A guest post by Mike Collis

Patricia and John, donating golf equipment to the Amazon Golf Course. Margarita and Bill gratefully accepting the golf equipment.

John Wilkens first came to Iquitos in February 2000 and was immediately accepted into the expat community. John fell in love with the city but soon also fell in love with Patricia. John and I were always talking about bringing in new things into Iquitos. We talked about a paintball club, a military type assault course and a golf driving range. We checked all three out but decided on a driving range. No matter how hard we looked we could not find a suitable piece of land at the right rental so we shelved that too.

In August 2002 John and Patricia were married and left to live in Florida in December of the same year. John found work in security working in Iraq , where John stayed until August 2006. Although Patricia had seen the golf course on her occasional trips to Iquitos to visit family and friends John had never seen it himself although he joined as  member number 6 in April 2004.

On Christmas Eve this year Patricia suddenly appeared in my office. What a joy to see her again but then John came in and we had a great reunion after 7 years.

I invited John and Patricia to the Christmas Bar-B-Q on 27th December at the golf course. This would be John’s first time he had seen what we had achieved over these last 6 years. John and Patricia arrived at the Bar-B-Q along with his brother-in-law. John had brought with him a complete set of golf clubs, lots of new sets of boxed golf balls along with a host of other golfing gadgets. John said that they lived in a place called “The Villages” in Florida where the community is based on golf and that he had no trouble asking for donated golfing equipment for the Amazon Golf Course.

Everyone had a great day at the Bar-B-Q  and John knocked some balls around the course, a golf course that was just a dream when he left in December 2002.

On behalf of everyone at the Amazon Golf Course I want to say a Very Big Thank You John and Patricia for the desperately needed golf equipment.

John Wilkens donates golfing equipment.

Mike Collis is founder of the Amazon Golf Course and editor of the Iquitos Times.

Cooking the Christmas chicken Bar-B-Q at the Amazon Golf Course. The food was delicious. Good job.

We had a good turn out, serving around 60 meals. More important it was a fun day. The weather was perfect and many of our friends and members supported the event.

John Waymire's family came all the way from Indiana USA

John Waymire’s family from Indiana, USA, won the prize for coming the farthest, and maybe having the most fun.

Sitting in the shade at the Amazon Golf Course Clubhouse

Mike, Elizabeth, Gringa Linda upstairs at the Amazon Golf Course Clubhouse

Marmelita, Guido, Lupa, Noelia, Richard, Matt, in the shade at the Amazon Golf Course Christmas chicken cookout

Friends from the Selva Viva enjoying the meal at the Amazon Golf Course

Linda Flynn enjoying the day, upstairs in the Amazon Golf Course Clubhouse

Alex and family at the Amazon Golf Course Christmas cookout

Guests at the Amazon Golf Course Christmas cookout

Mike Collis in the upstairs observation room at the Amazon Golf Course Clubhouse

Matt carving a tagua nut, Rodrigo examining Matt's other carvings; late afternoon at the Christmas cookout.

Ficus with fresh compost, in front of the practice putting green at the Amazon Golf Course on Dec. 27th

I’m very impressed with how fast our trees and bushes are growing.

Pomarosa tree exibiting maximum growth

The pomarosa sapling to the left of the heliconias in the photo above, has grown the fastest of all.

Our most recent project, the new storage shed

Our most recent project is this new storage shed being constructed by Rodrigo. The main goal is to get all of the gas, oil, and other flammables out of the clubhouse.

Amazon Golf Course view from the balcony, Saturday, the day before the Christmas Bar-B-Q

We enjoyed a delicious Christmas Bar-B-Q at the Amazon Golf Course on the last Sunday of December, the 27th.

Bill Grimes was manager of the Amazon Golf Course for most of 2009

I think it usually takes 3 years for a blog to become successful, unless the author is brilliant, or has some luck, so I hope at the end of of 2010 to call the Amazon Golf Course Blog a success.

Thank you for helping grow the Amazon Golf Course Blog. You are our most important asset. Without you to read our articles and make comments, what would be the point?

I started the Amazon Golf Course Blog on April 1st 2008. It went nowhere that first year. We only wrote 10 articles from April 1st to December 31, and posted only 7 photographs. You made 49 comments, 25 of them were on our most popular article, Welsh Golfer Makes The Cut At The Amazon Golf Course, written by Mike Collis.

In 2009 we wrote 63 articles, with 359 photographs, and you all made 193 comments. That is a significant improvement. I hope with your help, attention, and comments, we can continue growing the Amazon Golf Course Blog in 2010.

