Pinball at the ends of the Earth...or in this case, Uruguay.

Hi All,

I had been planning a trip to Uruguay for some time. I have a thing for small countries nestled between giants--they seem like gems where you get the best of both worlds. I like Iceland and Belgium and am from Canada. After Uruguay, with its population of a mere 3 million, finished 4th in the World Cup of soccer in 2010, it was calling my name and I decided I had to check it out.

Five years later, thanks to an understanding boss and girlfriend, the dream came true, and I got to spend a wonderful, relaxing two weeks in Uruguay. In the five years it took to make the trip happen, I came to love pinball. When it came time to fly, thanks to Pinside, I checked which Pinsiders might be in Uruguay. There were a mere two. The first one I sent a PM to, answered. We started talking. In fact, he ("Pabloshootagain") asked me to bring down some parts as a certain pinball supplier, whose name rhymes with 'Sharkos', would not ship there. The parts were inexpensive, so I agreed. Heck, I figured if we didn't meet up, I would not be out a ton of cash. Plus, who would stiff a guy on parts for a pinball game from 1980 (Frontier)?!

Anyhow, Pablo wound up picking me up from the airport, which was a huge help, as I had never been to South America, much less Uruguay. Both his family and mine thought we were crazy, since either of us could be, well, crazy. But pinballers ain't like that! Having sent several private messages, we knew better.

As it happens, Pablo wound up having me over for a few games on his pride-and-joy machine, Tri-Zone. We also had a traditional Uruguayan barbecue, which is called an 'asado'. He grilled some nice meat for me, which we ate at 11:30pm after watching a soccer game, which is a 'normal' time for dinner in Uruguay! I'm the bald fellow in green in the attached pictures. Needless to say, I am proud and lucky to call Pablo a friend, and he has endorsed this story.

But that's not the whole story! Pablo told me about a guy he knew...who owned more pins than anyone he knew...and asked if I would like to visit. Sure! Turns out the guy, Daniel, had between 40-50 pins, all from 1980-present.

From what I can tell, this is more than anyone in all of South America. Indeed, he is known in Brazil and Argentina, and people call him to come to pick-up/buy their pins.

Not a one, however, worked.

Needless to say, Daniel is a pin-hoarder. He has tons of machines. 3 copies of Terminator 2. 3 copies of Fish Tales. 2 Creature from the Black Lagoons, or as he said in Spanish "Creatura de la Laguna Negra". 4 Addams Familes! Two Draculas, Dirty Harry, Safe Cracker, two Twilight Zones, two Back to the Futures, the list goes on. You would not believe the pictures I took (here's hoping they upload). There were pins where a couch was sitting on top of them.

It would seem he restores them, but only to a point where they are somewhat fixed, but never quite operational. Clearly, he moves on to the next project before finishing the first.

He kept them in three separate houses. His daughter was living in one house, with pinball games all over. Make no mistake, Daniel was a wonderful, engaging and hospitable man. He was generous and inviting to this ex-pat Canadian. That said, my visit was both amazing and frustrating, just thinking of the sheer fun that could be had on the pins if only they were operational.

Anyhow, Pinside and Pablo gave me a great travel experience (meeting Pablo and his family) and an unforgettable pinball adventure (going to Daniel's houses). If anyone wonders where there is a stash of classic pins, it is somewhere in Uruguay...and with any luck, Daniel will restore his machines for future pinballers to enjoy. All told, travel and pinball are two of my favourite things and it is wonderful when they work out harmoniously.