Log Book
April 2009
April 2009
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| April 2009 |
San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico
April 1 – Fools Day – got offer on car from another cruising couple, Tony and Sharon on
Tigress. For real. Next day we told them yes and are awaiting their ability to withdraw money
from the bank at about $500 USD per day through their bank in the UK. Sam would drive
Sharon to the bank each day for a withdrawal. In the meantime, Susie continued walks and
exercise, playing cards, laundry, etc. Had a visit with old friends Adam and Chris on “Estrella”
whose boat is “on the hard” (out of the water on supports) in the Marina Real Seca work yard.
Participated in a potluck Sunday evening on the next dock over, said goodbye to friends, and
made ready to depart. Completed the paperwork on the sale of the car on April 6, turned the
keys over to Tony and Sharon, and left Marina Real on Tuesday, April 7.
Crossing the Sea of Cortez was part sailing and part motoring, and happily uneventful. Susie
heard and smelled whales during her night watch, evidently very close to the boat, but she was
unable to see them in the dark. We arrived at the south side of Isla Coronado (the same
anchorage where we left last year to go to San Carlos) on Wednesday afternoon, April 8. The
next day, we toodled on down to Isla Carmen, to see some of the anchorages we had not
experienced before.
Isla Carmen
April 9 we dropped the hook at Punta Perico, with shelter from the northerly winds. During the
night the wind changed over to southerly, and we had a very rolly and choppy night. The next
morning, we moved to Bahia Cobre, around the corner to the north, which afforded us a calm
night with protection from the south. The next day, we puttered on further north up the east
side of Carmen to Painted Cliffs, again, with southerly wind protection, but the wind switched
back to northerly, so we went back down to Punta Perico for another calm night. There were no
other boats in these anchorages, and we had several days completely to ourselves: we did
some hand laundry, played some cards, Sam did a temporary repair on the bilge pump switch.
Puerto Escondido
By Sunday, April 12, we were out of fresh veggies and fruit, almost out of clean clothes, and
had several bags of stinky trash on board. So we decided to go on down to Puerto Escondido,
where we anchored (a little to close to other boats because it was crowded) for the night in The
Ellipse. Next day, we went over to see Elvin “Sealover” and tied up at his little dock for some
outboard repairs, then moved to the Singlar dock for one night. We checked our email, did
laundry, dumped our trash, and enjoyed dinner at Porto Bello Restaurant. On Wednesday we
did more laundry and exchanged books at Hidden Port Yacht Club, then moved from the dock
and dropped our hook as close to the docks as possible (because the outboard still needs
some work and Sam is rowing ashore). Thursday, Elvin was able to get the outboard started –
it just needed oil.
And Friday – a noteworthy occasion – Susie was able to get down the boarding ladder, into the
dinghy, and then back up the ladder and on to the boat. She did not go ashore this day
because it was windy and choppy. On Saturday we pulled the anchor and moved out to a
mooring ball. And finally on Sunday, Susie went ashore and got out of the dinghy at the dock –
although it took her 5 minutes to figure out where to hold on to Sam and where to put her cane.
The rest of the week more boats were arriving in Puerto Escondido for Loreto Fest, and we
were seeing old friends and making new ones. Monday was shopping at the little tienda up the
road at Tripui Trailer Park; Sam walked up and got a ride back with Fernando, the proprietor.
Tuesday Sam moved the boat to another mooring ball (at Singlar’s request) and hooked it
himself while Susie did her morning exercises. Wednesday we ran out of propane so we ate
out. Thursday our friend Carlo of “Mango Mambo” was going into Loreto, so he took our
propane tank and got it filled for us. Friday Sam went to get gas for the outboard and found
our spare tank was leaking so he threw it away. Saturday we shared sourdough pancakes with
Carlo. Sunday we got a ride with Ed and Jean of “Pacifico” into the huge flea market in Loreto
and got fresh veggies and fruit. And Monday morning at 2 AM our next adventure began.