Thanks again and best wishes for the new year;

Growth of the Amazon Golf Course Blog

Bill Grimes was the manager of the Amazon Golf Course through most of 2009 and the start of 2010.

Our Christmas party at the Amazon Explorers Club Lounge

We invited everyone that works with Dawn on the Amazon, The Amazon Explorers Club, and the Amazon Golf Course to the Amazon Explorers Club Lounge to celebrate Christmas together.

Our Christmas party

First we popped the corks on two bottles of sparkling wine, and toasted our good fortune to all be together again. Then we feasted. We enjoyed Broasted chicken, the best rice ever, white rice cooked with carrots, for those who might not like the best rice ever, fried platanoes, fresh squeezed camu-camu juice, an after dinner wine, and finished off with peach juice mixed with pisco.

We had a nice evening together and I think everyone left feeling the Christmas spirit. I know I did.

Our Christmas party with our crew at the Amazon Explorers Club Lounge

We celebrated Christmas with the Crew of the Amazon Golf Course at the Amazon Explorers Club Lounge.

Bill Grimes is president of Dawn on the Amazon, Amazon Explorers Club, and manager of the Amazon Golf Course.

From Bill, and Marmelita, Dawn on the Amazon Tours and Cruises

Amazon Golf Course, photographed from the observation deck of the clubhouse on December 5th, 2009

December 8th Charcoal Chicken BBQ

On December 8th, Tuesday, during La Purisima, the religious holiday dedicated to praying to the virgin Mary, combined with partying in Punchana while drinking lots of Pilsen, Margarita and the grounds crew at the Amazon Golf Course will host a Charcoal Chicken BBQ, a parrillada de pollo, working and praying to raise money for their own Christmas bonus, knowing I am not giving out a Christmas bonus. Steve McAlear and I donated S/50 soles apiece to get them started, and I am praying to the Virgin Mary right now to encourage you to help them with a small donation also. They are self motivated, smart, hard working, and deserve your support. If you are feeling generous about Christmas, and helping hard working people with much less than anyone you probably know back home, you can funnel your donation through me, or if you are in Iquitos, plan on buying a parrillada ticket for only S/8 soles, and attending the cookout at the Amazon Golf Club on December 8th.

You can buy a ticket to the delicious Charcoal Chicken BBQ for only S/8 soles

December 12th, Golf Tournament

On December 12th, we are having a golf tournament to determine the annual winner of the Ernst and Edith Schneider Trophy. The tournament will be for all the golf students we have taught at our free Saturday morning golf lessons. They will play a round of 9 holes and be allowed only 8 strokes per hole to keep things moving along at a good speed.

The west flower garden and view of the Amazon Golf Course clubhouse from the road. Don't drive past, pull in and have fun.

December 27th, Charcoal Chicken BBQ, last Sunday of December

We are making the last Sunday of the month our day to host a special meal every month to raise money to help with the maintenance and improvements of the Amazon Golf Course. On December 27th, the last Sunday of December, we will host an after Christmas Charcoal Chicken BBQ at the Amazon Golf Course clubhouse. The red hot coals will have the good food ready to serve around noon.

December 27th will be a full fun social day of golf, volleyball and soccer or just hiking around the beautiful landscaped park. We will all be there. Please join us. Buy your ticket in advance at Mad Mick’s Trading Post, located near the middle of the first block of Putumayo, #163, at the top of the stairs on the second floor, the Dawn on the Amazon office, #185 Malecon, Maldonado, near the corner of the 1st block of Nauta, on the boulevard, overlooking the river, the Amazon Exporers Club, #101 Nauta, the first door on the first block of Nauta, around the corner from Dawn on the Amazon, windows overlooking the river, or at the Amazon Golf Course.

The approach to the Amazon Golf Course clubhouse

January 31st, the last Sunday of January, “THE JUNGLE ROAST”

If you can only come to the Amazon Golf Course for one meal all year it should be this one. Don’t miss The Jungle Roast, all you can eat, the last Sunday, January 31st. The Jungle Roast will be the most remarkable meal of 2010, and one of your best days. You will remember and talk about The Jungle Roast all year. If you are living out of Iquitos, fly in special for The Jungle Roast. It will be worth it. To learn all of the details about the menu, price, and what is included in the day, follow the link below to an article I posted on the Captain’s Blog;

Join us for The Jungle Roast at the Amazon Golf Course in Iquitos Peru on January 31st, the last Sunday in January.

