An unusual start to the year

The beginning of 2023 was somewhat different from our usual beginning of the year used to be like. I won't say it was better or worse, only different. And perhaps, it will now be the usual, at least for a few years. This year instead of getting up late and having brunch at the end of the morning. We got up early to take my son to the airport to go back to college. His flight was at noon, so we had to leave early, and no brunch. We had breakfast with ham bread that we had bought the day before and left for the airport. The roads were empty, and it took us a little over half an hour to get there.

Comment aside, and although I do not like to start the year ranting if anyone has doubts about the situation in Venezuela and believes that the country is improving, I recommend that he/she stop fooling himself/herself. When we arrived at the airport, it was almost deserted.

The main airport of the country, Maiquetia, which in the 90s was one of the main entrances to South America and not only to the country. On a small screen had the announcements of all the flights for the first two days of the year. Yesterday, January 1st, there were only four flights, and today there were only 12 scheduled for all day.

And although I cannot feel happy and I'm sad to see my son leave the country to study abroad, I'm calm and grateful. I know the opportunity he earned with his effort is the best for him and his future. And life goes on.

After my son checked in and entered the transit area, my husband and I left, but we didn't want to return to the city without knowing that he had already boarded the plane. So we decided to take a short ride along the coast near the airport.

It has been years since I have seen this road on this side of the coast going west. I don't think I've passed that way since I was a child. The road goes a bit into the mountains through some slums, and it must be very chaotic on an ordinary day. But there are some impressive views.

From the mountains, you can see the Tacoa thermoelectric plant near the coast, in an area called Arrecife. Where my mother always tells me, she used to go on vacation with her cousins when she was a child until they built the plant, and the area changed. In the early 80s, there was a great tragedy in this thermoelectric plant due to a fire that caused hundreds of deaths. When we got closer to it, It gave me the impression that it is now abandoned, although I am not sure.

Also visible from the mountain was a large unfinished construction of what looked like some kind of castle. Someone started to build it in the late 50s, and never finished it. The structure is unused, and empty inside. And from what I have read on the internet, it has been like this there for years.

But soon we reach the coast road, which runs along the sea.

The blues of the sea were impressive, and together with the blue of the sky, which was totally clear, it was like a huge blue picture with different shades.

There are many rock formations near the coast.

And I could imagine myself in one of those little boats, fishing or lying in the sun.

We arrived at a small town called La Salina when I received a call from my son, who was boarding the plane. The husband and I then decided to turn back. We had no clothes to spend the day at the beach, and the places where we could have stopped for a drink were closed. In addition, the road as we went along was in not-so-good condition. There were small stretches of dirt roads.

So we drove back admiring the scenery for a while longer.

And stopping from time to time to take some pictures.

When I took the previous one, I was struck by this creeping plant that had these little fuchsia flowers. There were many on the side of the road.

When I got home, believe it or not, I ate the first Hallaca of the season. This year, following my doctor's advice to take it easy, we did not make Hallacas for Christmas, and I had not eaten any. But a friend gave me a couple a few days ago, and although one always says that the Hallacas from home are the best, this one was delicious.

The rest of the day was spent resting and waiting to hear from my son news on his long journey to get to his destination, to which he should arrive today in a couple of hours.

To all my Hive friends, again a Happy and Joyous New Year 2023.

Thank you for reading!

_{All images and writing are my own unless otherwise stated.}

© CoquiCoin

January 2, 2023

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