Monday, January 24, 2022 Dental Tourism in Havana

Written by Jack van Ommen on January 25th, 2022

Back in the seventies, I participated in a monthly feeding of the less-fortunate on the Key Peninsula, through our St. Nicholas Parish, in Gig Harbor, Wa. There would be the occasional Mercedes among the parked cars. For their owners it was just another social event. But the truly poor were recognizable by their missing teeth.

When I came on financial times in the beginning of this centennial, I chose to do without a couple of teeth instead of crowns. When I spent the winter of 2009-2010 in Indochina, I had a crown done in Saigon. A month later, I had to have the abscess drained in a Nhatrang hospital and when I got back to Amsterdam in May 2010, I had a new root canal done with a temporary crown. A Turkish dentist put the permanent crown on it, a year and a half later. When I got the bill, I thought that it was for the consultation. No, it was the whole thing. It was less than $300….

Today, I had a consultation, root canal and temporary crown done on a short stump left from a broken molder in 2019, a filling of another broken off molder and a cleaning of all teeth for $375. If I would have had cash on me in Dollars or Euro, that could have been brought down to nearly half.

I have an appointment for the permanent crown on this Wednesday and I hope that my Euro cash comes in on time and passes the postal scrutiny. The clinic was in a beautiful old villa, totally renovated, first class equipment and great service. I was in that chair from 11.30 until 14.30. Processing the payment at the cashier took a half hour and the usual Cuban paper work and signatures.

 

I will need to extend my visa which expires on March 1st. Tomorrow, I shall be the only visiting boat in the Hemmingway Marina. The French family left this morning for Varadero and two sailors on a boat that came in 10 days ago will return to Cocoa Beach, tomorrow. These two spent the weekend on a bus tour to Varedero and they report that there were no visiting boats in either the large marina at Gaviota or the smaller one on the mainland side.

The tourist industry is hurting here, badly.

 

There is beautiful large R.C. Church halfway from here to Havana. I could not find a mass schedule, so, I rode out there yesterday. Closed. I spotted another tall tower nearby, closed. So, no picture on F.B. or this blog, folks, so sorry.

I read where the S.E. got a dump of snow and freezing temps into North Florida.

Wished it could have stopped there but that Cold Front came right down here with temps in the sixties and lots of north wind, thunder and rain.

Since I left Beaufort on December 13, this area below the 30th latitude has had its share of nasty weather, I feel sorry for the cruisers on limited winter vacation time, sitting out these storms on anchor off a beach in the Bahamas or Florida Keys.

Tuesday: A couple of nice young men stopped in at the Hemmingway Marina. Kiril is trying to find a ride on a boat heading for Mexico, from here. Highly recommended!

Kiril a Muscovite and Mirco Circovic a Bosnian

 

 

 

1 Comments so far ↓

  1. Melindablanchard62@gmail.com says:

    Take care Jack. We miss you!!