Montevideo

Did you know what place is that, in the title of this post?

For those, like me, who dreamed through the geogrpahy lessons, this the capital of Uruguay. Made famous by the Economist in 2013 by coronating it the 

country of the year.  If you wondered that it would be about some serious inflation or GDP like things, sit up and hear this. It was titled the country of the year becuased it legalized Cannabis ! The magazine said that it uplifted the "sum of human happiness at no financial cost", and in one  single simple swoosh. By the way, legalising gay marriage is the other. 

I was reminded of this when I read this article in another news paper today. Read 

here, if you like.

Uruguay with 3.3mn people is being referred to as the "Switzerland of the Americas". Its President (Jose Mujica) lives like a commoner and drives an old VW bug 1987 model car. Apparently he is the coolest President in the whole of Latin America. He once said " To live you need freedom, and to have freedom you need time." 

I pondered. With a population that lives that well, its music must breed this freedom and time. The Spanish influences are felt across, but when I got exploring, I did discovered plentiful. Here are some samples. Explore more if you like them, but dont say you dont get the lyrics. It wouldnt matter, if you give yourself up to the music. Which you should anyway do !

La Marcha Tropical, by a band called  Campo

Cuando Pase el Temblor, and Chau by a very popular band called No Te Va Gustar (meaning "you wouldn't like it")

And a passing piece of trivia - Murga in Uruguayan land, is a kind of music.