Off for our spanish lesson this morning and then lunch. The spanish is coming along nice and slowly, but I am enjoying the lessons alot; it's very entertaining listening to Mike trying to pronounce some of the words, as I'm sure it is for them when I get going on things like dolares and television (you have no idea how difficult it is for me to get these two words right).
We dossed around for a while after lunch as Mike's rescheduled dentist appointment wasn't until 3.30 this afternoon. We did a little shopping and I bought my first Christmas present; don't panic people, I'm not early for this year, I'm late for last year. I figured I should finally get started and now I have, and I saw a bunch of others that I want to get before we leave her in May - every one's getting handmade Cuenca chocolate and aguadiente!
We had to wait outside the dentist office for a little while, I guess she was running late after her siesta. Actually there is no such thing as running late here, the Cuencanas just arrive when they feel like the time is right, i suppose that's why they have little stress in their lives. Anyway we finally went in to see 'la dentists' around 3.45; I got to go in too, I think she thought I might need to hold Mike's hand. She is a really sweet lady who speaks little english, but between her and Mike they managed to figure out what needed doing in his mouth. She got started on him straight away with removing his broken post, cleaning out his cap, and inserting a temporary crown. Mike had taken his crown that came off with him and she managed to save it and is going to use that one rather than making us pay for a new one - would that ever happen in the US? He was in the chair for about 2 hours and when he got out he had a tooth in the place where the gap has been for the last months (I practised my spanish while I waited). He has to go back in 10 days to get the permanent tooth put in place and also to have the other broken tooth looked at. The total cost for all the work he had done today, $70.00; you have to pay that in San Diego just to walk in the office door.
Before he goes back we have to head into El Centro to visit another dentist to get a panoramic x-ray done as Mike's dentist is pregnant and can't do them. She works alone and so off to Dr. Hugo Aguirre we will go - I wonder how much that will cost.
While we were in the dentist office it absolutely poured down but fortunately it was all done by the time we had to walk home.

Mike: La dentista es muy bonita! As long as someone has to work on your teeth they might as well be nice to look at.