Ramey Base

Vieques, Culebra, Desecheo and Roosevelt Rds; sometimes it's hard to avoid bumping into erstwhile US military anachronisms when you're traveling through Puerto Rico. And, just when you thought you'd had your fill, here comes Ramey, near Aguadilla, a Cold War strategic command base created by the US Air Force in 1939 to serve as its Caribbean HQ.

For 30 years the Americans poured money into Ramey and watched as the surrounding area burgeoned into a populous municipality of 64,000 people. And then in 1973 the base closed leaving behind a weirdly homogeneous stretch of track housing and the usual American fast-food restaurants.

Today, the former base hosts the international Aeropuerto Rafael Hernández, a university campus, a couple of hotels, a housing project and the only ice-skating arena in the Caribbean.

If you are traveling to the base from the south, take Hwy 107 north from Hwy 2. This route brings you through what is called Gate 1. The traffic can get a little nutty on this road, so you may want to approach from the east via Hwy 110 (the route to the airport), which brings you through Gate 5. Once you're in, have fun getting lost on the maze of roads that lead you around the airfield, administration buildings and the nearly endless plots of former base housing that have been sold off or rented to Puerto Rican families.