Daily Living: Doctors, Dogs and Celebrations

CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES...COME ON....IT'S A CELEBRATION

Gord has passed the 5 year mark being cancer-free!!!.  He is now back in the general population with regards to his health.  Here's to you honey! 

TIME FOR MY ANNUAL CHECK-UP: What is the health care like in the Yucatan????

What??? I don't need a referral to see a specialist???  I can choose one and phone them myself?

Yes it's true... I made an appointment to see a gastronologist at Star Medica, a hospital in Merida.  Doctora Icaza, who speaks English, saw me the next day for 45 minutes and charged me 550 pesos which is about $40.00 

I went downstairs to the clinic to book an ultrasound and blood work for the next morning with the results in my hands at 5:00 that day.  Cost totaled $3295 pesos ( $240.00)

Note: the doctor does not receive my results... In Mexico the patient is responsible for picking them up, taking them to the doctor for a joint review and then keeping them at "su casa". ( their home) Here I am with photos of my endoscopy and ultrasound............................................ oh that's what my pancreas looks like!!!  and yes, that is a full bladder"       

Back to the Doctora 2 days later with my results which she thoroughly reviewed with me for about 35 minutes with a plan to follow-up with an endoscopia.(  esophagus, stomach and duodenum She apologized that she could not do it the next day, having been away at a conference, so we scheduled it for 2 days later.  Her bill for this visit was $425 pesos ($31.00).  

I returned to the hospital and was escorted with Gord to the room where the doctor joined us several minutes after. Her assistant made sure I was very comfortable as she got me ready for the anesthetic. Dr. Icaza  put me to sleep with Gord at my side.  She explained to him what he was seeing on the monitor as she performed the scope.  When I woke up she brought us a hard copy and disk with pictures of what she had scoped, telling me all was fine!.. Always good news. This procedure was $1,150 pesos  for the doctor and $2445 pesos for the hospital (total of $262.00).   

                                                                

 EFFICIENT,  FRIENDLY, CLEAN, AND MAS RAPIDO ( VERY FAST)...

2 DOCTOR VISITS, BLOOD WORK, ULTRASOUND AND ENDOSCOPY ALL WITHIN 2 WEEKS AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN FASTER IF SHE HADN'T GONE TO THAT DARN CONFERENCE...LOL.

WE NOW HAVE 2 DOGS... I mentioned "Ita"in previous blogs and  realized she was never properly introduced. She was being fostered here at the beach by some friends and as they said " she is the bookend to our Zeus" As a pup she was abandoned in the doorway of a tienda ( store) in Merida and had mange which often means death. The store owner took her to the local shelter where she spend 3 months with the shelter's veterinarian and then in the carport of one of the shelter's workers.   She came for a "playdate" and got along well with Zeus who moped around after she had left so now she has come to live with us full time. 

MEXICO IS A COUNTRY OF MANY CELEBRATIONS..  

DIA DE TRABAJO  ( Day of the Worker or as we know it Labour Day. 

Crosses like this are erected by the los trabajadores (workers) wherever construction is happening.  They try to outdo each other using local materials, plants and flowers.  In Progreso there was a procession with banners, music and of course the requisite fire works...  

DIA DE MARINER : specific to the fishing villages of Chelem and Chuburna to remember fishermen who have died and to pray for the safety of others. 

Our friends Paulino and Minerva invited us to attend this special day with them at the Chuburna Port ( Puerto). Paulino is a fisherman and they both want to learn English so we see them weekly to speak English and Spanish...while son, Cristian nadaren ( swims) 

The day began with an Open Air Mass, ( in Canada when the priest blesses with holy water he uses a gold aspergillum ( tool); in Chuburna he uses a handful of local foliage dipped in a pail of holy water) 

We attended the service from under these trees 

 Crowning of the Mariner Queen

The captain of the Port crowns a young woman and gives her flowers...note the stature of the Virgin to the left. 

The statue of the Virgin and flowers are on this boat which led 30 Lanchas (boats) out of the puerto to the ocean where flowers are thrown overboard for those who have died at sea.  

Our skipper and his family

Note:  no life jackets... and later during the fiesta we saw young men carrying boxes of beer onto the boats right in front of the Policia ( police).  Life on and by the sea is very relaxed in these villages.  

We sampled more of the local food and I learned how to dance a customary Mayan dance in anticipation of the upcoming Chuburna Pueblo Fiesta in August. 

