Subj: Nanjo Chronicals 2000 - Work, medical, dental and visitors

 Travels from March 9 to March 23

Ahoy,

Sometimes life slows down and sometimes it speeds up,  but sometimes the crew of Nanjo has to catch up on  projects and do other mundane things that detract from  the opinion that we just hop from one adventure to  another. Many of you have heard us indicate before we  left, "Cruising is doing boat projects in exotic  places." Well, we were at that point.

However, there were some very nice interruptions to  the all-work-and-no-play schedule. One was a visit by  one of the Chronical-crew, Matt and his friend  Rebecca. They actually arrived for the night of the  fireworks on Olas Altas, but we didn't link up until  several days later at the El Moro Hotel, one of the  many El Cid resorts in Mazatlan. Visiting them at El  Moro gave us a look at the college Spring Break crowd,  what vacation-life is like at one of the premier  resorts and what a "real" hot shower is like. This  was going to be our exposure to the easy livin'  lifestyle of the resort crowd!

The college people were everywhere. The pools were  filled, the pool decks adorned with bikini-clad women  and their muscled escorts. There was much splashing,  water-sports and sun worshipping poolside, on the  beach and in the streets. Matt said the coeds wearing  a special armband were entitled to unlimited drinks.   All in all they seemed to have everything in control  and were having a good time. Their license to drink  in check.

The El Moro appeared to be focused on promoting their  facility as a timesharing gem. There was the  ever-present attempt to get us, and other  first-timers, into a presentation, baited with all  sorts of free dinners and credits toward all sorts of  special resort privileges. We easily resisted. The  hotel is very beautiful and caters to every guest's  need. However, Matt couldn't get his room for hours  because the previous week's guest using that room  wouldn't vacate it until they were moved into a new  room. Matt and Rebecca waited at the pool and the  occupants remained in the room - nobody was "in  management's face", so nothing was moving. Finally  Matt got in their face and demanded that he be moved  in - it was around 4pm. The occupants were moved out  and the maids began to clean up.

The four of us had a recreational sail aboard Nanjo,  one day. The weather had improved very nicely that  week and the clouds stayed away, although the  afternoon winds were reminiscent of The Bay. It was a  most unexpected pleasure, having Matt go sailing with  us. In the past, he had stated that the only thing he  wanted to know about "sails" was when Nordstroms was  having one (sale). On the other hand, Rebecca has  sailed in Hawaiian waters, not a beginner's level of  experience. Rebecca took the helm most of the  morning, as we sailed toward the islands just off the  hotel-lined beach. When the seas grew, I took over  and we worked our way back to the harbor. Matt never  got sick and Rebecca had a good time.

Then one afternoon we went to the hotel and played in  one of the pools, dove off the man-made waterfall,  cooked in the spa and did the pool thing. Then we  headed for their room and our first "real" shower in  over 5 months: We're talking about hot-as-we-wanted  water, for as long as we wanted. It was very nice!   Afterwards, I had to get into some long pants, since  we were going to dinner at a fiesta where shorts  weren't allowed; Nancy borrowed a top from Rebecca  which became a knee-length dress on her.

The fiesta was a luau-like group party. A happy hour  when you could drink as much as you wanted. The house  drink was margaritas instead of maitais. The buffet  was Mexican standards. The music almost had a  Hawaiian tone to it. We ate more than we should have.

Unfortunately, we couldn't stay for the main  entertainment. The buses stop running around 10pm and  it was a long way back to the harbor without one. We  had to say goodbye to Matt and Rebecca that night,  although they had a few more days. But we waved at  their plane when it flew over the harbor.

Nanjo moved to the Marina on the 15th. We had to hit  a high tide once again. But in addition, we had to  pass a dredge, which occasionally blocked the channel.  Our original plan was to leave the harbor around  0530. Just as we were going to start the engine, the  fog descended on the harbor. We chose to not navigate  in this, so we went back to bed. At 0700, the sun was  shining in our eyes - the fog was gone. We quickly  completed our preparations, raised the anchor and sped  out of the anchorage. After steaming quickly the 6+  miles to the channel entrance, we had to wait awhile  until the dredge made room for us to pass. We were  tied to a dock soon after, for the first time since  October.

First Nancy had some dental work done, a cavity filled  and two old fillings replaced. The dentist was very  good and was handsome as a movie star, so Nancy almost  enjoyed herself. The dentist's skills were excellent  and the cost was less than the out-of-pocket charges  if we had the work done with our insurance, in  California. Novocaine was administered painlessly.   About the only "outdated" features were not having a  suction hose available to clear her mouth and having  to rinse her mouth using a small paper cup of water to  rinse before spiting into a sink. No big deal.   Needless to say, we are terminating our dental  insurance.

A few days later, after she was unable to break a  fever and a cough, Nancy tested out the local medical  profession. We walked into an urgent-care doctor's  office, just outside the El Moro's lobby, after dark  one night. About 15 minutes later, the doctor  arrived, having returned from the hospital. After a  few minutes of consultation with Nancy, some looking  at throat and nose and listening to her lungs, the  doctor announced that she had bronchial and sinus  infections, with a little rattle ("a wheezle") in one  lung. He gave her several injections and Rx for  several more medications. The charges were higher  than we had expected, but still lower than what we  would have paid in the US. But most importantly, the  next morning Nancy looked and felt much better. She  rapidly recuperated.

We completed almost every chore and project before our  departure on the 23rd to begin our return to "the old  country", to California, beginning with a First Class  bus trip to Tijuana. What adventure would this turn  out to be? Would the Federales stop us? Would US  Customs be nasty? We were filled with questions. At  least the cab driver was waiting for us, ahead of  schedule, at the gate to our dock . . . we were  apprehensive, but not about the trip. We wondered how  it was going to feel being back in the rush-rush, fast  paced world of high tech conveniences and affluence.   Off we went to find out.

Crew of Nanjo