Click on a photo to enlarge it.
The first thing we had to do was to get our rear tyres checked. We had lost air in the inside tyres again and needed to find out why. We went to a garage in Escuinapa and they put
the tyres into water to try and find the leak.
It took 1.5 hours to find out that it wasn't the tyres but the extension valves. Through wear and tear the thread had been broken off bit by bit on both of them
causing slow leaks. We cannot get valve extensions here in Mexico, well not for motor homes, only for trucks which are far too big and don't fit.
But Mexico is used to finding easy and cheap solutions to problems that would cost a great deal more in America or Europe. Our mechanic came up with Teflon tape which
is a rubber based tape that he wrapped around the thread and then screwed the extensions back on.
So how much did it cost?? $4 US or under 2 pounds sterling. Can't argue with that but we had been quite worried for a while!
Next problem….. Whilst we had been parked in Teacapan which had used wooden boards under our tyres to make sure the motor home was level. We had washed off the boards
and put them in the front passenger well to dry out. After we had sorted out the tyres we went shopping and were just about to drive off when Kirsten moved the boards
slightly and one of them was literally crawling with little maggots!!!!
Yuck!!! We had to get them out pretty quick and make sure the maggots hadn't spread elsewhere. But they were only interested in the wood so we threw all the boards out!
Quite an eventful time and we'd only done 25 miles!! We finally got going south and managed to find a very nice spot at a beach restaurant just south of San Blas. We
parked up and it was very peaceful until two coaches turned up and the music was turned up to full blast!
We had no choice - we went for a walk along the beach but then Kirsten stepped, barefoot, onto a bee! Ouch! That really hurt! It was nearly piggy back time but after
limping around for a while the pain subsided and Kirsten was able to hobble back. Poor thing.
We finally got to La Penita for the dentist appointment. There are three dentists at the practice and Helen was seen by all three. The first was Monica who noticed a
number of problems, not just that part of a tooth had broken off which was the original reason for going. It ended up being a great deal of work.
Three dentists, 16 appointments from 17th Feb to 20th April, 3 root canals, 2 crowns, 1 cap, and 1 temporary filling which will need a crown but Helen will have to
have minor gum surgery so that there is room for the crown to be fitted. This procedure will take 2 to 3 months because the gum will have stitches and will need to
heal before the crown can be fitted. So we will be returning in November or December this year.
The work took so long because you can only work on one side of the mouth at a time otherwise eating will be a problem. Helen didn't really fancy sucking soup through a
straw for weeks on end! Helen also found that jaw ache was a problem with so much work and pressure being put on the jaw. At one point her face was swollen!!
The dental practice is extremely up to date and has all the latest technology. A lot of Americans and Canadians come for their dental work here and so, during the
tourist season the resident dentist calls in other dentists from Guadalajara. Helen's first appointment was relatively late in the season which is why she was seen by
Monica for two weeks, then Claudio for another two weeks and finally by the resident Juan Pablo who was by that time the only dentist there.
Helen has always had problems with her teeth from early childhood. She will never forget the medieval techniques using gas masks to knock her unconscious and waking up
in extreme pain!! She believes the dentist gas mask from her childhood is the reason she now hyperventilates whenever she tries to go snorkelling!! There is no other
explanation seeing as she is not afraid of water and is quite a good swimmer. But that knowledge doesn't help because she still can't snorkel!! But then she loves just
staying on the boat!
Anyway, Kirsten had to translate most of the time because Helen had her mouth open and was often anaesthetised so she couldn't talk and used her hands to communicate.
There were two sisters, Jennifer and Stephanie aged 17 and 19 who were helping out with the translation but Kirsten learned a whole new vocabulary and was able to do
it herself.
A specialist came from Guadalajara to do the root canals which Kirsten taped on video. We won't torture you with it by putting it on our website. Even Helen doesn't
want to watch! Experiencing it first hand was enough! But the specialist used an apple computer and x-ray software so Helen could see on the screen exactly what was
done!
Just before Helen's final appointment, Kirsten was eating peanuts when there was a loud crack!!! Part of a tooth had broken off! So she had it looked at by Juan Pablo
who said there wasn't really a problem at the moment but because the filling in that tooth is so large it would mean a root canal and a crown. No thanks said Kirsten!!!
Unfortunately Helen's teeth were not her only problem. One evening, she got into the motor home and was pulling the door shut. You have to give it quite a pull to get
it shut anyway, but the door handle broke! She went flying backwards, cracked her elbow on the edge of the table behind her and landed in Kirsten's lap!!!
Whilst Helen is howling in pain, Kirsten is looking at the door and complaining ... well super!! We won't be able to open it from the inside any more!! Helen wasn't
particularly bothered about that seeing as she thought she had broken her elbow!!!
So, cool pack for the elbow and pliers to open the door! Helen was astonished that, firstly she hadn't broken her arm after all and secondly, that she didn't even get
a bruise!
Now, where on earth are we going to get a new door handle? Kirsten went walk about and was sent from one place to the next, always getting the same answer. Sorry, no
can do. Eventually she ended up at a soldering place and they said they could make a mould and replicate the original. So she took the handle in one morning and went
back that evening. But it didn't quite fit and had to go back for adjustment. It didn't look very good either. So it was sent off to be galvanised and painted with a
special paint.
You can see the "Made in Mexico" photo above with the result. Hopefully Arnold Schwarzenegger Helen won't be able to break this one!!
