11 September

Today was a very quiet day. I did a little bit of laundry this morning and then wove for the rest of the morning. I finished a washcloth on the loom and just have to hem it before it will be put to use.
Doug has been fighting an outer ear infection since we left Lima. We've been putting hydrogen peroxide in his ear to fight the infection. It has been swollen shut for about five days now, but he says the pain has subsided. He's not yet willing to brave the local clinic and doctor so peroxide it is.
The peroxide has become quite useful. We use it in the water that we have boiled for at least fifteen minutes for an added protection against whatever. So far neither one of us has taken ill, so it must be working.
Before leaving home, we bought a Sawyer filter system which is guaranteed to filter out biological, bacterial and viral contaminates in any water. Doug spent the better part of a day modifying one of the big jugs of water to accomodate the filter. We had everything working and thought we were pretty smart. This morning Doug had a cup of coffee and it tasted terrible! When I got up, he asked me to sample the water. I took one sip and spat it out. Yuck!! So, the lesson learned is that even though you filter the heck out of water so it will be safe to drink, doesn't mean it will taste good!
This evening we went into Mancora to see our friends Lucia and Ferucko who manage the resort called Samana Chakra. We went out to dinner with them to an Italian restaurant off the beaten path. It was superb! Mancora, being a resort town, tends to be noisy and crowded. There are all sorts of restaurants and bars along its main drag but they are right on the PanAmerican Highway and are so small you feel like you have to eat quickly as people are waiting for your table. This restaurant was quiet and peaceful and we were able to interact with the owner. j Good friends, good people.