Medical Madness in Mexico
On April 27, Sam got up about 2 AM to use the bathroom, as usual, but Susie heard a thump
and then nothing else. She called out to Sam, and he didn’t answer until the third time, and by
now Susie was getting out of bed to find him. He was lying on the floor in the main salon, saying
that he thought he had fallen but really didn’t remember, he may have passed out for a short
time, and he was having lower abdominal cramps. The pain cycled from bad to worse in
spasms to excruciating, he was in much distress, sweating and clammy. He thought that he was
about to give birth – the pain was as had been described to him by new mothers. Susie took
his blood pressure, found it to be normal, and ascertained that the pain was not in the chest or
arm. By this time, Sam was pulling himself into a fetal position with each new wave of stomach
cramps and moaning with the pain. Susie determined that we needed help, so she got dressed
and radioed for whoever might be monitoring their radio on channel 16 at that time of the
morning. Carlo of “Mango Mambo” and John of “Andiamo” both answered and agreed to come
to the rescue. While they got in their dinghies and Carlo woke up Ray on “Adios” and started
on their way to us, Susie managed to get Sam dressed and a backpack ready with extra clothes
for Sam and all the extra pesos we had on board and her wallet and both passports. She also
grabbed a large bowl, just in case Sam needed it. Unfortunately, as it would turn out later, she
forgot Sam’s wallet and our cell phone. But she had no idea that we were going anywhere
other than the hospital in Loreto.
Carlo and Ray managed to get Sam down the ladder and into Carlo’s dinghy. John helped
Susie into his dinghy with the backpack and we all went ashore. Ray stayed with Sam while
Carlo got his car pulled up next to the sidewalk and Susie gimped along with her cane. Carlo
drove us to the new hospital in Loreto and on the way Sam began vomiting (into the bowl
fortunately). The pains were more frequent and severe by the time we got to the emergency
room. The doctor spoke very little English, but with Carlo’s help in Spanish we managed to
convey the most important medical background and current symptoms, and the staff was able
to get an IV started and pain medications going. Carlo left and told us to have the hospital call
Constansa at Singlar Marina in Puerto Escondido and she would get a message to him, when
we were ready to come back to the boat. At this point, we were suspecting that Sam might be
passing kidney stones, and assuming that with pain meds it would be under control and our
stay would be a short one in Loreto. Shortly after Carlo departed, Sam lost complete control of
his bowels and it became very apparent to all that we were dealing with some kind of intestinal
problem. The doctor in Loreto, after administering 3 kinds of happy juice and getting Sam
stabilized with the pain under control, advised evacuation by ambulance to Constitucion (about
2 hours drive away from Loreto). The hospital in Loreto, although it is new, does not have
diagnostic equipment like X-ray machines and ultrasound, nor does it have a testing
laboratory. The Loreto doctor telephoned Constitucion, arranged for a specialist to meet us at
the hospital there, and called the Loreto “bomberos” which is the firemen/rescue squad.
So off we were to another city at 5 AM. We arrived in Constitucion at the hospital about 7 AM
and the specialist met us there. It was obvious by this point that Sam had some type of
intestinal infection. The doctor had blood drawn and started IV broad spectrum antibiotics.
Sam was admitted to a room and he spent most of the day slipping in and out of sleep, while
Susie sat in a very hard chair next to the bed. In the afternoon, the doctor said Sam would
probably need to stay in the hospital for a few days, so Susie decided to find a hotel room for
the duration.
Let’s consider now the logistics. Sam is in the hospital. We have no car. We have no
telephone (since Susie forgot to bring the cell phone). Our Spanish is very limited. The doctor’
s English is very limited. Susie is walking slowly with a cane. We are in a strange city and do
not know our way around. Susie has limited cash and knows the hospital and the doctor will
have to be paid in cash, but she doesn’t know where the bank is yet.
The doctor gives Susie a ride to Hotel #1 and drops her off in front, then goes on his way.
