The Salinas Yacht Club had some damage done when we had the high tides associated with the tsunami. I have heard pounding and banging coming from the club for the past several weeks. Yesterday I watched as new boat slip was dragged into place and attached to the sea wall.
I have learned to love these sweet morsels. I know the color is odd, I know that the shapes are a bit strange but..if you bake these beauties until the outside skin is crispy, break them open, add a good dollop of sweet butter and a bit of cinnamon, you will be in heaven. I love eating the crispy outside almost as much as the silky sweet inside.
They really don’t look to pretty when you make them in a casserole, I have tried it several times and it turns a very strange almost dark purple color. Not very eye appealing so I am now just baking them and enjoying them that way. The locals call them camote, I call them fabulous!
The above photo is a camote plant that I have planted on my balcony. Yes, you guessed it. I allowed my sweet potato to sprout and because it was such a beautiful green/purple plant I could not just throw it out so I found a spot in one of my pots and planted it. It is a beautiful flowing vine and loves being on our balcony. Next I will need to see if any sweet potatoes are actually forming…and then you can call me Farmer Nancy.
We woke up this morning to the sounds of splashing as cars drove past our apartment. There is not a drop of water on the front balcony, no signs on the back windows, but the back balcony is very wet. The roads are slick and not just a mist but a nice coating of rain. Yeah!!!! We need a good soaking, not just a light mist once in a while to just clean the sidewalks, streets and dare I say the smell off the beach…there I said it. Someone asked me several months ago if there was one thing I could change about Salinas what would that be. Without hesitation I said “Bathrooms” . To elaborate on that just a bit, I guess I would have to say changing rooms and bathrooms. It is so heartbreaking to see young boys to full-grown adult men sidle up to the walls around the malecon and whip their penises out and pee… It is a bit off-putting to those of us who like to stop, sit and try to enjoy the water or people watch having to see this as well as smell it afterword and second this is a resort town and it is sad to think what folks think about us when they walk the malecon and smell the scent of urine. Sorry off my soap box and back on track.
The rain must have started before dawn and it was so misty that you could not see the tankers waiting in line out to sea.
It stayed that way until well past 10am but now the mist is gone, the vendors are set up on the sand and the weekend has begun. I heard that school starts in the highlands next week, that should mean that Joe and I will have the beach to ourselves.
We do see some odd things going on at times on the beach or malecon. On this afternoon Joe saw these tents set up near the yacht club side of the beach. Low and behold each of these guys standing in front of a tent started to juggle. Two are juggling pins while the one is juggling balls.
Image via Wikipedia
On my trips around town or to Libertad I have seen several jugglers who will walk out in front of stopped traffic at a light. They will juggle for a minute and then walk from car to car looking for tips. I guess it is better than trying to wash your windshield with a dirty rag.
Salinas and the towns around us are what I would call arid – I know how can it be – arid on the coast? Well we are so far down the coast and so close to Peru that it is actually dry here. Annual rainfall is under 5 inches, less than Las Vegas. Most yards are not grass but concrete with small concrete planter boxes around the inside walls as well as the outside walls. As we walk around we see some beautiful flowering plants and trees. Below are some of the pictures I have gotten over the past several months. Hope you enjoy!
This quaint church sits almost across the street from the BuenaVentura Mall in Libertad.
Up until about a month ago Joe and I only bought Abuelo Rum but we have seen this San Miguel Rum both the silver and the gold all over. So we decided to give it a try. Well our first test is Joe drinking it warm straight – if his stomach can handle that we are good to go. This is our second bottle and it has been a very pleasing experience. It tastes darn good, smooth with no bite – and the price is out of sight at a little under $5 a bottle.
I can’t remember if I had posted all the pictures I took of the Catholic Church located in Chipipe so here goes:
I have so many folks ask me about fishing from the shore that I knew when I saw this yesterday afternoon that it would be a hit.
Now all you folks that are into fishing can see they must be catching something in this net. So you will probably have a great chance yourself with a rod and reel.
I met Cindi and Ken back in May when they had visited Salinas for the first time. Actually they must have fallen in love with this town as they are back to sign the paperwork for a condo on the malecon. This time they brought Jeff with them to enjoy a few days of whale watching and Expat gatherings.
Ken, Cindi and Jeff
They also came bearing gifts – Twizzlers and Good and Plenty candies that I have not seen here along with spices that will make my culinary adventures attainable. Thanks again for making my day with these great treats.
We hope you enjoy your remaining time here and, now that you are property owners, I’m sure we will be seeing you back in town often.
Finding our Paradise in South America 