I was glad to have somebody with me when doing dental in Mexico many years ago. The work is professional and good, the English was better, but communications were still lousy. Maybe it’s cultural. Manana…
With a Thursday 7:30am appointment for dental in Mexico, Gayle and I moved our RVs to a huge parking lot at the Arizona/Mexico border the afternoon before. This is actually run by the Quechan Native Americans and they also have a casino/hotel just up the road. Not the most glamorous camp this winter but convenient, and fenced with security. We parked for least sun on windows and most breeze in preparation for several 99° days.
I set the alarm so we’d have plenty of cool time in the morning.
Took off walking at 7am and were across the border to Los Algodones, Mexico, and in the dental office in 15 minutes, and before most of the staff as they actually opened at 8am. By 8:30 Gayle was whisked away and I was told to return at 1pm. However, I didn’t have any plans to leave and even packed snacks and a book. Was shown to a waiting room where I had a phone signal and messed around online. (Verizon doesn’t charge extra for being across this border.)
Avoiding the crowds
After a couple hours I ventured out looking for breakfast. Unfortunately, that means wandering the crowded sidewalks lined with vendors selling hawking jewelry, clothes, dentists, leather belts, jewelry, medications, hats, jewelry, eye glasses and more. Lots of things I neither need or want and many “No gracias.”
Breakfast was cheap and delicious including a serenade by two men exquisitely crooning with a synthesizer for music. I took video and will try to share some of it somewhere.
By noon the dentist was done pulling 23 teeth, and completed a small area of bone graft. It did take about 1 ½ hours more before Gayle was ready to leave. She had been told a free shuttle service would return us across the border to our RVs in the parking lot. In reality, the free shuttle took us 1 1/2 blocks to the waiting line to cross the border. Ah, dental in Mexico. Thank goodness for shade cover and benches because it took another 1 1/2 hours to actually cross the border. From there we could have called a taxi but instead walked the block back to our parking lot camp. What a trooper. It was HOT! Especially being parked on asphalt. Yet Gayle was able to eat some ice cream and take a nap. I sat outside, moving my chair around the truckcamper to stay in shade.
Sadly, we had to return the next day for her temporary dentures. Another miscommunication as she’d been told she would leave with those the first day. Dentures are made somewhere in town, and I’m sure orders come from many of the over 350 dentists in Los Algodones. We were told the dentures would be there at 11am. Nice that we didn’t have to rush that morning. When we arrived at 10:45 we were told her appointment was for noon. So we went to the air-conditioned waiting room, for over two hours. Once the dentures were “fitted” in Gayle’s poor swollen mouth she took them out and we returned to the border, with no waiting line, and back to the RVs. No way she would be driving anywhere that day so paid for another night and I chased the shade again that afternoon reading until too dark to see.
I really wanted a photo from the far end of the parking lot but it was too hot to walk there. Part of that Friday evenings entertainment was watching hours of cars in line to cross the border to Mexico.
Saturday morning at 62° almost felt cold. I’m kidding of course. But it certainly was an improvement over 99° outside and well over 100° inside. I know, it’s a dry heat. But a RV is sort of like a sauna without the water. We left the parking lot around 10am going opposite the over mile-long line of traffic headed to possibly dental in Mexico, but more likely going home or vacation.
I returned to the BLM camp adjacent to the VFW along AZ95, north side of Yuma and Gayle shopped along the way. Fortunately a RV had pulled out of a place with a little more shade and space for us both to park for who knew how long. I wouldn’t leave until Gayle felt good and knew she didn’t have to return for more dental in Mexico. Actually, she will return next fall for implants and click-in dentures, but that will have to be a different story.
Shade under an invasive Tamarisk/Salt Cedar tree
I looked forward to a slight cooling trend. Yes, I said cooler not cold, because you know I hate cold weather. But there is a fine line for comfort, especially living in a RV off grid. I plan on adding at least one 12 volt fan to move air around inside the camper and that would also help move heat when it’s cold. But with a high predicted for 92° and no breeze it was unbearable to sit inside at the computer by 10:30 Sunday morning. I’ve tried a couple times to use the laptop outside but the light is awful on the screen. Besides, birds are frequently distracting.
Early evening found Gayle—with her teeth in—and I visiting with a neighbor who had been parked in the same location for several months. We also met Olaf from “USSR/Ukraine” but has lived in the US for many years, whose English is not great. He didn’t stay long then Scott came over for a break from his packing to leave in the morning after many months here also. Far too social around here.
