Pos: here
Loc: Caleta Yerba Buena
Acc: tent
Dist: 47,6 km
Start: 5:20 End: 14:45

Tomorrow:
Estimated landing: Mollendo
Estimated starting time: Right after sunrise
Estimated landing time: Well before sunset

After we realized yesterday, the houses around us must belong to a military camp, we were wondering if and when someone would be coming…

There were no signs at all on the beach about “Military area, keep out!” or such, but some kind of a fence started high up behind the beach before the longest building. But it didn’t really look very locked, and the beach looked quite public.

So we decided to just stay and to do nothing. If someone would be coming, we would explain we can’t paddle further as light is short and we were too tired. A number of more or less uniformed soldiers were noticing us, and even the one and only fishing boat out there eventually landed at the nearby jetty, probably manned with soldiers and loaded with fish for the table of the camp. A car with some guys came to help them landing and to pick them up.

The sun set, and no one came by. We did our cooking and camp chores, and eventually fell asleep around 7 .30 pm as usual. Daylight here is now with the new time zone from around 5.15 am to 5.45 pm. We need after such a long paddle day easily about 8,5 to 9 hours of sleep, and we are getting up at 4 am now to start in first light.

We were just an hour asleep, as a harsh voice outside was calling:” Hola! Hola!! Get out of the tent! Quickly!” Sure all in Spanish. I was awake quickly, and before I was answering I tried to wake Peter by carefully shaking. He must have thought I was just shaking him again because of his snoring, and he didn’t hear anything due to his earplugs against the noisy surf.

So I took my headlight, said “hello!” and opened my tent door, expecting an upset soldier on the watch to do his duty. Sure it was one. He was shouting again very unfriendly: “Get out! Quickly!” but I was just replying I was already asleep, in English, which he probably didn’t understand. But he must have noticed my female voice, and I was just about to ask him if he is used to talk to a lady in such a tone?

But just five seconds later a civilian man came besides him, and started to talk to me, who was still in her sleeping bag, very friendly. He was the Major of this military camp, had already heard about my trip, and was welcoming me in a now pleasant way, even speaking English. He was asking for my needs of food and water and maybe a better place to sleep, but sure all I could reply was only that I’d need nothing but *sleep*, being just woken up at 8.26 pm in a not very pleasant way. I handed him my card, and he liked to see my passport. Ok…he seemed to be “real”.

I was assuming my blog update must have someone made to call him about us being down at the beach, and the at first unfriendly soldier watch guard probably was fearing about his lack of attention earlier on…but there were probably about 20 guys noticing our presence since quite a while!

The Major said he’ll be back in a minute and disappeared with my passport and the soldier. The minute turned out to become an hour, and I was slowly turning back to sleep again, though fearing about my passport! Peter was also briefly awake in between our conversation, but as soon as both guys were gone, he was snoring again…

At 9.29 pm, a bright light was shining at our tent, and I was assuming relived the Major must be eventually back with my passport. But it was now the harbor master of the port of Ilo, who has been driving out here to also welcoming us to Ilo and to ask about our needs!

All very nice and friendly and even in English, but all I could reply was thanks for asking, all we need is sleep, and I’d like my passport back!

The harbor master seemed not to have been talking with the Major yet, but went away instantly to find him and my passport, not without leaving his bright car lights shining on our tent on the beach. 10 min later, both guys came fortunately back, still very friendly, all good, and with my passport! But now they wanted surely to have Peter’s one also, just “for a minute”…ok, sure, here it is…and believe it or not, the minute was now a minute…

I tried to tell the harbor master we’d really appreciate their attention and willingness to be helpful, but we are used to sleep soon after darkness, and that all we needed was undisturbed sleep! He was laughing, not sure if he’d understood…

I was quickly asking the harbor master also if he’d be able to tell us the general Peruvian marine rescue telephone number – no, he just didn’t know it…this was a bit strange..? But he’d send a coast guard boat out tomorrow to tell us….

Now after stealing over 1,5 hours of our precious sleep in the middle of our night, we eventually both put our earplugs in to get at least a bit of quality rest, even if the quantity was lacking…

Next morning, we were packing under the watch of two curious guardian soldiers. The slowly came nearer, and one of them them took eventually almost continuously pictures with his cell phone, which just sounded like a machine gun…I was asking him a bit annoyed: “Why don’t you just simply take rather a video?” He eventually was asking a bit shy if he’d be allowed to take pictures…sure, but you’d be better asking *first*! But I eventually pleased him more by giving both of them signed cards and posing for more pictures…

The coast guard boat was finding us right after we left the beach, and we got the really hard to remember emergency phone number: 118. I had to ask for the international Peruvian prefix number +51, which the female office found in her cell phone after while. She spoke very good English, and seemed to have been the brain of the crew of 4 other male officers 🙂

Our paddle was feeling long and tedious today, we were paddling quite offshore, not really exciting 🙁 I was always close to falling asleep due to the lack of the latter, and if the coast guard had to fish me out asleep in the water I’d tell them why… 🙂

Our planned camp spot Caleta Yerba Buena was filled with six or seven moored fishing boats for the night, but no houses on the quite steep gravel beach. We were landing with the utmost care for our bows, and were happy to have the beach to ourselves.

Access to the beach seemed to be through a steep and narrow, even green soaking river flooding down the cliffs, and we just saw on landing two divers disappearing uphill. Sure later we curiously climbed up also, expecting every meter to see a house or such, but the path was eventually simply leading to a dirt road!

But please – no coast guard visits tonight after 7 pm!!!!! We are doing perfectly well, and would let you know via my blog if we’d be in need for anything else than sleep…and the path down to the caleta ist steep, narrow, dark and slippery… 🙂 Thanks!