA of the Rockies lodge.

A sweet, sticky finish
Our favorite night out was the YMCA’s evening hay ride and marshmallow roast capped off with a short lesson in being a cowboy. Our wrangler gathered a circle of kids sporting gooey white mustaches. He bent over, showed them how to jump skyward, and let out a rip-snorting whoop of joy. On the wagon ride back, with sticky, happy kids piled into our laps, we had one of our best family vacation moments. This is hands-down as one of the coolest family destinations in America.

Read more about "Rocky Mountains Puts Family in High Spirits."

Save money at Wisconsin Dells & water parks

I was talking with Floridians last week who were puzzling over Minnesotan's love affair with indoor water parks. This time of year--as it's finally nudged past 11 degrees--I would go to an indoor water park just to peel off long underwear, wool socks and turtlenecks. Not to mention bulky sweaters that make me feel as svelte as Frosty the Snowman. There's also this "We're in this together" camaraderie with Midwest water parks. Go to Florida with pasty winter skin, and you risk blinding the locals. Go to an indoor water park, and, hey, we're all solar-challenged.

If you're ready for an steamy oasis of fake tropics and ecstatic, shrieking kids, here are
a few tips for saving money and making the most of visiting the Midwest's indoor water parks:

• Aim for a mid-week visit if you have toddlers and can take advantage of the often-cheaper rates and lighter crowds.
• If traveling mid-week, make sure the park is open. Some smaller ones close mid-week in the off-season and larger ones have to do occasional maintenance work (such as waxing slides for maximum speed).

• Watch for coupons and online specials, especially in large resort areas such as Wisconsin Dells. (That's the Wilderness Resort's wave pool pictured above. With a clear roof, you'd never know it's indoors.)
• Plan ahead. The most economical and least crowded months to go are May and September. The last week in August is good, too. Wisconsin kids go back to school before Minnesotans.
• Try one of the smaller water parks, usually 10,000 to 12,000 square feet, if you have preschool children or toddlers. Save the big guns--tummy-flipping slides and gotta-scream rides--and the big budgets for later. You can get nickle-and-dimed by all the big resort kiosks (or feel mentally battered by incessant begging). Think hair-braiding, fake tattoos, toys and gadgets and those blingy arcades. This is an ideal time to motivate older kids to earn and save an allowance.
• Most water parks allow a limited number of non-guests in for a day fee. Adults, even if they stay out of the water, usually need to pay admission as well. Always call first for availability in case general admission tickets are sold out.

• Take extra swimsuits so you don’t have to wear a wet one for a second trip to the park. Bring a cover-up for walking through hallways, which tend to be cool, and waterproof sandals. Those flip-flops or Crocs are hard for us to remember in Sorrel season, but you don't want to risk someone swiping expensive shoes or soaking nice leather.
• Bring quarters for lockers if you need them.
• Feed kids well before heading to the park or be prepared to shell out for snack-bar food. It's more nutritious, cheaper and easier to slap together a PBJ and slice up some apples in a hotel room. And how many moms want to go dining elsewhere with water park hair, no make-up and kids without patience for any quick fixes? Did I mention bringing a baseball hat?
• Take a waterproof camera (a disposable one should work) or risk ruining a regular one when some kid aims a water cannon your way. We have a shockproof, waterproof Minolta model, but it shoots better photos of eels in the ocean than kids shooting down a slide.
• Have a pre-determined meeting spot in case anyone gets lost.
• Pack waterproof Band-Aids in case of scrapes.
• Most parks do not allow water toys or floaties, but they do usually provide life jackets, which offer both parents and non-swimming kids some peace of mind.

(Above photo: The Edge at Duluth's Best Western.)