Abrazos de la playa  (hugs from the beach)

Dorothy and Gord 

THE CREATION OF OUR TROPICAL PARADISE

Hola from Namaste!

We had a courtyard with 12 Coconut Trees and lots of cement.  Nothing could  be grown under the trees as falling coconuts are dangerous; and that was the only place there was no cement.

As a Gardener it was only a matter of time before we changed all that. 

Down came the Coconut Trees 

Paint the Walls and bring in the stone for the stone walls and arch

The BobCat hard at work

The stone walls are built; next the Mayan Arch 

Putting the finishing touches on the Arch 
and spreading the dirt.  

The grass arrives... It is wide bladed and spreads by runners and comes in small pieces. 


The grass is laid and now the cements paths are stamped while the  Polynesian palapa and pond are built. 

IT'S FINISHED AND WONDERFUL 

BEFORE

AFTER

All we need now is the wooden swing or 2 hammock chairs under the palapa 

Water trickles down the mountain as our Mexican couple looks on... siesta time for the hombre! This week we will be adding water lilies, other water plants and some fish.

BAMBOO GARDEN..where they used our coconut tree trunks as a back drop for the sitting area. The tall plants closest to the casita are bamboo and the chairs are made of bamboo



  GORD'S CACTUS GARDEN:  with a cactus carved out of the coconut tree truck!.. The one to the right is called a Pencil Cactus.. The next one to add  is a hairy cactus that attracts hummingbirds.

;=

For my gardening friends the plantings are KING PALMS, QUEEN PALMS, ALEXANDER PALMS, PIGTAIL PALMS, BISMARK PALMS, CHUSAN PALMS, DWARF PALMETTOS, BOUGAINVILLIA, MOTHER-IN-LAWS TONGUE, OLEANDER, CACTUS AND BAMBOO 

The Crew That Made It All Happen

Zeus and Ita love the cool grass... no more sand in their eyes!!!

Hugs from Namaste...our casa to yours

Dorothy and Gord 

Cocina, Landscaping and Haciendas

  Remember the boat on our beach access a few BLOG ago.... It has been replaced by a wheel barrow as they mix the cement here.

A basic invention to ensure uniformity in the new archos 

The final coat of cement in the dining room is called masilla and they add powered color to create the cafe color in the room....no painting required!  Lauro mixes different amounts to provide some samples of the final color to choose from.


The KITCHEN ( Cocina) is next:

Gord rewired the kitchen where he found a rat's nest of wires in several places in the walls and ceiling.  The holes are for the wire construction for the shelves.

 Wood painted with used oil and weighted down to create some bend  to be used in making the form for the archos under the counters.

Hard to Believe:     Looks like a chair but is going to be a campana ( bell hood) over the stove.


OUTSIDE..TIMBER!!!!!!     All 8  COCO TREES DOWN 

First they trim the fronds from the trees.

We don't go to school cause there are 4 of us and our dad can't afford to send us so we work with our mom and dad. 

Loaded down and ready to go.. no load restrictions and no rules to cover it.... just drive slow and drag the frond behind...


Everybit of the tree is recycled. Fronds are used for palapas and woven into baskets and hats. .. the middle is woody and used for fence posting..  The coconuts are sold to street vendors and the woody trunk is being incorporated into our landscaping. 

This barren yard will become a courtyard with Palms, winding paths, gardens, a water feature and a palapa.. 

Rodrigo and Emmanual  come to visit. 

Professional Baseball Game in Merida  ( Yucatan Leones ( Lions)
( a Canadian  is the starting pitcher) 

A mexican hot dog.... pork and cheese in a bun with the weiner on top 

A TRIP TO HACIENDA SOTUTA DE PEON.... A working hacienda making the henequen rope... Sightseeing with the kids. 

David and girlfriend Julie 

This 84 year old man starting  working on the Hacienda when he was 15... In Mayan, with interpretation from our guide, he explained what life was like .  He is joyful that he has been asked to return to the Hacienda 20 years ago when a new owner restored it. He advised on the restoration and now shares his life story with people from all over the world.  As we left he said  "good by in" 15 different languages.  

Life in the casita is comfortable, and we look forward to more site-seeing with the kids for the rest of this week.  

Semana Santa ( Holy Week and Easter) is approaching so we expect the beach to be busy, busy.... more to share in the next few weeks. 


Adios nos amigos
Dorothy and Gord