Date:         Mon, 2 Apr 2007 20:00:23 -0700
Reply-To:     Don Hanson <dhanson@GORGE.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Don Hanson <dhanson@GORGE.NET>
Subject:      Odd excuse for a Van outing..(quite long with no van technical,
              some slight rant off topic)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252"

First, let me say what a great resource this list is.  Being new to Vanagons (Had plenty of vans of the splitty variety and beetles up the gazoo..) it is wonderful to have a  friendly source of helpful information and great people like I've found here on Vanagon list.
  So, 
I've always enjoyed Road Trips in the western US, and Van trips are some of the best. While I don't really *need* to justify heading out with my bikes and my dog(s) and sometimes my wonderful soul mate, Marie, this spring I've found a really odd excuse to drive again from Portland area to the Mexican border and back.

  "Dental Tourism"  Yes, that's what  I just wrote...

While being  "snow-birds" this past winter, someone turned us on to the fact that near Yuma, Az. a bunch of wealthy and savvy Mexico City doctors bought up a whole small farming village, a while back, and they have set up many many thriving state of the art medical facilities to 'service' all the retired folk who winter in the desert southwest.  So people on fixed incomes, people who can't afford medical care in the US any longer, are flocking across the border in DROVES! for inexpensive medical/dental/optical care and prescription drugs.  For an example, I use albuterol inhalers for Asthma.  I have my own full health insurance right now (not for much longer,  at over $450 per month) and my prescription medicine is"fully" paid for "except for a small co-pay fee"  Well my co pay in the US is significantly more than the whole cost of Albuterol in Algodones, Mx., so I stocked up..I shudder to think what Albuterol must cost here in the US if I had to pay the full amount...
  I also needed some extensive dental work, so after checking around with many satisfied patients,  I chose a clinic and had a beautiful bridge done for just over $650 US.  3 visits, very professional, very clean, very painless and nice work..
  The only drawback is the wait to re-cross back into the US..The Border Patrol Crossing  only has two agents working all winter, and sometimes the line was over 2 hours long...Wonderful, living in a "Superpower", eh?  Guess they don't want it "too easy" for us poor 'murikans to save a buck over in Mexico..

  So, back to the van. trip..I get usually 26 mpg in my "pop-less" faux Westy with the inline 1.8 liter  Cabriolet motor conversion..It is about 1000 miles to Yuma from my home base on the Columbia River east of Portland.  Round it off to $3 bucks a gallon and 4 gallons per hundred miles..I'll be spending around $250 bucks to get to Yuma and back.  Of course, I have some mountain passes I plan to ride on my bike, some friends to visit, some country to enjoy along the way, etc.  I recently returned from down there for some business, driving my other car (a truck with an Alaskan camper) and spend around 20 hours behind the wheel...So, a couple of long stints each way, broken up with some exercise on the bicycle, some visiting and some sightseeing,  that is the plan.
  My local dentist here in the states has given me a quote of $1900+ to do the other bridge that I still need...Dr. Mauricio, down in Algodones quoted me just $580 for the same work....So, about less than a third the cost, or...A great excuse to take a little van trip to Mexico AND save a bundle of money!  Lessee...$1900 done here..but if I spend $250 on fuel and another $580 on the dentistry, I can still have $830 extra bucks I will save...How's that for an odd excuse (rationalization?) for a trip in the van?
  I guess I could take the $1300 bucks I'm going to save and just buy a round trip air ticket and a couple of days in a 'resort' in beautiful  downtown Yuma, AZ, but I think I'll take a Vanagon road trip instead.

editorial content below..delete now if offended..

  Gonna do it now, my Medical tourism,  before the Insurance/Pharmacy/Health care  lobby gets to  our 'elected officials'   and orders them to close up this Loophole that "allows" us to leave our country to find affordable health services abroad..
.Hey, maybe we could get some "Guest Doctors" to come over an work on us here in the states, if we can't find 'Murikan docs willing to do it cheap...Hello?..Drilling teeth ain't rocket science...never mind..

  Don Hanson 
Sorry for rambling on..