Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great start to 2023. If you didn't, then I hope things look up for you soon. 

Now... I'd like to share with you how we ended 2022 and started 2023. It began with a trip to a popular Argentine destination called Mar Del Plata.

Mar Del Plata is located in Buenos Aires Province, but about 400 kilometers away from the Argentine capital--La CABA. 

Mar Del Plata is known for its beautiful coastal beaches and fancy resorts. But I'll admit, that everything I read about what to do in Mar Del Plata on Google left me unimpressed.

If you do a Google search on things to see and do in Mar Del Plata, there's a list of museums and tourist sites, many of them with religious significance. But it lacked any of the fun spots I was used to visiting when I went to La CABA like the Japanese Garden, Chinatown, the Ateneo bookstore and the various restaurants that offer American food. 

This was my first trip in three years. So, my initial concern was... "Am I going to have anything else to do in Mar Del Plata other than walk on the beach and sit in my Hotel room?"

Well, it turns out that my fears were unfounded and the trip was better than I could have hoped for. In fact, I took so many photos that I will have to break my 5-day trip down into several posts.

For now, let's start at the beginning...

The cab ride from our house to the Airport was $4,200 Argentine pesos ($23.21 USD), which is A LOT when you get paid in pesos and not dollars. The cab ride to the airport wasn't this expensive in 2019. I remember spending about $1,500 Argentine pesos. Then again, the inflation in Argentina has gotten significantly worse. So, I shouldn't be too surprised.

Long story short: after our pricey cab ride, I was finally back in the Cordoba Airport, and I couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic. After all, it's been little over ten years since the hubs and I first set foot in this airport. But things have changed a lot since then. 

I never imagined in 2012 that we would have been facing a global pandemic in 2019 or that I would be traveling again in the midst of a Covid resurgence in 2022. 

The rate of infection has increased over the last couple of weeks, and I was concerned. Being without a mask in an enclosed environment like an airport and plane could have put the hubs and I in danger. Sure, we're both vaccinated, but there is always a risk.

I've spent the last three years wearing a mask, spraying alcohol on my hands, and sanitizing just about anything I touch. I figured that if I was going to relax on this trip, I needed to let go.

So while I kept my mask on at the airport, I eventually mustered up the courage to take it off. Okay, I admit, I did put my mask back on whenever I heard someone sneeze or cough. Argentines don't generally cover their mouths when they do either, so I felt justified in being cautious.

Once the hubs, our friends Franco and Estela, and I got on the plane, I experienced the usual three things most travelers do when they take off from the Cordoba Airport. 

• The Cordoba landscape from high above looked virtually barren. It was the same way when we arrived in 2012. There are very few buildings but a ton of seemingly unpopulated land. In other words, the growth in Cordoba City has been negligible.

• The painful popping of my ears caused by the pressure.

• The sight of populated areas as we got closer to our destination. 

The entire plane ride took about an hour and thirty minutes. 

Once we landed, we took another cab ride to our hotel. Now, let me tell you that four people, plus the driver, in one tiny car was very claustrophobic. Fortunately, we have a strong rapport, so we didn't mind bursting each other's personal bubbles.

The cab ride took almost an hour and cost about $2,000 Argentine pesos. Along the way, I saw what looked like an unimpressive city. 

There were warehouses, homes, supermarkets, mom and pop shops. It was like a carbon copy of Cordoba City, but nothing that remotely matched the pizzazz of the architecture in La CABA. By this point, my fears about this trip not being very exciting seemed justified.

Then the cab reached the coastline and the hubs and I were like kids at Disney World. On our left was a sunny beach complete with everything you'd expect like crashing waves, sandy shores and hot people walking around.

On our right were a bunch of hotels bordering the beach and a McDonald's just a few blocks away from our home away from home: The Hotel Costa Galana.

Once we arrived, we were greeted by the hotel staff, some of whom were wearing stovepipe hats like Abraham Lincoln.

The hotel lobby was very luxurious with its hues of bronze and holiday decorations everywhere. 

After being cramped in a taxi like sardines in a can, we were ready to check into our hotel room and stretch our legs. But when got to the front desk, we found ourselves sidelined.

To be continued...