The entrance to the Amazon Golf Course

Upcoming Events At The Amazon Golf Course

Bill Grimes is president of Dawn on the Amazon Tours and Cruises, and manager of the Amazon Golf Course.

The Amazon Golf Course clubhouse, freshly painted and trimmed, photographed from the 9th green

Thanks to everyone that donated money towards sprucing up our clubhouse. I think the paint job is a good one. I did not let them dilute the paint very much. What do you think? Do you like the green trim?

I bought the new wooden ceder door you see leaning against the wall so we can lock up the tool room. The door has never been used comes with lock, key, and hinges for S/150 soles, around $50.

The Amazon Golf Course clubhouse new paint job photographed from the west side, around noon.

New paint for the Amazon Golf Course clubhouse on the south side from the entrance lane

New paint for the Amazon Golf Course clubhouse, this is the east side

I guess this was controversial. I insisted on painting the east side the same as the other three sides, don’t dilute the paint, paint it all…with three coats, paint the trim, three coats…I don’t know, most people will never go on the east side but…I go there, and when I look back, I want to be proud of the work, so here it is. If you don’t like it, fire me, please. We have some green paint left so one of the crew is going to paint the water tank green.

Free Saturday Golf Lessons

Jim Sax, our newest golf student, practicing putting at the Amazon Golf Course practice green in front of the clubhouse

Saturday was Jim Sax first time to the Amazon Golf Course, and his first free Saturday morning lessons. He paid us a nice compliment that I will share with you. He said, “Congratulations on having the nicest, cleanest, most modern bathrooms in Iquitos Peru, the tile work, the mirrors, the showers, the toilet seat, the towels, the toilet paper…” Thanks Jim, I passed that on to Margarita and Rodrigo to let them know their work was appreciated.

Free Saturday morning golf lessons at the Amazon Golf Course driving range

More New Construction Projects

The new bleachers in the shade for watching the soccer battles

We put up this new shade structure over bleachers for spectators of the soccer matches. The quality of the soccer games are a very high level of competition.

Rodrigo and Pablo are building a new outhouse on the east boundry of the Amazon Golf Course

Rodrigo and Pablo are building this new flush toilet outhouse near our east boundry. They have tapped into the sewer pipe coming from the clubhouse. This will provide an extra toilet, mostly for the crew, but could be a valuable addition when we have large crowds. It will be finished with wood boards for walls and a thatch roof.

Bloosoms

Pink Hibiscus blossom at the Amazon Golf Course

Even this palm tree near the road is blooming

The east flower garden at the entrance to the Amazon Golf Course

The flower garden west of the lane, photographed from the road in front of the Amazon Golf Course

The rows of ficus and pomarosa trees along the front of the Amazon Golf Course

I am impressed by how fast our landscaping plants and trees have grown. Every blooming bush and every tree will get a fresh mulch of our special compost mixture in the next couple of days. You can see the dark circles of compost around all of the blooming bushes and the rows of ficus and pomarosa trees in this photo.

Marmelita and I are going on vacation in a couple of days, so there will only be one more article with a few photos of the golf course until just before Christmas. I will be looking forward to seeing how much your trees and bushes have grown while we are gone. That is why I keep posting these photos, so we can look back from next year and the years after to see the difference, before, during, and after…

The Clubhouse is painted and trimmed, December 5th, 2009

Bill Grimes is the manager of the Amazon Golf Course until some other qualified, trustworthy person that shares my vision or has a better vision wants the job.

This is the wood fired oven our turkeys and potatoes were roasted in

Wood fired oven

Six roasted turkeys totaling 32 kilos.

Turkeys

Enough chicken and noodles for 100 guests at the Amazon Golf Course Thanksgiving meal

Noodles

Grannies Southern Cornbread Dressing for 100 guests at the Amazon Golf Course Thanksgiving meal

Grannies Southern Cornbread Dressing

Roasted potatoes for 100 guests

Roasted Potatoes

Marmelita getting ready to serve our Thanksgiving meal

I want to give all of the credit to my hard working, dedicated crew that made so many of the details of this day possible. They made it look easy…but it wasn’t. Marmelita, Judy, Magaly, Deydi, Richard, Poly, Margarita, Rodrigo, Cesar, Emerson, Augusto, Orlando, Pablo, and Shudar, all came to work early and stayed late several days in a row getting ready for our Thanksgiving event. This was a team effort. Everyone contributed above and beyond the call of duty. Three cheers, I’m proud of them.

