Another day in Los Algodones

We ventured into Los Algodones on our own today (previous trip documented here:
http://trekincartwrights.blogspot.com/2016/02/considering-dental-tourism.html)

First thing to mention is that we've discovered that the name of the town is Vicente Guerrero, but many refer to it as Los Algodones ("the cotton plants") or "Molar City" (because of the large number of dentists doing business there).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Algodones

We went with the intention of getting dental cleanings done, and checking on the prices of prescription drugs. Patti also had a teeshirt that she wanted to get.

We stopped at the Purple Pharmacy, which is just across the border. We had come prepared with all of our prescription drug names, both the generic and brand names. We also knew how much we paid (with insurance) in the US for a 90 day supply, and had extrapolated out how much a years supply would cost. We had heard so much about people getting their prescription drugs from here that we were surprised and a little disappointed that the prices that the pharmacy worker told us were not any cheaper than what we pay for the drugs from US pharmacies (with insurance paying a large part of it). Maybe if we didn't have prescription drug coverage, it might be worth considering, but we had already had second thoughts about whether the drugs would have the same strength and efficacy, so it was almost a relief to discover that there was no financial benefit and we might as well continue getting them through CVS in the US.

Note: we have had friends tell us that the pharmacies further from the border have better prices, but we were concerned enough about the equivalence of the drugs we would get there versus US that we didn't check anywhere else.

So next we tried to decide where to get our teeth cleaned. There are dental offices every few feet (literally), and hawkers trying to get you to go into them, that it can be a bit overwhelming. We walked a little ways away from the bustling area to where John had told us his dentist was. We stood outside the office discussing whether we really wanted to go through with this or not. About that time, a couple came out of another office (yes, just a few feet away) and Dwayne asked them what they thought of the dentist. They were very complimentary - had been seeing that dentist for 5 years -  so we decided to go in there. Dwayne suggested that Patti go first and see how it went. We only wanted to get a cleaning, and for anyone reading this who might be going down - if all you want is a cleaning, just get a cleaning. Patti agreed to get x-rays, which was an additional charge ($30), and the dentist identified that she needed a "deep cleaning" (at $240) and 10 (!) fillings (at $45/each). Some of these were to address sensitivity due to gum receding issues... Patti's dentist in Irving had mentioned that as an option, so maybe it will be something to consider in the future. Ultimately, she just got a regular cleaning ($30) and the x-rays for a total of $60. We are sure we could have gotten it done for less, but we liked the office and the receptionist (Grace).

Note: we decided not to sign up for dental insurance through Patti's retiree benefits for 2016. The plan was that we would get at least one cleaning done at Algodones, and let our dentists back in the DFW area know that we are doing cash-pay for any services we get done there, which might get us a lower rate. By the end of the year, we hope to determine whether it is a better idea to pay for dental insurance or not.

When we were in Algodones with Jane and John a couple of weeks ago, they had taken us through a restaurant area and by a bakery. We wanted to go back to both of those places, so we stopped at the restaurant and relaxed for a little while with chips and salsa and drinks (the waitress never came back to get our food order, and we decided we'd rather have something from the bakery instead).

We had a view of the water tower from "inside" the restaurant (it was inside a courtyard but open air)

Dwayne has enjoyed his drink and chips

Patti enjoying her drink too. We were in a nice shady spot, it was quite comfortable. Patti has on her photographer's vest. It has lots of pockets and allows her to carry everything she wants without needing to bring a purse.

When we were eating our bakery items, Patti notice that the shop across the hall was named "Rodeo Drive Jewelry Store" but if you thought that was too high-class for you, it also had "WALMART" on a piece of tape on the door frame!

This lady was busily making flowers as she sat outside the pay toilets (25 cents)

We purchased a jacket and shirt from the shop where this lady was the "boss" (according to her husband, who waited on us) - this is Jesus and Anna. Jesus is 3 months old. Patti showed them the ultrasound pictures from Kendra, and Juan asked us to come back next year with pictures of Kendra and Ricky's baby!

Dwayne and Juan and the teeshirt Patti wanted to buy.

 Juan and Anna's store (or where they work) is right around from the bakery - out the door of the bakery, turn right and turn right and the store is the one right there on the main hallway.

The same water tower that we could see from the restaurant is there between the two trees in the center of this picture - taken from the parking lot on the US side after we had crossed back over.

Another view of the parking lot - looking west probably - US side.

There is a big "end of season" party on 3/19 - several of the shopkeepers asked us if we'd be coming back for that. We're planning to leave here on 3/18, so probably not. And... we're not particularly fond of big crowds, so it probably wouldn't be something we would enjoy anyway.