June 28th

Another quiet morning relaxing and enjoying the surroundings. We took a long walk along the beach and scattered the crabs. It's amazing how much sand those little guys can kick up!

In the afternoon I went to Origenes, a spa on the beach. I had a Chakra Dhara massage-1-1/2 hours of pure indulgence. It started with a ritual washing of the feet and then a head massage with acupressure. This was followed by a deep massage with warm oils. And best of all, she spent a lot of time on my hands and feet!

On our way to the property, Georg told us the story of his uncle's demise. His uncle was killed in a car accident many years ago along the old Pan American Highway. As is common in Peru, a small memorial was built to mark the spot. This memorial looks like a miniature church with a large cross on top. As the story goes, the locals became very wary of the site as strange noises and whispering voices were reported during the evening and after dark. To this day, the spot is locally known as the German's corner and drivers avoid the spot. Drivers often refuse to drive by it at night; and if they do, they double their price.
After lunch with Georg, we went into Los Organos and met with the topographer (equivalent to a surveyor) who then adjusted the property lines to fit our plans. In the end we'll hopefully buy approximately 3775 square meters. After visiting with the topographer, we saw the lawyer who is going to draw up the basic contract of sale.
Since Monday is a holiday, we'll go to Talara Tuesday to open a bank account. We will then have money transferred to cover the purchase. Once the money is in this account, we will have the bank certify a check for the purchase price. Then both the buyer and the seller go to the notary, exchange papers and money and the deal is sealed. However, we still haven't settled on a price.

June 27th

Today we drove up to the property in El Nuro. Georg put on a fabulous BBQ lunch; fresh tuna bought locally from the fisherman in the village. The tuna steaks were put on a wood grill over slices of oranges. The meat was soooo tender it truly melted in your mouth. Georg's chef also served a version of ceviche, salad, potatoes, sauces, wine and beer. We sat outdoors looking out over the ocean. It was a bright, sunny day and was just so amazing.

We then walked the land with Georg and tentatively measured out space for the swimming pool and house. We had originally though to buy all four lots totalling 5400 square meters, but once out there, the first two seemed adequate.

June 25
We woke up to an overcast day and a super calm ocean. It wasn't until midday that the sun broke through and burned off the clouds. We sat out by the pool most of the day; reading, kniitting, swimming, and relaxing. A tough life, I know.
We were surprised by a visit from our friend Carrie. She is a yoga instructor that has been at one of the resorts in Mancora for the last three months. She travels all over the world to various resorts where she stays free of charge, teaches yoga to the guests, and searches for waves to surf. Her next stop is to an island off the coast of Spain. Her husband is a coffee guru and travels all over the world for business. We have enjoyed listening to her stories of their adventures.
Georg arrived later in the afternoon. We visited a bit before dinner and then ate with him. He was born in Peru to a Peruvian mother and a German father. They attended school in Peru through secondary school, and then he, and his two brothers, were sent to Germany for University. All three brothers studied to become printing engineers and moved back to Peru where they are the only three printing engineers in Peru. It was while he was in Germany that he met his wife, Nathalie. Both Georg and his wife fluently speak four languages; Spanish, German, french and English. I suspect they both speak other languages as well. George had just returned from China; to which Peru exports many products.
After dinner we sat around a fire and talked while roasting marshmallows with three other guests. One couple live in Lima; she works for an airline and her husband owns a restaurant. The other gentleman works for Skanska and the oil companies here. We drank a traditional drink, an algorrobina, which is made from the fruit of the algorrobo tree.

June 24,09
We left our house in Molalla at 3:30 yesterday morning. We arrived at El Refugio in Vichayito, Peru at 8:30 this morning local time. Overall a 27 hour trip door to door.
Our driver from the airport, Victor, got us to within 50 feet of the gate to El Refugio only to find the road blocked by a huge mound of sand. The bulldozer driver cleared a path for us, but Victor was soon stuck in the sand that remained, tires buried. Victor then takes off on foot in the direction of the resort, cursing the bulldozer and its driver, leaving us in the car. After several minutes Victor returns with a a chain, has it hooked up to the back bumper, and the bulldozer then pulls us out. Once out, Victor rams into the bulldozer, curses once again, jumps out to pull the chain off, and backs out the dirt track to find an alternate route.
We later found out the sand is an ever-present hassle to deal with during the winter months. The resort sits right on the beach and the winter winds blow the sand into drifts against the fences and across the roads. The sand is constantly moving and the winter winds only makes the sand more invasive.
Once settled into our bungalow, we nap and try to re-energize after the long trip. This and a shower, without hot water, and we're out to enjoy the sunshine. During the afternoon, we lazily sit by the pool and watch the birds ride the air currents. They hang in the air, sailing like a kite in the wind with no need to flap their wings. They appear as if in a photo as they seem to remain motionless in the sky above the ocean. Later, we watch a group of pelicans, perhaps thirty in each grouping, for a line and then skim over the surface of the ocean as it rolls with the waves. They dance along and at some signal unknown to us, they fly upwards, regroup and start skimming again. A few fishing boats are in sight, spreading their nets for another catch.
The sun sets at about 6:30 and we marvel at how the colors change. Even the shape seems to morph from round to oval, then a squarish shape and finally disappears beyond the horizon, leaving its glory alive in the clouds for several minutes more.
Dinner consisted of seafood; chicharon (battered and fried) for Doug and a chaufa (seafood fried with rice-Chinese style?) for me. I found a tiny squid, body and tentacles intact, amongst the rice. It was a bit disconcerting to see and recognize the whole animal, but when eaten in its entirety was quite tasty.