Susie goes inside – fighting her way through a crowd in the lobby of giggling teenagers with
suitcases – only to discover that this large group of kids has taken every room in the place. No
vacancy. She asks about another hotel and is directed with a roughly sketched map to Hotel
#2. She walks about 4 blocks and goes in to ask for a room, again to discover that they have
no vacancy. Seems the city is overrun with teenagers on some sort of a school trip. By this
time, tired from lack of sleep the night before and trying to make herself understood and no
food all day, she is near tears. She asks about yet another hotel and is directed 4 blocks
further to Hotel #3. When she walks to this one, she is at first told they are not letting rooms
because they are under renovation (which is obvious) but she manages to convey desperation
and is shown a small room directly under the second story which is under construction and
agrees to take it. After all, there is a bed, a toilet and shower, and even a TV. She pays 250
pesos for one night (about $17 USD at the exchange rate) and lays down on the bed to rest
and take the stress off her over-worked and by-now-very-swollen knees. After a few hours of
mind-numbing TV and rest (not sleep) and a bag of chips and a diet coke, she finds an internet
café close to the taxi stand and uses their computer and head set to make a Skype phone call
to Constansa at Marina Singlar, advising her of the situation so she can tell Carlo and ask him
to call me at the hospital later that night. She returns to the hospital via taxi, to see how Sam is
doing and hopefully talk to the doctor.
She returns to the hard chair in the hospital room. Sam is dozing. She has time to look around
and consider the place. This is an OLD and well-used busy hospital. The lobby is always full of
people, as this is the IMSS hospital that services all the people in Mexico who have public health
care – meaning nearly everybody. Paint is peeling off the walls. Tiles are missing from the
ceiling. The floor is dusty with spots of old sticky gum. The hospital bed is metal with manual
up/down controls, but they don’t work. The top part of the bed is propped up with cardboard
boxes containing saline solution. When Sam wants to lay down flat, Susie has to move the
boxes out from under the mattress and back onto the floor. There is no call button for the
nurse, but Sam’s room is right next to the nurse’s station and he just yells if he wants
something. There are cockroaches scuttling around the bathroom floor. There is a shower, a
toilet and a sink, but the toilet is not seated properly and it moves around when sat upon. The
sink drips and there is no shower curtain. There is a PA system speaker located – directly
outside the door of the room - used to announce very loudly and often with no regard for time
of day or night when a doctor is needed somewhere. Someone told Susie later that only a few
years ago the family of a patient had to bring in their own sheets and towels.
BUT – the nursing care is good. Sam is checked on frequently and his IV changed as needed.
His medications are administered on time. His sheets are changed and he is assisted in taking
a shower when he is able. The x-ray machine (which indicated no problem) and the ultrasound
machine (again indicating internal organs in good order and no gall or kidney stones) and the
medical testing lab (more about those results later) all function as they should. The doctor is
never on time – as usual anywhere – but he does come back and report on the latest test
results. Most importantly – Sam started to recover.
Monday evening we are informed that Sam has amebic dysentery, most likely ingested. Since
Susie and Sam both eat the same meals together, and Susie did not have the same symptoms,
it is possible that Sam did not wash his hands some time before a meal or a snack and thereby
picked up the infection. The doctor says he will need to stay in the hospital that night and
probably one more. The antibiotics are changed to deal with his specific infection, now that it is
identified. He is not allowed any solid food, only juice and water and jello. Solid food starts on
Tuesday, if he continues to get better.
By the way, Susie has nearly a full blown cold at this time. She had started coming down with it
on Sunday afternoon. With the swine flu scare in Mexico at this time, she was surprised to see
people in Constitucion (where there was no swine flu) wearing face masks and walking around
on the streets. Susie got a face mask at the hospital to wear too, so that people didn’t think she
was walking about with swine flu, instead of a cold.
Carlo calls while Susie is still at the hospital – she hears her name on that obnoxious PA system
– and she gives him the scoop. Susie asked him to have Ray go out and lock up the boat
(something else she neglected to do Monday morning at 2 AM). Susie then decided to call it a
night – she left to get something decent to eat but everything was closed by 9 PM. So she
walked back – 10 blocks – to the hotel and found the courtyard over-run with – guess what –
more teenagers – all girls! They are yelling and giggling, as all teenage girs do. When Susie
was getting ready for bed, one of the girls came barging into the room looking for a friend –
oops, forgot to lock the door – and was surprised to see someone she didn’t know and ran back
out. Susie locked the door. Then another girl came by and reached through the open window
(without a screen) and pulled aside the curtain, hollering and looking for another friend. The
girls finally calmed down about 11 PM and Susie was able to get to sleep. Before bed, she
washed out her underwear with the little bar of hotel soap and hung it up, hoping it would be dry
by morning. Remember – she had grabbed extra clothes for Sam but nothing for herself, not
knowing we would be going to another city for 3 days!
