ROAD TO RAMALLO!
Ezeiza International Airport
It seemed after hours and hours and it actually was about three hours I finally made it to Ezeiza International Airport. The old building in the background was the only one there when I went to Argentina for the first time in 1977. Since then they have built more terminals and while it is absolutely beautiful it does lack a lot of organization and a good cup of coffee will cost you about ten dollars Canadian!
Notice the blue sky and I'll vouch for the temperature, it was about thirty and you can tell the dryness of the land even though in this picture we are quite close to the river. I love the country life, the roads to take long walks and many benches along the river to just sit and watch the world go by!
The river was beautiful this year as well as the vegetation.
My good friend Jesus Christ is always there to welcome me and the sun was nice enough to be in the right spot for this classic pose by Our Saviour. I make sure I visit this statue every day just to make sure he remembers that I'm there and hopefully will look out for me when I need it!
The brand new Howard Johnson's Hotel that I thought was a big waste of time of money when they announced its' construction about seven years ago. I didn't think the town was big enough to support it and they wouldn't be able to fill the place up. I was wrong. It is busy all summer and on most weekends in the off-season. It is pretty nice but a little expensive.
The lifeguards are on duty to keep us safe and to take our minds off drowning. The most important part of being a lifeguard is apparently not to wear too many clothes which might drag them down while they are trying to rescue someone. I saw a lot of guys contemplating a "drowning" act just to be rescued by this particular guard. All kidding aside, they worked very hard and made the beach a safer place to be.
I could just sit and watch for hours as the different ships pass by, thinking of Colonel Kurtz who could just as easily been hiding somewhere in the north. A great deal of drugs move up and down this river although they don't make stops in Ramallo, ever.
The beach is surrounded by campgrounds and cabins if you're looking for a more rustic vacation, they are kept quite clean and there are decent public washrooms!
The main reason I love Ramallo and that is my grand-daughter Manuela who brightens up the world wherever she is.
End of Part 1