Gayle wore her new teeth for about two hours and they look great. Then she had a little trouble getting them out and removing the too much glue. We laughed like crazy, because what else can you do.
(as above)
The next day was at least 10° cooler so I could work inside on the computer processing photos and writing a blog post. I gave thought to another video and will share more about that. Plus it’s almost time to make a plan for the next move. And because I was running low on ice cream, it wouldn’t be long before I HAD to go to town, not a favorite activity.
Besides, Gayle needed to go to town the next day and spared me the chore by picking up a couple things. Thanks girlfriend. Another reason I didn’t want to drive to town was predicted high winds, and they blew dust around so thick I could barely see the nearby mountains.
That afternoon I started to smell propane, a sure sign one tank is about to empty. So I switched to the full tank and immediately noticed a leak on the hose to that tank. Not good but is repairable. Turned it back off and switched the good hose to the full tank. As many of you know, I’ve struggled for almost three years now with the “new” propane tank style with only part of that problem being the hoses too long. And that will be fixed after I get home.
Mesquite catkins
With Gayle’s mouth healing and feeling better, not 100% good, I started thinking more about my next move. But with Easter weekend approaching I wanted to be in a comfortable place as I don’t like to travel on holiday weekends. Plus after over a week in noisy camps I wanted peace and quiet.
Couldn’t resist
So, Thursday morning I packed and rolled to Yuma for groceries. But first breakfast and a thrift store fix where I bought a globe that presumably lights up. Not as old as the globe borrowed from Berta many years ago and later lost in the Yarnell Fire. When I get home, we’ll see if it works. Then better to buy groceries when not hungry, and found diesel fuel at $4.79/gal.
Finally on the road by 1pm headed north on AZ95 to…
…where else, the BLM adjacent to Kofa NWR, my go to south of Quartzsite.
And a marvelous place (watch the camp video) to watch and photograph the full moon.
And that meant using the big camera again as that didn’t happen for almost a week. I just wasn’t motivated in the Yuma camp and the phone worked for going to Mexico. Plus I’m trying to take video. That’s still a huge learning curve and I really don’t want to just rehash what I’m writing here on the blog. I’ve watched more RV traveler videos in the last month than my entire web-life. I need a niche, a grabber, logo, and introduction. Plus probably more that I don’t know about yet. So right now, I’m just trying a little bit of everything. Please, let me know what you think.
HELP! What do you want to see?
OMG ! I don’t think i would like all those teeth out in one go. But what a fantastic journey. Thanks for the lovely photo’s Gaelyn. Enjoy more journey’s and stay safe.
It’s not an easy procedure, but…
Los Algodones is a well known medical tourist destination, it’s just wrong that a US citizen with nothing to declare has to wait hours to return home. We’ve been having our dental work done in Tijuana for over a decade, and the return to the US can take hours. At least they speak perfect English at Washing Dental … and show movies in the waiting room 🙂
I had forgotten about the long waiting line and in the past actually had to wait longer during the “busy” season.
You are a good friend helping her out the dental stuff. When we lived in NM we knew lots of people who got the dental stuff done in Mexico at a fraction of the US cost.
That’s what friends are for is helping each other. I’ll be about 1/3rd the current price.
What a good deed you did! I could not imagine. I’m not good travelling, you are a wonderful beast!
Friends help friends.
Interesting.
I was the transportation and hand holder for a friend when she went and had her dental procedures in NE Texas. All teeth removed in (4) visits over 3-months and another month after the last extractions for her fitting after her gums had healed. She will go back after a a couple of months for a final adjustment. Procedurally much different than with the Dental service Gayle used in Mexico which raises questions.
Gayle is a tough one to go through all that in essentially one day, and good on you for being there for her. My friend wasn’t allowed to drive after each procedure. I had to check in with her before they would do any work so they knew she had a driver.
Can you provide a figure for the cost of that work.
Can anyone recommend a dental service in Mexico.
Regarding RV traveler videos. Presentations focused on single senior women hitting the road temporarily and for a life style would be the target audience i would lean to. Seems with life’s fortunes these days, a lot of 55 and older women are unfortunately out of their homes, and a recent check on the homeless situation in America finds that there are more older women homeless than any other homeless demographic. I see many living in cars stuffed to the roof with belongings, when they could be in a more spacious and healthier living unit/RV and have fun out of life, traveling.