The 24 acre Amazon Golf Course was manicured, the clubhouse had a new coat of paint, the whole place was spotless, we served over 90 delicious thanksgiving meals, and had everything cleaned up before we went to bed around 10:30. It was a long hard week, and a long day, but it was worth the work.

One of our thanksgiving turkeys on display

Enjoying the upper deck of the Amazon Golf Course Clubhouse

Matt, Mike, Dave, Raul and family in the shade under the tent.

Jeremiah is our expert on fungus.

Pretty girl

Joel demonstrating the typical after thanksgiving meal position.

Thanksgiving golf game

Brooks on the driving range for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving volleyball and soccer at the Amazon Golf Course

Late afternoon golden light at the Amazon Golf Course on November 29th, 2009

I am too full of turkey, noodles, dressing, potatoes and mushrooms. What a feast!

We had a feast

One of the best part of my day was meeting new people, and making new friends. That was what made all the hard work worth while.

Our thanksgiving bouquet is still blooming at the Amazon Golf Course

Looking back on our successful Thanksgiving Day celebration

Bill Grimes is manager of the Amazon Golf Course

Good Morning members and friends of the Amazon Golf Course. As I type this it is 9:45am on Sunday, November 29th. We sold tickets for nearly one month. Sixty two reservations have been confirmed by paying S/15 soles. Thirty others have made verbal committments, not the same as confirming a reservation but gets us close to our goal of serving 100 meals. We planned the details of putting together this meal and this day for two weeks. We executed our plan all of this last week, and now we are putting the finishing touches on. The grand plan is coming together right on schedule.

We got up this morning at 4:15 to get the turkeys salted, buttered and trussed, with an apple, an onion, several cloves of garlic, and some pieces of ginger in each cavity, to add moisture and flavor. The 6 turkeys are being smoked and roasted with the potatoes in a large wood fired oven. They are scheduled to come out at 10:00am. We are reheating Grannies Southern Cornbread Dressing that we spent all day yesterday cooking. It took 18 batches of Grannies great cornbread with pollenta, and two large plastic bags of french bread plus several quarts of rich home made chicken broth that we cooked for 6 hours two days ago. The noodles are cooking in several gallons of the our chicken broth. They should be done in a few minutes. Sorry, no cranberry sauce. The camu-camu-sauce did not work out.

Twenty cases of beer, and several cases of pop were iced down over night, and we sent more ice out this morning to top off the barrels, and buckets. The electric cooler/freezer is also full.

The best place to be in Iquitos today is the Amazon Golf Course. I hope to see you there.

I have to hurry. We want to slice three of the turkeys here, and get to the Amazon Golf Course by 11:00 to set up the serving system. Got to run. I will report in tomorrow or as soon as we recover, with the results. This has been quite a job. I have sampled the dressing and noodles and I know they are great. I have high hopes and expectations for the turkeys.

Marmelita just took the turkeys out of the oven. I tasted a large bite from the inner thigh. It was cooked perfectly all the way through, and had a moist smokey flavor, one of the best turkey flavors I have tried. This is going to be a great Thanksgiving Meal in Iquitos Peru.

Bill Grimes

Matt walking in from the back of the Amazon Golf Course

We are working hard at the Amazon Golf Course. The Thanksgiving dinner is only two days away. Things are coming together in the nick of time. Wait till you see.

Amazon Golf Course Clubhouse with a fresh coat of paint and the light green trim

There is still plenty of trim left to paint but the clubhouse  is looking good.

Emerson painting the trim on the Amazon Golf Course clubhouse

Before

The snake shed has been a dangerous hazard for years

After

After

Before

Before

After

After

After

Green #7 at the Amazon Golf Course without the snake shed eyesore in the background

This is a big improvement

Rodrigo is a hard working guy

I am proud of how hard our crew works

Machete work at the Amazon Golf Course

Poly built these new window shutters for security

The showers and toilet remodeling is finished

The tile work in both bathrooms is finished.

New hand rails go the practice putting green

Matt and Bill, on the top floor of the Amazon Golf Course Clubhouse

This was my son Matt’s first visit to the Amazon Golf Course. He walked all around the property and inspected our work. We passed. If the weather is nice Sunday I expect we will have 80 guests for our post-Thanksgiving lunch. That will be the base for my next article. Stay tuned to see how it turns out.

Working hard at the Amazon Golf Course, November 27th

Bill Grimes is manager of the Amazon Golf Course.