As Roos worries about Michel’s travel ability, one leg in a brace and the other in an aircast, we ordered a wheelchair to cover the long walking distances in airports. Luc takes us by car to Zaventem on Monday afternoon. It is a long way from the car park to the departure hall. Michel eventually finds a wheelchair, but no one to push it. Luc helps us further and once the luggage is checked in everything goes smoothly. We get priority everywhere and in Madrid a wheelchair and a van await us to take us to the terminal for the flight to Montevideo. Air Europe does not offer meals on board for short flights. Our stomachs growl when we arrive at 21h in Madrid and the man pushing the wheelchair takes us to a restaurant. After dinner another facilitator comes to help us with boarding.
The flight to Montevideo lasts 12 hours and we both do not sleep much. There is four hour time difference with Belgium and we arrive in the early morning hours. Again a wheelchair with attendant awaits Michel and we get preferential treatment so no need to queue for passport control. It is raining hard and there is a lot of wind. A comfortable bus takes us to the entrance of Paraiso Suizo where Heinz, the owner, comes to collect us. In no time we are soaked. Fortunately no rain seeped into our Tsjolbak. Michel pulls out the awing and has to put it back again a few minutes later because of the fierce wind. In the evening we can eat at the restaurant. The next day the weather is even worse. Roos goes to buy some basic food items in the minimercado to get through the day. Fortunately, the following days are sunny and warm, up to 30 ° C. Michel tests whether he can drive and manages, at least for the short distance to the shop. Michel notices that the “house” of our tsjolbak no longer fits firmly to the chassis because the rubbers, which provide the cushioning, are completely used. In order to replace them the house must be lifted from the chassis. Heinz has a friend, Gustavo, who can perform the job and an appointment is made to go to his company in Montevideo after the weekend. Meanwhile, we visit Punta Espinillo. The campsite is on the shore of the super wide Rio del la Plata and is free, we are the only guests. We enjoy a carefree day. Gustavo owns a big workshop where a wide variety of stainless steel objects are made. It employs 50 people and we are impressed by the quality of the products. The foreman, who speaks very good English, can help us in all areas, screws and seals are replaced on the chassis, a new ladder is made in stainless steel and a gutter placed above the entrance. Repairs take a day and a half day to complete. We brought from Belgium an alarm that signals that lights remain on after the ignition is switched off and have that installed together with two new rear lights in the garage where Gustavo has his Toyota maintained. Around 3 o’clock in the afternoon we leave for Colonia de Sacramento to take the ferry to Buenos Aires. In the yacht club we can shower and right across the parking lot there are lots of nice restaurants. We choose one and the fish and wine are excellent. At 4.30 o’clock in the morning we set off to the ferry and see that we are the first in line. The formalities go smoothly and at 7 am we sail to Buenos Aires over the Rio La Plata. Also on the Argentinian side there are no problems with customs, no fuss with vegetables or meat which may not cross the border. We get an allowance for the car to stay in Argentina until mid-July. Once back in the Tsjolbak, the GPS lets us down but with iPad and Smartphone we find our way through the crazy city of Buenos Aires.
In a gigantic mall we reload our local SIM cards and do some shopping. Everything can be bought here and we get the impression that the standard of living is much better than what we saw earlier in the North. When we leave the mall to drive to the campsite we change our minds. The houses are badly maintained and most of the streets are not paved, there is a lot of litter. With some difficulty we find Andean Roads campsite and are welcomed by Cris, the friendly and helpful owner. We meet Swiss, British, German and one Dutch couple who are overlanders like we, always good to exchange practical information. Roos leaves Michel with his not yet healed foot for two days to go out in Buenos Aires, a very beautiful city with many unforgettable squares, ornate buildings and a lot of points of interest. She’s staying overnight in the flat of a lady who rents a room via airbnb. On 16 November begins our journey to the South, towards Ushuaia, 3,000 km away. We hope to be there around Christmas.
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