By Tuesday, Sam was feeling better, his pains were mostly gone and his blood pressure (which
had dropped in Loreto at the emergency room) was back up to normal with all the hydration
from the IV. He was able to get up and use the bathroom on his own. Susie got breakfast (her
first meal since Sunday night supper) on the way to the hospital to check on Sam’s progress.
She also went by several different stores, looking for and eventually finding a toothbrush,
toothpaste, shampoo and deodorant. After keeping Sam company much of the day, she left in
the afternoon to get some cash out of the bank. Having forgotten Sam’s wallet, she only had
her own ATM card and was therefore limited to just $500 USD worth of pesos per day from the
bank. And since she seldom uses her ATM card, she had forgotten the new PIN code and after
3 times the card was invalid (at least the machine didn’t keep the card). The doctor had given
an estimate of the total charges and she knew she needed about $1000 USD to pay the
medical charges and have enough left over for some type of transportation back to Puerto
Escondido. She decided to deal with it in the morning.
Wednesday morning Susie took a taxi to the bank. Turns out it was only a few blocks from the
hotel. Again, unable to use the card. She went into the bank and asked if a cash advance
could be processed, with either her ATM card or a credit card – no way, Jose. She tried the
same thing at another bank, again no go. At this point, she is crying with frustration and the
bank officer is trying to help. He finally directs her to an internet café, where Susie calls the
bank via Skype and discovers that her card was de-activated because of the wrong PIN code
entries. Since by this time she knows the correct PIN code, the bank is able to re-set the card
and she walks back to the ATM machine and gets out 5,000 pesos. That is the limit for the day
and Sam is hopefully being discharged today, so she hopes it is enough to cover everything.
When Susie arrives at the hospital Wednesday morning (walking), the doctor is already there in
Sam’s room, with a friend who speaks good English, giving instructions for discharge. Sam is to
have fish or chicken only – not fried – with fruits and vegetables, although no tomatoes or any
citrus. The doctor gives her the hospital bill and his bill and thankfully there is enough cash to
pay for everything and still have enough left over for an ambulance ride back to Puerto
Escondido and going-home medication. One of the “bomberos” in Constitucion is a young
woman who speaks excellent English so she and Sam sit in the back of the ambulance and talk
all the way back, while Susie rides up front with the male driver and mostly gazes at the view,
looking forward to getting back to the boat.
So we arrive back in Puerto Escondido on Wednesday afternoon, April 29, about 2 PM. Loreto
Fest is scheduled to begin the next day and since we came to Puerto Escondido specifically to
participate in this annual fund raising event, looks like we will get to see it.
Puerto Escondido for Loreto Fest 2009
April 30 was the first day of Loreto Fest. Sam took Susie ashore in the dinghy and then he
came back to the boat to rest. Susie signed up for the team Minnesota Canasta card
tournament and was partnered with Peachy aka Roberta from Juncalito. We met Peachy in
2006 the first time we were in Puerto Escondido. Unfortunately, our team was eliminated in the
first round, but no matter. Susie set up a non-tournament game for the next day with the other
losers. In the afternoon, Susie volunteered to work at the registration booth and helped close
out the cash drawer. She came back to the boat in the evening, on the Singlar shuttle. And
discovered that Sam now had “the cold” too.
Although because of his medical diet restrictions, Sam was unable to participate in the taco
dinner potluck or the complete spaghetti dinner (he had naked noodles and bread) at Loreto
Fest, he did help cook for the pancake breakfast Sunday morning and was able to eat
pancakes (no butter or syrup). On one day, Sam attended a seminar called “the magic pot”
about cooking on a boat with a pressure cooker. Susie participated in the singles “cutthroat”
Minnesota Canasta tournament but was again eliminated in the first round, so then she played
with other losers for fun. One evening we listened to some music, even managed a little bit of
dancing. Sam helped clean up on Monday, the day after Loreto Fest 2009 closed. Although
Sam was recovering from his hospital stay and we were both recovering from “the cold,” we did
enjoy our very first Loreto Fest 2009.
Our plan is to leave Puerto Escondido around May 5 and head south towards La Paz, enjoying
some of our favorite anchorages along the way and taking our time. We don’t know yet what we
will do for the summer season, but something will be decided soon.
