Oh Mexico.......

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Throughout our marriage Barb and I had an understanding. We would split our vacations up, we would spend ½ of our vacation time each year together and spend the other half apart. I would usually spend my “apart” half fishing or hunting up north, while she would spend hers someplace warm such as Cozumel or some other warm weather location south of the border with our daughter or friends. This worked out well as I had absolutely no interest in going to Mexico or any other warm weather location. There is just too much to do here in the states!

So what after 52 years finally got me to cross the Mexican border? Why to go to the dentist of course! Even as I write those word I cannot help but think how crazy that sounds. When I was at the dentist for my annual checkup I found out I needed two crowns at a cost of $1,800 a piece! With no dental insurance, that would put a serious damper on our budget. We had heard that dentistry in Mexico is much cheaper from other blogs that we had read. After contacting several of these bloggers and found out their teeth had not fallen out we made the appointment.

When the day finally arrived, I started getting nervous and having reservations.  I can’t stand going to the dentist back home so what the heck am I getting myself into? Now I have entered Canada dozens of times, you stop at the border, give them your passport, answer a handful of questions; where are you going? What are you brining across? How long are you staying…….The entry into Mexico was amazingly easy. You park your vehicle in a secure area on the U.S. side of the border for $6.00 and walk across the border. No showing of the passport, no questions to answer, you just walk across the border! When you come out the other side of the gate it is like you are in another country!

A tourist getting greeted at the Mexican Information Center

 

 Street vendors start approaching you within 100 feet and try to lead you to the closest dentist, pharmacy or optometrist. We had researched which dentist we wanted early on and found a couple of reputable dentists that we would be comfortable with. In the end we chose Sani Dental so we ignored street vendors to Sani building. The entry was very clean and professional, the employees spoke very good English and asked me to fill out a form. Once that was done I was led to another waiting area that had about 15-20 people in it (everyone appeared to be from the U.S.) Along one side there were 9 doors numbered 1-9 that people were led into when their names were called. When my name was called I was led into door #3 which ended up being the x-ray room. They took a panoramic x-ray of my mouth and went back out to the waiting room. When my name was called again, I went into a different room where a dentist and assistant waited. They went over my x-rays and detailed the recommended work; two crowns and a filling. I had heard that some places will try to talk you into root canals but this was not the case here. After agreeing to the work to be completed we set up an appointment for the next day.

 

Waiting room

 

Dentist done we headed back out to the streets to look around. We walked up and down many of the streets being bombarded by street vendors trying to sell their wares; purses, hats, belts, jewelry……you name it. These vendors are relentless and it was sensory overload with someone trying to get your attention constantly. We ignored most but did buy a hat and a purse (Barb bought the purse). Both items started out at $25.00 but we haggled down to $13.00 and $10.00 respectively. We knew prior to arriving that we wanted to get some prescriptions refilled so we headed over to the pharmacy. There is probably 6 or more pharmacies on each street but we knew which one we wanted. We headed there and were greeted at the door and told them what we wanted. He led us to a clerk who filled our list for us. Prices were ridiculous comparatively (6 months of blood pressure medicine for less than $4.00). We stocked up on the items we needed and headed over to the liquor store where we each for a bottle and Barb picked up a couple bottles of vanilla.

 

Barb had said she wanted to get some true Mexican food while we were there and I vowed not to eat anything. But my stomach got the better of me and I said I would try something. We walked around looking for someplace good and found a restaurant that was crowded so we figured it had to be safe. The price was about the same we would pay here but the food was very good.  

Sport'in my new hat!

Ready for some real Mexican food!

Done for the day we headed back to the border with passports in hand. We were almost to the desk when two drunk women stumbled up to us asking if they could go ahead. We let them, they went to one desk while we went to another. We had to declare our liquor and prescriptions and we were on our way. The two other women were still at the desk and the officer was asking them what their hurry was and why they did not wait in line like everyone else. Evidently the outside cameras picked them up walking past the 50 or so people behind us and right to the front of the line! Out of curiosity we waited on the other side of the gate for about 10 minutes waiting for them to come out of the building but they never made it! While we were waiting we watched other officers and dogs searching vehicles coming back into the U.S. They were really tearing apart one truck!