Big Camera.
I finally stepped up to a ‘Full Frame’ camera(s). First I acquired a D610 which is a very good camera, but after a while I really missed my flipping LCD rear view finder that I have on some of my other Nikons cuzz I take a lot of pics from the surface/ground and overhead perspective so I opted for the D750 with its articulated view finder, though, it is limited in its articulation compared to the other Nikon articulated LCD rear view finders. I bought the D610 used in as new condition for about $650.00. The D750 new, but available used at very reasonable prices.
I use Nikon 16-35mm f/4 AF-S VR-G _ Nikon 50mm f/1.8 AF-D _ 24-120mm VR-G & 28-300mm VR. The 50mm is always mounted and the next go to lens are the 16-35mm f/4 AF-S VR G _ 24-120mm & 28-300mm VR depending on need. My fun lens is the 16-35mm. Lenses are the real expense in cameras, I try to buy them used.
Other pluses of the D750 @ the link.
D610> https://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d610.htm
D750> https://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d750.htm
16-35mm f/4 AF-S VR-G> https://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/16-35mm.htm
The flipping LCD is one of the reasons I bought the D5600. I rarely change lens as the 18-300 covers it all.
Sadly, I think many of the homeless can’t possibly afford any kind of RV. Glad I bought and paid for mine before retirement.
Regarding> “I think many of the homeless can’t possibly afford any kind of RV”
Here in Oregon there are often Free to give away prices for RV’s on Craig’s List. Trailers _ Motor Homes _ Campers _ and campers on trucks, and while some needed a little work and some a lot(avoid those) they were measurably magnitudes better than living on the street with a shopping cart or in a car. A quick check of the Oregon area(s) CL finds 5 RV’s(four Motor homes/one camper) from Free to $2,500, all usable as is. YouTube has quite a few vids of people picking up free to really cheap. Arguably ‘free’ is not without costs and the full time use of RV’s entails other expenses as we all know.
I met several single women while I was having lunch at a Burger King in Parker, Arizona, who were previously living in a car or on the street, who did find a free to really cheap RV’s or vans and got off the street, out of the car, and hit the road and adopted a Boondocking life style.
From what I have seen in Arizona, California, and Oregon, there has to be hundreds to thousands more women who could benefit from a more livable, safer situation.
I still have my D5600. Good camera and highly recommended and they are now available ‘used’ at very reasonable prices.
Guess I never looked for a free RV, but I have scored good prices. I do see a lot more solo older, and younger, womyn on the road than when I started 45 years ago.
Interesting post and I do not envy Gayle in the slightest. I remember you going through a similar experience sometime back.
One day maybe I will be able to watch your videos, I keep trying!!!! I do not know how to take a video on my Nikon D3500 but I know it can be done. Not much point though if I can only download it to watch myself without the Wi-Fi. I tried putting a short video from the Nikon D3200,, about 20 seconds, on to YouTube a couple of years back,, it took most of the day!
Keep safe and take care, Diane
The dental thing is brutal but so worth it in the end. I’m using the phone exclusively to take videos. The D5600 is capable but too heavy to hold for that long. You’re still getting the stories here.
You are a great friend, Gaelyn. The entire thing sounds exhausting to me! Glad I haven’t had to have dental work in the last 30 years or so. Whew…what a pain. Sounds like it is really getting hot down that way. The moon shot is truly superb. As I said previously, sorry but I am no help at all on the video thing. Others will have to give you their ideas. Good luck!
Thanks. I believe friends help each other. Very glad to be done with dental myself. Was 98° the day before I left Kofa. Today only 65° in Congress. After the weekend night temps won’t drop so much in Skull Valley, so I’ll head home.
Life events! Another thought I had about videos, although nature is exciting itself, you have way with plain/informative and dressy/energy talk, all real. You got it. I love your brain/barn-storming ideas for grabs, etc and will be awesome to see what you come up with. I do like idea of trying differents. What do I like to see (or hear)? Your different angles, energy, perspective, and new new and new. The large and small.
Thanks for being so specific. LOL I’ll keep trying new ideas. I can see the benefit of someone else actually taking the video if I’m the face. Maybe I can ask for questions and then do video answers? My bread is gone. 🙁