April 1 – Fools Day – got offer on car from another cruising couple, Tony and Sharon on
Tigress. For real. Next day we told them yes and are awaiting their ability to withdraw money
from the bank at about $500 USD per day through their bank in the UK. Sam would drive
Sharon to the bank each day for a withdrawal. In the meantime, Susie continued walks and
exercise, playing cards, laundry, etc. Had a visit with old friends Adam and Chris on “Estrella”
whose boat is “on the hard” (out of the water on supports) in the Marina Real Seca work yard.
Participated in a potluck Sunday evening on the next dock over, said goodbye to friends, and
made ready to depart. Completed the paperwork on the sale of the car on April 6, turned the
keys over to Tony and Sharon, and left Marina Real on Tuesday, April 7.
Crossing the Sea of Cortez was part sailing and part motoring, and happily uneventful. Susie
heard and smelled whales during her night watch, evidently very close to the boat, but she was
unable to see them in the dark. We arrived at the south side of Isla Coronado (the same
anchorage where we left last year to go to San Carlos) on Wednesday afternoon, April 8. The
next day, we toodled on down to Isla Carmen, to see some of the anchorages we had not
experienced before.
Isla Carmen
April 9 we dropped the hook at Punta Perico, with shelter from the northerly winds. During the
night the wind changed over to southerly, and we had a very rolly and choppy night. The next
morning, we moved to Bahia Cobre, around the corner to the north, which afforded us a calm
night with protection from the south. The next day, we puttered on further north up the east
side of Carmen to Painted Cliffs, again, with southerly wind protection, but the wind switched
back to northerly, so we went back down to Punta Perico for another calm night. There were no
other boats in these anchorages, and we had several days completely to ourselves: we did
some hand laundry, played some cards, Sam did a temporary repair on the bilge pump switch.
Puerto Escondido
By Sunday, April 12, we were out of fresh veggies and fruit, almost out of clean clothes, and
had several bags of stinky trash on board. So we decided to go on down to Puerto Escondido,
where we anchored (a little to close to other boats because it was crowded) for the night in The
Ellipse. Next day, we went over to see Elvin “Sealover” and tied up at his little dock for some
outboard repairs, then moved to the Singlar dock for one night. We checked our email, did
laundry, dumped our trash, and enjoyed dinner at Porto Bello Restaurant. On Wednesday we
did more laundry and exchanged books at Hidden Port Yacht Club, then moved from the dock
and dropped our hook as close to the docks as possible (because the outboard still needs
some work and Sam is rowing ashore). Thursday, Elvin was able to get the outboard started –
it just needed oil.
And Friday – a noteworthy occasion – Susie was able to get down the boarding ladder, into the
dinghy, and then back up the ladder and on to the boat. She did not go ashore this day
because it was windy and choppy. On Saturday we pulled the anchor and moved out to a
mooring ball. And finally on Sunday, Susie went ashore and got out of the dinghy at the dock –
although it took her 5 minutes to figure out where to hold on to Sam and where to put her cane.
The rest of the week more boats were arriving in Puerto Escondido for Loreto Fest, and we
were seeing old friends and making new ones. Monday was shopping at the little tienda up the
road at Tripui Trailer Park; Sam walked up and got a ride back with Fernando, the proprietor.
Tuesday Sam moved the boat to another mooring ball (at Singlar’s request) and hooked it
himself while Susie did her morning exercises. Wednesday we ran out of propane so we ate
out. Thursday our friend Carlo of “Mango Mambo” was going into Loreto, so he took our
propane tank and got it filled for us. Friday Sam went to get gas for the outboard and found
our spare tank was leaking so he threw it away. Saturday we shared sourdough pancakes with
Carlo. Sunday we got a ride with Ed and Jean of “Pacifico” into the huge flea market in Loreto
and got fresh veggies and fruit. And Monday morning at 2 AM our next adventure began.
