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Published: March 22nd 2012
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We spent Monday ( a national holiday: celebration of the birthday of Benito Juarez, a famous Mexican president) traveling from the mountains back to Oaxaca, buying tickets to Puerto, and repacking...I think Bill will have to get a new suitcase...his has finally given up...We of course didn't yet know that Malia Obama was in Oaxaca too!
We had an easy trip to Puerto, if you can call 7 hours of winding, narrow mountain roads easy. The earthquake happened about two hours into the trip, but we didn't notice anything. However, thinking back today, we realized that large number of small landslides on the road were probably provoked by the quake.
There was an extra driver named Juan on the bus, who had to return a broken down bus Oaxaca after it was repaired (This would happen right on the road where it broke down....the mechanic was on our bus too, with a bag of tools.) Juan had lived in Bend Oregon for 22 years, and only recently returned home to Oaxaca, when he was offered the bus driving job. He and Bill talked for quite awhile....The bus stopped every 2 hours for bathroom and food breaks...the road surface was
Bill buying really fresh potato chips
They were slicing the potatoes right there! There were many more food stands than usual for the holiday. great until we crossed the last mountain range...
We found our hotel (Aqua Luna), and settled in. It is a few blocks from the surfing beach (no swimming) and restaurants, and a ten minute taxi ride from the city center. It has a nice pool, wifi, and friendly staff. The area is not as safe as Oaxaca, but you just need to use common sense at night...
Puerto has a mix of residents. This part (the surf beach) has surfers of course, but a number of ex-pats and older tourists too. The shops are mostly centered around surfing. Yesterday we and a few young American and Australian surfers were the only ones in our hotel. More youngsters arrived today...they appear to be Brazilian....
I decided to go to a dentist today (Wednesday), since the abcess had come back in a different place, even though I was still taking antibiotics. I got a recommendation from the hotel owner (and builder) and he drove me to her office. She was young and had a tiny office right near the market, next to a tattoo parlor and above a CD shop. She spoke no English, so it was a struggle
In the mountains, on our way to Puerto
There is a huge diversity in the trees and other plants here....biosystems also changed quickly as we went over passes and into valleys. for me to be completely clear about my options, but I did it! She did an x-ray (no shielding), removed my crown without breaking it (in the US, the dentist would have left it on and operated around it), and spent an hour carefully drilling and cleaning out the tooth. She medicated it and replaced the crown, leaving the rest of the root canal to be done when I get home. She charged me about $55. My dentist wants me to start antibiotics just in case...
My taxi driver home from the dentist lived in Santa Barbara and Vancouver, WA. He was in the construction business and returned home to Puerto when the economy collapsed. He will go back (illegally as far as I could understand) next year. His kids are still there....
We are not doing a lot here...sleeping, eating, swimming, playing pool, reading..choosing a new restaurant every night for dinner (one good, one OK so far..). We will get my prescription tomorrow and then take a taxi to a swimming beach....
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michele bucy
non-member comment
mexican dental vacations
Hi Lynn! Sorry 'bout your tooth - but I have been researching dental services in Mexico (because I cannot afford them here) and there are places where you can go that are advertised as "Mexican Dental Vacations" ! http://www.mexicandentalvacation.com/ It is worth checking out - I think one company the staff and dentist is actually from Seattle. Hope you feel better!