1.16.2010

Lost in Mancora


Hola! Buenos Dias! Que tal? Todo esta bien aqui :) (Hello! Good morning! What's up? Everything is good here.) We're still working at Samana Chakra and really enjoying our time here. These last two weeks have flown by! The first five days or so Andrew and I were the only ones helping out the kitchen and were working A LOT-- almost all day, 7am - 9pm. We did have separate shifts but wanted to help each other so we would stick around. Now another girl, Kathy, is also working with the kitchen and shifts are split up so we have more time off. We've only had one day off! But most of the time, when it's slow, it doesn't feel like work-- like right now I'm technically working :) hehe. If it's slow we're able to lounge by the pool, take a dip in the ocean or go for a surf (in Andrew's case). The guests here are all really easy to get along with and, also, the staff is a lot of fun! We're becoming friends quickly, which is going to make it hard to say goodbye to this place! But we don't have to do that until the end of January, possibly mid-Feburary. When we're not working we're either reading on the beach, going out for meals, body surfing, napping, walking into town, or cooking! In fact, I'm watching Andrew out body surfing as I type this. We still really want to try out kite surfing, which looks like it wouldn't be too difficult if you know how to wakeboard. Mancora is a perfect spot because of how windy it gets in the afternoon-- similar to Maui's west coast. We haven't been practicing Yoga as much as we'd like. Our first few days here, we did participate but there was an Arco Yoga (Acrobatic Yoga) Retreat here for about ten days and had reserved the Yoga room. One night, they did invite us to 'fly' and it was incredible. There is another retreat going on until the 21st, so we will have more time for Yoga before we leave! :) Again, we've taken the initiative and made a minor change in plans! After our stay here, we plan on making our way back towards southern Peru, but go through the highlands, not the coast. We should be heading towards Huaraz for some camping and hiking! The weather will be a big change as the mountains there have snow caps. We'll gradually make our way to Ica, Arequipa, and Puno, which is in southern Peru. Then go through Bolivia to get to Argentina, taking our time. By the end of March we'll head back up to Cuzco and Macchu Picchu to (hopefully) meet Andrew's parents. Then up north to Ecuador and Colombia, and on up to Central America and into Mexico and back to the States... that's pretty far from now, but it's hard to resist some sort of planning!!

Remember to check out our photos. I added more to the Mancora, Peru album:

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3195456009/a=34282164_34282164/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

1.05.2010

Our new -temporary- home!

So, a couple things have changed in the past week... we're not doing as planned, but I'm learning that's alright :) First off, we ended up staying in Lobitos for the New Year instead of making our way to Mancora. We had heard that Mancora was going to be a giant party that lasted until the wee hours, plus we wouldn't have known anyone. So, we decided it'd be better to stay where it was familiar with people that we liked and had gotten to know over the past 8 days of staying at Los Muelles Surf Camp. We made an amazing dinner as well: giant hamburgers with roasted potatoes, salad and of course pisco! After dinner, we sat around the table and talked, having a great time. Then fifteen minutes til the New Year we grabbed our bottle of champagne and lit some sparklers as we made our way to the end of the pier. Once the New Year arrived, we celebrated with the champagne and jumped off the pier! What a great night! Second change of plans, on New Year's Day we decided to make our way to Mancora, to kick off the journey to Ecuador. When we came to drop off some things to lighten our loads at Samana Chakra, Johanna had asked if we could start that day, instead of the end of the month. We hadn't bought our bus tickets, so we thought, why not?? We're here and it's been a great time. We are working in the restaurant on site, helping in the kitchen, grabbing drinks for people out by the pool-- basically making everyone feel comfortable during their stay. There are three of us working in 4-5 hour shifts- breakfast, lunch and dinner. In a couple of days there will be a group here for a yoga retreat and things will begin to get a lot more busy. It's a nice calm right now while we learn the tricks of the trade around here.
Johanna and Gary are the couple that own this place and they couldn't be more sweet. They're very understanding and laid back. The rest of the staff is really awesome as well. Working in the kitchen is interesting, as Lupe only speaks Spanish. It's a great way to brush up on our Spanish though! So, the Ecuadorian Adventure has been put on hold, but we're having a great time here, hanging out and, best of all, saving some money!

Also, I have uploaded all our pictures onto www.snapfish.com and will continue to throughout the trip. I hate picking and choosing a couple pictures here and there and want to immerse you all in the entire adventure! All you have to do is copy and paste link into your web browser. You might have to make an account to view the albums-- but it's completely free!

Here are the links to all the pictures we've taken, starting with the most recent:

Mancora, Peru-- the beginning :)
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3195456009/a=34282164_34282164/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Lobitos, Peru
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3187607009/a=34282164_34282164/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Pacasmayo/Huanchaco/Piura, Peru
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3187607009/a=34282164_34282164/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Huanchaco/Miraflores, Peru
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3172057009/a=34282164_34282164/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Miraflores, Peru
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3169267009/a=34282164_34282164/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/