Medical Madness in Mexico
On April 27, Sam got up about 2 AM to use the bathroom, as usual, but Susie heard a thump
and then nothing else. She called out to Sam, and he didn’t answer until the third time, and by
now Susie was getting out of bed to find him. He was lying on the floor in the main salon, saying
that he thought he had fallen but really didn’t remember, he may have passed out for a short
time, and he was having lower abdominal cramps. The pain cycled from bad to worse in
spasms to excruciating, he was in much distress, sweating and clammy. He thought that he was
about to give birth – the pain was as had been described to him by new mothers. Susie took
his blood pressure, found it to be normal, and ascertained that the pain was not in the chest or
arm. By this time, Sam was pulling himself into a fetal position with each new wave of stomach
cramps and moaning with the pain. Susie determined that we needed help, so she got dressed
and radioed for whoever might be monitoring their radio on channel 16 at that time of the
morning. Carlo of “Mango Mambo” and John of “Andiamo” both answered and agreed to come
to the rescue. While they got in their dinghies and Carlo woke up Ray on “Adios” and started
on their way to us, Susie managed to get Sam dressed and a backpack ready with extra clothes
for Sam and all the extra pesos we had on board and her wallet and both passports. She also
grabbed a large bowl, just in case Sam needed it. Unfortunately, as it would turn out later, she
forgot Sam’s wallet and our cell phone. But she had no idea that we were going anywhere
other than the hospital in Loreto.
Carlo and Ray managed to get Sam down the ladder and into Carlo’s dinghy. John helped
Susie into his dinghy with the backpack and we all went ashore. Ray stayed with Sam while
Carlo got his car pulled up next to the sidewalk and Susie gimped along with her cane. Carlo
drove us to the new hospital in Loreto and on the way Sam began vomiting (into the bowl
fortunately). The pains were more frequent and severe by the time we got to the emergency
room. The doctor spoke very little English, but with Carlo’s help in Spanish we managed to
convey the most important medical background and current symptoms, and the staff was able
to get an IV started and pain medications going. Carlo left and told us to have the hospital call
Constansa at Singlar Marina in Puerto Escondido and she would get a message to him, when
we were ready to come back to the boat. At this point, we were suspecting that Sam might be
passing kidney stones, and assuming that with pain meds it would be under control and our
stay would be a short one in Loreto. Shortly after Carlo departed, Sam lost complete control of
his bowels and it became very apparent to all that we were dealing with some kind of intestinal
problem. The doctor in Loreto, after administering 3 kinds of happy juice and getting Sam
stabilized with the pain under control, advised evacuation by ambulance to Constitucion (about
2 hours drive away from Loreto). The hospital in Loreto, although it is new, does not have
diagnostic equipment like X-ray machines and ultrasound, nor does it have a testing
laboratory. The Loreto doctor telephoned Constitucion, arranged for a specialist to meet us at
the hospital there, and called the Loreto “bomberos” which is the firemen/rescue squad.
So off we were to another city at 5 AM. We arrived in Constitucion at the hospital about 7 AM
and the specialist met us there. It was obvious by this point that Sam had some type of
intestinal infection. The doctor had blood drawn and started IV broad spectrum antibiotics.
Sam was admitted to a room and he spent most of the day slipping in and out of sleep, while
Susie sat in a very hard chair next to the bed. In the afternoon, the doctor said Sam would
probably need to stay in the hospital for a few days, so Susie decided to find a hotel room for
the duration.
Let’s consider now the logistics. Sam is in the hospital. We have no car. We have no
telephone (since Susie forgot to bring the cell phone). Our Spanish is very limited. The doctor’
s English is very limited. Susie is walking slowly with a cane. We are in a strange city and do
not know our way around. Susie has limited cash and knows the hospital and the doctor will
have to be paid in cash, but she doesn’t know where the bank is yet.
The doctor gives Susie a ride to Hotel #1 and drops her off in front, then goes on his way.