There is nothing like the smell of burning bone to wake up the senses. That is what I was experiencing the next day for an hour and a half as they prepared and fitted the temporary crowns. As far as this part of the procedure went it was no different than in the U.S. Getting the novacane  shot sucked but after that no pain or discomfort. It is weird being at a dentist where you cannot understand a word they are saying. The dentist and her assistant were talking constantly and occasionally the assistant would relay instructions. The dentist only spoke limited English; “open” “open wider” were the only words I heard her say. Complete for the day I was told to return on Monday for the metal crowns and again on Tuesday for the porcelain finish.

For the first three nights in this area we stayed at Westwind RV and Golf Resort. Using Passport America it was $25.00 a night for 3 nights. A little on the high side but we did not know what the weather was going to be like back when we made the reservations and we wanted to make sure we had AC if Daisy was going to be in the trailer all day. Besides, we had not had full hookups since Casper, Wyoming back in October. The resort itself was very nice with a pool, laundry facilities, a full array of activity courts and of course the golf course.

Westwinds RV and Golf Resort

Sunday was moving day, but before that we took advantage of the water and electricity to wash the windows, vacuum and get all our laundry done. Chores completed, we hooked up and moved 15 miles down the road to the Quechan Casino right across the border in California. Here we are only about 10 minutes from the Mexican border crossing and the camping is free. This is our first time casino camping and were pleasantly surprised. Although there were quite a few rigs, it was very quiet. It was also well lit at night and patrolled by security. We spent the afternoon walking through the casino, playing the slots (we lost $4.00) and watching football. I did manage to lose one of my temporary crowns but luckily there was no pain or sensitivity issues.

Casino camping at its best

The next day we spent the morning touring the Yuma Territorial Prison. The prison opened in 1876 housed a total of a total of 3,069 prisoners, including 29 women, lived within the walls during the prison’s 33 years of operation. It was a very interesting tour viewing the artifacts, viewing pictures and reading about some of the prisoners. The cells themselves were just as interesting. It is hard to imagine spending any length of time in one of them. We were told that some of the cells were haunted and that you could feel "the presence" of some of the inmates within the cells. The only "presence" we felt was when we were in the Dark Cell which is much like the solitary we know today. It is a cave-like cell with no light, the presence we felt while in that cell were about a dozen bats flying around our heads! If you are in the area I would recommend this tour.

Before heading back we found a gas station with diesel for $2.52! That is by far the lowest we have seen in since we have been on the road. The highest we paid in the last 10 months was $4.19, if it stays low like this we will save a lot of money on our way to Florida!

Back at the dentist that afternoon, the appointment was at 2:00 but when we got there we were told that the crowns were not ready and to return at 3:30. After returning they fitted the crowns to make sure everything was good and sent them back to the lab to have the enamel coating put on. So, we returned the next day and within an hour I was walking out with my new crowns. The entire bill came to $420 which included x-rays ($60), two crowns ($160 each) and one filling ($40). Overall I would do it again, the price was right and they were extremely professional. One word of caution be prepared to wait.

On our last night here we received a call from fellow bloggers Scott and Detra , they too are in their first year of fulltiming. They are originally from the Toronto area and are a very nice couple. We had a lot in common, and spent a couple hours swapping favorite places and travel adventures. A special shout out to Carol (Starzz), thanks for following our blog!

Scott and Detra

One last picture.... saw this and could not resist stopping to take a picture. I think I found a way to pimp up the hood of our GMC!

Time to leave Yuma and head east, over the next month we will be making our way to Florida. Along the way we have stops planned in New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and finally Florida. Who knows what adventures are in store for us!