So now all negotiations are done and we have decided on a price for the land with Enrique and Sofi.
Nico and I are now in the process of trying to get the money over to them - not an easy task from South Africa.
Nico is leaving for a boat delivery on Friday 2nd May and will be doing the yachty thing for a while before heading off to Argentina in August.
He'll start fixing up the "old" el Jarillal house to accept hostel guests, while starting the building process on the new land across the road.
I'll be going to Mendoza in November and take over for a while. I should be there until about March, and then we have to find someone to run the place until winter.
We'll be recruiting from all over the world...
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Do you want the good news or the bad news first?
For a few months after we arrived back from Argentina, things were like a roller coaster ride.
The world economy started it's decline into what looked like a recession, and Nico and Tara started having second thoughts about building on land that did not belong to them. There was no way we could afford the US$100 000 for the other property, so it was looking a bit bleak.
Tara also bought into a property in NZ with her mother while we were away and had that bond on her mind.
Being away from Mendoza, the emotions and excitement about the hostel, and area, started to subside somewhat.
I had moved back to South Africa, temporarily, to help a friend with her wedding and make some money for the hostel, so communication between the three of us was erratic.
I was worried for a while that the hostel would not happen.
In the mean time, Sofi and Enrique had been married and on honeymoon for a month in Patagonia.
When they came back, there were a lot of changes happening in the area.
The other properties in the area were all sold for a lot more than they had been available for when we were there. This was a small blow for Nico, who was very interested in one of them.
They had also been offered and investment opportunity that they could not say no to.
So they wanted to sell the section of their land that they had set aside for the property.
This was the best news I had heard in a long time.
I knew that if the price was right, we could buy it and go ahead with building the hostel - investing in land we were going to own made a lot more sense.
Nico agreed 100%, and we started negotiations with Sofi and Enrique.
Unfortunately, Tara decided that buying and building in Argentina was going to cost her too much, in time and money, and she pulled out.
So lots of news, good and some bad, but at least the hostel was back on track.
The world economy started it's decline into what looked like a recession, and Nico and Tara started having second thoughts about building on land that did not belong to them. There was no way we could afford the US$100 000 for the other property, so it was looking a bit bleak.
Tara also bought into a property in NZ with her mother while we were away and had that bond on her mind.
Being away from Mendoza, the emotions and excitement about the hostel, and area, started to subside somewhat.
I had moved back to South Africa, temporarily, to help a friend with her wedding and make some money for the hostel, so communication between the three of us was erratic.
I was worried for a while that the hostel would not happen.
In the mean time, Sofi and Enrique had been married and on honeymoon for a month in Patagonia.
When they came back, there were a lot of changes happening in the area.
The other properties in the area were all sold for a lot more than they had been available for when we were there. This was a small blow for Nico, who was very interested in one of them.
They had also been offered and investment opportunity that they could not say no to.
So they wanted to sell the section of their land that they had set aside for the property.
This was the best news I had heard in a long time.
I knew that if the price was right, we could buy it and go ahead with building the hostel - investing in land we were going to own made a lot more sense.
Nico agreed 100%, and we started negotiations with Sofi and Enrique.
Unfortunately, Tara decided that buying and building in Argentina was going to cost her too much, in time and money, and she pulled out.
So lots of news, good and some bad, but at least the hostel was back on track.
Digging it
Only a few weeks after we left Argentina and el Jarillal, we got an e-mail from Sofi saying that they had got the diggers in to make the driveway and dig the hole for the pool. They had also flattened out the area we are going to use for the main house, using the sand from the driveway and pool.
It was fast work and cheap too, only cost us US$360.
They sent some photos, but had issues with their camera - so not the best - but you can get the idea.
It was fast work and cheap too, only cost us US$360.
They sent some photos, but had issues with their camera - so not the best - but you can get the idea.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