Susie goes inside – fighting her way through a crowd in the lobby of giggling teenagers with
suitcases – only to discover that this large group of kids has taken every room in the place. No
vacancy. She asks about another hotel and is directed with a roughly sketched map to Hotel
#2. She walks about 4 blocks and goes in to ask for a room, again to discover that they have
no vacancy. Seems the city is overrun with teenagers on some sort of a school trip. By this
time, tired from lack of sleep the night before and trying to make herself understood and no
food all day, she is near tears. She asks about yet another hotel and is directed 4 blocks
further to Hotel #3. When she walks to this one, she is at first told they are not letting rooms
because they are under renovation (which is obvious) but she manages to convey desperation
and is shown a small room directly under the second story which is under construction and
agrees to take it. After all, there is a bed, a toilet and shower, and even a TV. She pays 250
pesos for one night (about $17 USD at the exchange rate) and lays down on the bed to rest
and take the stress off her over-worked and by-now-very-swollen knees. After a few hours of
mind-numbing TV and rest (not sleep) and a bag of chips and a diet coke, she finds an internet
café close to the taxi stand and uses their computer and head set to make a Skype phone call
to Constansa at Marina Singlar, advising her of the situation so she can tell Carlo and ask him
to call me at the hospital later that night. She returns to the hospital via taxi, to see how Sam is
doing and hopefully talk to the doctor.
She returns to the hard chair in the hospital room. Sam is dozing. She has time to look around
and consider the place. This is an OLD and well-used busy hospital. The lobby is always full of
people, as this is the IMSS hospital that services all the people in Mexico who have public health
care – meaning nearly everybody. Paint is peeling off the walls. Tiles are missing from the
ceiling. The floor is dusty with spots of old sticky gum. The hospital bed is metal with manual
up/down controls, but they don’t work. The top part of the bed is propped up with cardboard
boxes containing saline solution. When Sam wants to lay down flat, Susie has to move the
boxes out from under the mattress and back onto the floor. There is no call button for the
nurse, but Sam’s room is right next to the nurse’s station and he just yells if he wants
something. There are cockroaches scuttling around the bathroom floor. There is a shower, a
toilet and a sink, but the toilet is not seated properly and it moves around when sat upon. The
sink drips and there is no shower curtain. There is a PA system speaker located – directly
outside the door of the room - used to announce very loudly and often with no regard for time
of day or night when a doctor is needed somewhere. Someone told Susie later that only a few
years ago the family of a patient had to bring in their own sheets and towels.
BUT – the nursing care is good. Sam is checked on frequently and his IV changed as needed.
His medications are administered on time. His sheets are changed and he is assisted in taking
a shower when he is able. The x-ray machine (which indicated no problem) and the ultrasound
machine (again indicating internal organs in good order and no gall or kidney stones) and the
medical testing lab (more about those results later) all function as they should. The doctor is
never on time – as usual anywhere – but he does come back and report on the latest test
results. Most importantly – Sam started to recover.
Monday evening we are informed that Sam has amebic dysentery, most likely ingested. Since
Susie and Sam both eat the same meals together, and Susie did not have the same symptoms,
it is possible that Sam did not wash his hands some time before a meal or a snack and thereby
picked up the infection. The doctor says he will need to stay in the hospital that night and
probably one more. The antibiotics are changed to deal with his specific infection, now that it is
identified. He is not allowed any solid food, only juice and water and jello. Solid food starts on
Tuesday, if he continues to get better.
By the way, Susie has nearly a full blown cold at this time. She had started coming down with it
on Sunday afternoon. With the swine flu scare in Mexico at this time, she was surprised to see
people in Constitucion (where there was no swine flu) wearing face masks and walking around
on the streets. Susie got a face mask at the hospital to wear too, so that people didn’t think she
was walking about with swine flu, instead of a cold.
Carlo calls while Susie is still at the hospital – she hears her name on that obnoxious PA system
– and she gives him the scoop. Susie asked him to have Ray go out and lock up the boat
(something else she neglected to do Monday morning at 2 AM). Susie then decided to call it a
night – she left to get something decent to eat but everything was closed by 9 PM. So she
walked back – 10 blocks – to the hotel and found the courtyard over-run with – guess what –
more teenagers – all girls! They are yelling and giggling, as all teenage girs do. When Susie
was getting ready for bed, one of the girls came barging into the room looking for a friend –
oops, forgot to lock the door – and was surprised to see someone she didn’t know and ran back
out. Susie locked the door. Then another girl came by and reached through the open window
(without a screen) and pulled aside the curtain, hollering and looking for another friend. The
girls finally calmed down about 11 PM and Susie was able to get to sleep. Before bed, she
washed out her underwear with the little bar of hotel soap and hung it up, hoping it would be dry
by morning. Remember – she had grabbed extra clothes for Sam but nothing for herself, not
knowing we would be going to another city for 3 days!
