SO MANY WAYS – RAMON

Ramon _ Playa Las Americas, Tenerife
46 years, from near La Coruña, Spain

Ramon has lived on the Canary Islands for eighteen years. He repairs wetsuits for surf schools and locals. For many years, he travelled in a small van that only fit a bed and a small kitchen, four years ago, he bought the big van, for a little more comfort.

Ramon’s life has always been rather simple and relaxed. He is not concerned with earning a lot of money or owning a lot. It is important to him that he and Gurro, his dog, are doing well. He found Gurro twelve years ago as a puppy in an animal rescue centre. Actually, Ramon was just accompanying a friend who wanted to choose a dog. As he stood by the cage of Gurro and his four siblings, the other four yelped, only Gurro sat still and looked at him. When he started barking, the others suddenly stayed quiet. It was as if Gurro had not seen him for a long time and now found him again. Ramon felt a special connection with the little dog and adopted him.

For a while, he lived with his girlfriend in a flat.­ ­After the breakup, the hurdles of getting his own flat with a dog, no steady income, and ­­ever-increasing rent prices were so high for Ramon that he decided to continue living in a van. Depending on his mood, he can travel from island to island.

He usually spends five days a week with his van in the car park of Playa Las Americas. It is located at the most popular surf spot on the island, in the middle of 5-star hotels on the beach promenade. This is where he is closest to the surf schools, although he finds the place itself stressful because of all the cars and tourists.

Since the Corona pandemic began, more and more campers have been coming to the island. A few weeks ago, the problems with the police started in the car park of Las Americas. Locals are becoming more and more bothered by the campers. On the one hand, many parking spaces are occupied by the vans, which are also used by residents when they come to work or surf. The majority, especially the permanent campers, behave respectfully and restrained, pay attention to cleanliness, but there are also some black sheep. Campers who come for a few days to surf, leave their dirty water in the car park or do not dispose of their rubbish in the rubbish cans, just leave it in the parking bays. This misbehavior of a few has a negative impact on the whole community.

Ramon says the space around his van is his home. Accordingly, he takes care of it, collecting the rubbish that is left near his camper, even if it is not his, to keep the car park clean. Every day the police come and check on the car park. It is no longer allowed to sit on the green areas, stretch a slack line between the trees, let alone put a chair or the water bowl for the dog next to the van.

Ramon has a secret place in nature that only he knows. That’s where he retreats to when the hustle and bustle of the Las Americas car park gets too much for him to relax and work on the wetsuits. For him, the best part of life in the van has been the encounters with the many ­exciting people over the years.