884 January 25, 2023 Los Algodones – Medical Tourism
We were due dental cleaning back in the Fall. We had thought that we were going to go back home before Christmas but then our plans changed and so we missed our appointments. There is a Mexican border town called Los Algodones just 20 minutes from our campground. This is a town that specializes in medical tourism. In peak snowbird season, there can be as many as 450 dentists practicing here in 200 clinics. We thought about going there to get our teeth cleaned. We had gone there before to walk around and have lunch but we had never used the services. We were not sure and we didn’t know how to find someone we could trust.
When we were hiking in Organ Pipe National Monument, we met a guy, David, on the trail. We started talking and he said that he was spending the weekend in Ajo awaiting a dental appointment in Los Algodones. He had been using Dr. Zuman at Fine Quality Dental for the past 6 years. He talked about the professionalism of the clinic and he recommended we go! He also has a friend, Gilbert who works at Arkansas Optical. Tim had wanted an eye exam and a new pair of reading glasses. I wanted a backup pair of glasses. David was kind enough to supply us with contact information. We called and made appointments.
We set our alarms for 6am this morning. We had 9am appointments at the optician. We had carefully calculated the time difference in Mexico and we left Yuma before 7am in order to arrive on time. As we were nearing the Mexican border and the Jeep clock recalibrated the time change, we realized that we were arriving 3 hours early for our appointment. Ugh…we failed that math problem!
We drove back to the RV and fit in some exercise and then left again shortly before 9 here in Yuma so that we would have plenty of time to park on the US side, and walk into Mexico. You are immediately aware that you are no longer in the US.
Gilbert had called to confirm that we were coming and he met is at the crossing and walked us to the office. We had cursory exams and ordered our glasses They were ready two hours later!
Our dental appointments were not until 12:30pm. We had lots of time to pass. We started by having breakfast at a little hole in the wall restaurant. We had really tasty breakfast burritos. We listened to wandering musicians and several street vendors came through trying to sell their wares.
We wandered after that through the town. I saw a hair salon. When I went to sign in, the hairdresser said that there would not be enough time before our dental appointments to get my hair done…I was very confused. I told her we had 2 ½ hours and she very patiently explained that although the official time in Los Algodones was Pacific time or California time…The town businesses followed Yuma time…so all that wasted and incorrect math…yeah…that actually meant that we were late for our eye appointments…
We had a great experience at Fine Quality Dental. I actually feel like I got better care there than I get at home.
With new glasses and shiny teeth, we went to El Paraiso for a late lunch.
We made one more stop at the purple pharmacy. I was able to purchase some medication for super cheap.
We made our way to the line to get back into the US. The line extended all the way to the end of the covered sidewalk.
As we stood waiting for our turn, I was struck by several things. There were so many street vendors peddling their stuff. They walked through the crowd desperately trying to make sales. School children came a little later, also trying to sell. There were some disabled people begging and lots of young mothers with nursing babies and small children with baskets to collect change. It was hard to walk by without helping and we used all our small bills and change. Sometimes I am embarrassed by our excess especially when faced with the poverty and desperation of people trying to care for families.
Our wait was long. I chose not to complain or even to feel irritated. In fact, I felt incredibly fortunate. I was standing in line to go back home…to a place where I have had lots of opportunity. A place that offers relative safety and freedom compared to other countries. Standing in that line made me realize all over again how very lucky I am.