By Tuesday, Sam was feeling better, his pains were mostly gone and his blood pressure (which
had dropped in Loreto at the emergency room) was back up to normal with all the hydration
from the IV. He was able to get up and use the bathroom on his own. Susie got breakfast (her
first meal since Sunday night supper) on the way to the hospital to check on Sam’s progress.
She also went by several different stores, looking for and eventually finding a toothbrush,
toothpaste, shampoo and deodorant. After keeping Sam company much of the day, she left in
the afternoon to get some cash out of the bank. Having forgotten Sam’s wallet, she only had
her own ATM card and was therefore limited to just $500 USD worth of pesos per day from the
bank. And since she seldom uses her ATM card, she had forgotten the new PIN code and after
3 times the card was invalid (at least the machine didn’t keep the card). The doctor had given
an estimate of the total charges and she knew she needed about $1000 USD to pay the
medical charges and have enough left over for some type of transportation back to Puerto
Escondido. She decided to deal with it in the morning.
Wednesday morning Susie took a taxi to the bank. Turns out it was only a few blocks from the
hotel. Again, unable to use the card. She went into the bank and asked if a cash advance
could be processed, with either her ATM card or a credit card – no way, Jose. She tried the
same thing at another bank, again no go. At this point, she is crying with frustration and the
bank officer is trying to help. He finally directs her to an internet café, where Susie calls the
bank via Skype and discovers that her card was de-activated because of the wrong PIN code
entries. Since by this time she knows the correct PIN code, the bank is able to re-set the card
and she walks back to the ATM machine and gets out 5,000 pesos. That is the limit for the day
and Sam is hopefully being discharged today, so she hopes it is enough to cover everything.
When Susie arrives at the hospital Wednesday morning (walking), the doctor is already there in
Sam’s room, with a friend who speaks good English, giving instructions for discharge. Sam is to
have fish or chicken only – not fried – with fruits and vegetables, although no tomatoes or any
citrus. The doctor gives her the hospital bill and his bill and thankfully there is enough cash to
pay for everything and still have enough left over for an ambulance ride back to Puerto
Escondido and going-home medication. One of the “bomberos” in Constitucion is a young
woman who speaks excellent English so she and Sam sit in the back of the ambulance and talk
all the way back, while Susie rides up front with the male driver and mostly gazes at the view,
looking forward to getting back to the boat.
So we arrive back in Puerto Escondido on Wednesday afternoon, April 29, about 2 PM. Loreto
Fest is scheduled to begin the next day and since we came to Puerto Escondido specifically to
participate in this annual fund raising event, looks like we will get to see it.
Puerto Escondido for Loreto Fest 2009
April 30 was the first day of Loreto Fest. Sam took Susie ashore in the dinghy and then he
came back to the boat to rest. Susie signed up for the team Minnesota Canasta card
tournament and was partnered with Peachy aka Roberta from Juncalito. We met Peachy in
2006 the first time we were in Puerto Escondido. Unfortunately, our team was eliminated in the
first round, but no matter. Susie set up a non-tournament game for the next day with the other
losers. In the afternoon, Susie volunteered to work at the registration booth and helped close
out the cash drawer. She came back to the boat in the evening, on the Singlar shuttle. And
discovered that Sam now had “the cold” too.
Although because of his medical diet restrictions, Sam was unable to participate in the taco
dinner potluck or the complete spaghetti dinner (he had naked noodles and bread) at Loreto
Fest, he did help cook for the pancake breakfast Sunday morning and was able to eat
pancakes (no butter or syrup). On one day, Sam attended a seminar called “the magic pot”
about cooking on a boat with a pressure cooker. Susie participated in the singles “cutthroat”
Minnesota Canasta tournament but was again eliminated in the first round, so then she played
with other losers for fun. One evening we listened to some music, even managed a little bit of
dancing. Sam helped clean up on Monday, the day after Loreto Fest 2009 closed. Although
Sam was recovering from his hospital stay and we were both recovering from “the cold,” we did
enjoy our very first Loreto Fest 2009.
Our plan is to leave Puerto Escondido around May 5 and head south towards La Paz, enjoying
some of our favorite anchorages along the way and taking our time. We don’t know yet what we
will do for the summer season, but something will be decided soon.
| Photos for April 2009 |