Helen also had a disaster with pancakes. It was during the first week at the dentist and she had tooth ache because she had an infection. She had to use the metal
frying pan which we already know is not the best for pancakes and they ended up sticking to the pan. Helen's commentary "I used to be good at cooking!!" Obviously
tooth pain and pancakes don't mix!
We ended up staying in the area for a lot longer than we thought because of all the dental appointments. In the beginning we stayed at a Pemex on the main road and
would park up in different streets in La Penita but the roads are a nightmare - large stones and deep holes.
The campgrounds here are all three times more expensive than in Teacapan and we couldn't afford the prices every night. So, once a week we would drive to a campground
for one night. We also found spots at Rincon which is right next door to La Penita divided by a river so you have to drive along the main road to get between the two
towns as you can't get across on the beach or sea front.
We found one spot virtually on the sea front and we even had some shade. Kirsten finally got her boogie board out. We have been carrying it around in Winnie for over
four years and she wouldn't let Helen throw it out. Finally she decided to use it. We also went for beach walks every day.
Then one night there was a loud crash across the street from us. It was 3 am and a drunk driver, going too fast, crashed into a parked car opposite us and pushed the
parked car onto the pavement destroying concrete bins and various signposts. Then the drunk driver just drove off!!
The owner of the destroyed parked car came running out and managed to get the licence plate number of the offending vehicle and called the police. Then a large truck
came to remove the destroyed car. The police did however catch the drunk driver. But Kirsten didn't want to park there anymore and we had to find other places.
Helmut had installed a new 12 volt plug inside our motor home and so we could plug in the computer and watch videos. We were parked near some hotels watching a video
one evening when a man came and started undoing his trousers to urinate against the fence where we were parked!! He obviously didn't realise that we had our door open
and stood with his back to our door in full view of Kirsten! She shouted "Oy! Can you find a different spot?"
We also got Tsunami warnings here after the earthquake in Chile. A car with loud speakers drove around the streets warning people throughout the day but the actual
wave was hardly noticeable. There were red flags out on the beach though to stop people from swimming in the sea.
The dental appointments were going to mean that we would have to stay here for Easter which is the main holiday in Mexico and thousands swarm to the beaches. We were
staying at a campground in Rincon for one night when we heard that it would close for motor homes for two weeks over Easter and the owner would only allow tents to stay.
We were going to drive 40 miles south and go to Puerto Vallarta for the Easter weekend and do a boat tour to see whales and manta rays. Kirsten was talking to one of
the other campers there, Lyle, who has been coming down here for over 25 years and now lives here year round and has an agreement at the campground.
He warned us not to drive to Puerto Vallarta at all because there are too many drunk drivers at all times of the day for two weeks and there are numerous fatal road
accidents. It turned out that Lyle looks after 8 luxury villas here during the summer for the owners who are Canadians and Americans and return home for their summer.
He said that we could park up at one of them for Easter. Wow! Great offer!
It was in the residential area where we had actually parked up for two nights recently until we had been asked to move by an American who said she was the manager for
a number of properties there.
Now we were back in the same area, parked up at a million dollar villa right on the beach!! Winnie was under a roof and had shade and Lyle contacted the owners who
said we could park for $5 per night. We had electricity, running water and we could use one of the inside bathrooms for toilet and shower. Perfect!
The Easter holidays meant there were 30,000 people on the beach! It was packed. Of course this also meant loud bands, lots of music and a whole variety of food stands
and other stands on the beach. They certainly know how to party!
Easter weekend in Rincón de Guayabitos
Fishing off the beach
Helen hid two Easter eggs for Kirsten to find on Easter Sunday which is a German tradition but because of the heat she had to find them very quickly!
We were also visited by a very colourful iguana.
The following weekend was Helen´s birthday. Fortunately she could open her mouth again by then and Kirsten sweated in the kitchen preparing our favourite pork
medallions wrapped in bacon with fresh green beans and Helen's mashed potatoes. Yummy! On Kirsten's birthday she wanted a pizza from a nearby restaurant which was
a poor cousin to Helen's meal!
There are no supermarkets in this area and our meat supplies had run out. But Helen found some chorizo sausage which we tried with cabbage and potatoes and it was
an absolute hit! We had it several times before we eventually found a butcher in La Penita and bought chicken and mince again.
Just after Easter sewage was released into the river near us and went straight into the sea. Apparently this happens every year. The smell in this heat was
overwhelmingly disgusting to say nothing of the environmental damage. But it's not just Mexico. Will we ever learn?
Kirsten was in a rage because that was the end of the boogie boarding and it meant no more beach walks either!
Finally Helen got her last crown fitted on the 20th April but Lyle asked us to stay and move into the luxury villa for two weeks. (God, the things we have to do!!!)
Lyle was flying to Canada to visit his family and the neighbours were going to look after the villa but they decided to return home early and there wouldn't be anyone
here.
So we moved into the villa! Life is hard!
We had to get used to the loud waves at night and on the first night we got up at 4 am and rushed downstairs thinking we had burglars, only to find that it was the
wind rattling some of the doors!! We used door stoppers to prevent it!
But we didn't put our feet up and relax either. Kirsten used the internet and worked on her project the whole time whilst Helen cleared everything out of Winnie,
cleaned him from top to bottom and sorted everything out. We also watered the plants and opened up another house for the cleaners to come every Saturday.
