Mexican Health Care

Just last night I was commenting to some friends about a story I read in Philo’s Notes concerning a non-Mexican couple who were involved in a bad auto accident. The man was killed and his wife seriously injured. At first it was thought both her legs would need amputation but she was taken to Tepic and that was not necessary. She does not have medical insurance and her bills have topped $25,000 so a fund raiser is being held by the cruising community to help. We discussed the fact that in the U.S. her bills would be well into the six figure range.

Today I learned first hand about the Mexican medical system and the generosity of the local people.

Our original plan was to remove the two dead batteries we had on board, haul them by water taxi and then cab to Melaque and pick up the 2 new ones we had ordered. Jim, from “Murray Grey” helped with his brawn and the use of a wonderful lifting device he has in order to get them into the panga when it arrived. These batteries weigh about 150 lbs each so lifting them down from our boat into the panga without it would have been exceptionally difficult if not impossible.

The panga arrived, batteries loaded and we were off. The panga driver took off at high speed (as many do) and then made a sharp left turn to pick up another fare at Comilla. This is not unusual but when he again made a sharp “S” curve to come up to the restaurant dock the batteries flew off the seat across from me and one landed squarely on the top of my left foot. There I sat with a huge, deep gouge across my arch, convinced the bones were broken and wondering how I was going to pay for it. Chris, the panga driver and a couple people from the restaurant helped me off the boat and then Ana went into action. She got her pickup truck and drove Chris & I to the doctor’s office at the top of the hill. The doctor (who spoke no English), cleaned and bandaged the wound but explained to us that he thought the tendon might be torn or a bone broken and I would need to go to the hospital in Chihuatlan (about 15 miles away). Ana’s husband returned with the truck and drove Chris, Ana & I there but they quickly sent us on to Manzanillo. We sent Ana’s husband back to work and got a cab for the next leg (about another 13 miles) but Ana insisted on staying with us as our interpreter.

The Manzanillo ER was full and there was only one doctor so we waited for about 30 minutes before I was seen. As it turns out there were no broken bones and the tendon was fine so 8 or 9 stitches later they sent me home with 2 prescriptions to get filled. Total cost? $67 pesos (about $5 U.S.) for the hospital, $370 pesos ($27 US) for the prescriptions and $600 ($44 US) pesos for the cab rides to Manzanillo and back to Comilla. Ana wanted no payment at all for spending the day with us or for the gas used in their truck but we insisted on giving her a monetary gift anyway.

The care I received was excellent and the miniscule expense absolutely mind boggling. I can’t say enough good things about Mexico and her citizens.

Barra Fishermen

Every morning between 5 & 6 a.m. the fishermen from Barra begin their day. They roar into the lagoon on their pangas to catch their daily bait. Typically there is one man driving and one who stands on the bow with a large net in his hands. When the bow man sees a fish “boil” the driver stops the panga and the front guy throws the net out and hauls in a wriggling mass of small fish. There are usually quite a number of pangas racing around the anchored boats, stopping, starting, throwing nets and hollering to one other. By 8:30 or so the fishermen have usually collected all the bait they need for the day and they head out to sea to set their lines. They lay long lines (sometimes extending several miles) to which are attached individual baited lines that hang down in the water. A black flag is attached to one end and every 25 or 30 ft an empty plastic pop bottle or jug is attached to act as a float. It is very difficult to see the floats in the ocean (not to mention black flags so when we are lucky enough to find a panga at the other end to guide you through it is a real blessing. I've heard many horror stories from cruisers who have ended up with lots of fishline wrapped around their propellers, keels, rudders, etc and that causes all manner of problems. Around here all the fishing is done during the day but I’ve been told that as you travel farther south there are lines out at night or around the clock. As hard as it is to see the lines during the day I am not looking forward to sailing where they fish at night!

2009 in Mexico!

Wow! What a rush! New Year's Eve in Puerto Vallarta!
My very special friend, Mary, came for a visit over Christmas (she made it out of Portland just hours before the snowstorm closed down the airport). We showed her around La Cruz, took her shopping in P.V., amazed her with whales, sea turtles and night watches on the way to Barra Navidad and eased her into the "cruising lifestyle" with Margaritas, dinghy rides and lounging by the pool or in the cockpit while in Barra. I think she had a great time and we certainly enjoyed having her visit. Since Mary was flying home from P.V. on New Years Eve, and we were all planning to make the bus trip back with her, I booked a couple rooms so the 3 of us could celebrate the New Year before returning to the boat. What a great idea that was!!
Our hotel is high on the hill over looking the Malacon and Banderas Bay...a fabulous view! The rooms are very large and comfortable and the balcony view is absolutely wonderful.The restaurant on the top floor (the floor above our room) was planning a big dinner and celebration but at $85 US per person we opted to skip it. After we got settled in, we walked down to the Malacon, had a great early dinner at the Chez Sabor, picked up a bottle of tequila and some mix and snacks and headed back to the room to watch the action.
We set up our "party headquarters" in Chris & my room and sat on the balcony watching boats moving in, taxis bringing revelers to the hotel and the, always perfect, Mexican sunset. As the night wore on, the noise level increased steadily from all fronts. Private parties and organized events were everywhere and there were thousands of people walking along the Malacon (walkway) and the beach...the cacophony sounded like "Carnival" and the decibel level of it all increased by the hour. Being "cruisers" we all started to fade pretty fast and by 10:00 Patty went back to her room and Chris & I went to bed. It was not possible to sleep so when we began to hear the explosions we got up and watched the fireworks from the balcony. It was amazing!! The display must have gone on for a good hour and extended all the way around the shoreline of the Bay. Every time we thought it was the finale, more fireworks would begin. Music was playing from every side, people were yelling and celebrating, boats were honking their horns and even a Norwegian Lines cruise ship came out into the melee so their guests could watch and their horn added a lovely long, slow bass note that set the whole night off. It was fantastic!
I am still in awe of the fact that I am actually IN Mexico after all the years of dreaming, but bringing in a New Year in Puerto Vallarta with my wonderful friend, Patty, and my sweetheart, Chris, is something that will live in my heart forever.