Golf, Ladies Day & Medical Care DR Style

Before we arrived in the DR, Matt was busy searching for (affordable) golf courses.  There is one in Puerto Plato (45 minutes away), one in Santiago (1 1/2 hours away) and a very nice one about an hour east of us call Playa Grande.  The Playa Grande course was by far the nicest, and most picturesque, but also the most expensive.  Also not easy to get to without a car.  So Matt didn't even bring his clubs to the DR.

 

Well, after we won the fantasy football pool, Matt decided time to splurge.  He got together a foursome and arranged tee times.  Plus one of the guys he was playing with had a car!  So off he went Tuesday morning with David, Pat and Bob.  Bob and his wife Bea are staying in our condo complex for the month of January.  It was a beautiful course and by all reports a great day for the guys.

Well, sounded like a perfect excuse for a Ladies Day Out to me.  Louise suggested Ocean Village in Sosua and glad she did.  It was beautiful.  Bea and I walked over to Orilla Del Mar (the condo complex where the rest of the gals live) and caught a gua gua from there.  Bea is quite the trooper.  She always dresses great for any of our outings and then I have her picking our way through muddy streets covered with chicken and cow poop just so she can squeeze onto a crowded gua gua.  Ocean village is a complex about a 15 minute walk from the main road.  There are condos, a Gold's Gym, a water park and a really nice restaurant there....oh and some incredible views.  The place was not crowded at all.  No one in the pools or water park and maybe six or ten people on the little beach.  In the restaurant there was maybe about five other tables that were occupied.  Rumor is that it's Russian mob money that keeps this place afloat.  But no matter, we weren't complaining. There are two private cabanas at the the restaurant and we were able to snag one of them.  The ocean view from the cabana was jaw dropping.  Plus, the food was really good as well.

Bea, Wendy, Nancy, Louise, Robyn and me at Ocean Village

the view from our cabana

So Tuesday night both Matt and I were pretty wiped out.  This was our first day apart since November 2nd!  Pretty sure it was good for both of us.

This week we also got our first taste of Dominican health care.  I have had an issue with my left ear for so long that I can't remember when it first started.  I think I began having problems in November when we flew to Cancun.  It doesn't exactly hurt, but always feels like it's closed.  I have also noticed that my hearing is not so great in that ear.  I was ignoring it until we took our bus ride to Santo Domingo last week.  When we were in the mountains it really started to hurt and didn't subside right away.  So I decided time to get it checked.

Everyone has a different suggestion on where to go for medical care in this area.  There is the hospital in Puerto Plata where you can see specialists but not necessary for this problem.  There is a new clinic in Sosua that has 24 hour care plus a hospital.  And there are several small medical offices in Cabarete.  Louise (who is an RN in the summer months when she's back in Canada) recommended a medical office in Cabarete that she and David use;  The office is set back a bit from the main road between a farmacia and a fruit stand.  Louise says if the doctor isn't in, ask at the fruit stand.  In the U.S. this would sound crazy, but makes perfect sense here.

So Monday after lunch Matt and I took the gua gua into Cabarete to see the doctor.  We got there about 1:00 and no one in the office.  I asked at the fruit stand and she told me "doctora en la officina a un tres" or something like that.  Well, Matt and I had already eaten so didn't have much to do in Cabarete and it was looking like a gorgeous beach day, so we decided to go back home and try another day.  David and Louise actually had an appointment at the office on Wednesday at noon to get some test results.  She suggested we go at the same time as we knew the doctor would be there, and Louise wanted to look at my ear herself.

So Wednesday we take the gua gua back into Cabarete and got there a little after 11.  Hard to judge times here as you never know how long a wait you will have to catch a gua gua.  We went on to the clinic and it was closed.  I asked at the fruit stand an got the same reply -- the doctor would be there at 3.  Matt happened to see a guy near the clinic who offered to call the doctor.  So we sat and waited and she came in about 20 minutes later.  There was a problem with the lock on her door, so the guy (who turns out is her assistant) pulled out a screw driver and broke the lock.

Her office was very basic, an old desk and an exam table.  Her English was probably better than my Spanish....but not much.  She looked in my ear using a flashlight.  No ottoscope (sp?). She decided to clean out my ear so she pulled out her supplies, all new and sealed so very clean.  She flushed out my ear many times and nothing came out but this was starting to be uncomfortable.  Louise and David came in about then and Louise looked at my ear but couldn't see the ear drum just using the flashlight.  Finally the doctor stopped the flushing and decided I need antibiotics and eardrops.  She disappears and is gone about 15 minutes.  Turned out she went to the farmacia to buy the drugs.  When she returns she tells me that if I have any more problems to call her and gives me her office and cell phone numbers.  She also says that if I need to come back for a follow up, there is no charge.  The total charge for visit and prescriptions was $3000 pesos....or $75 USD so not so bad.  I was happy that we had the opportunity to check out this process when it was a non-emergency.   Also good to have the doctors cell phone number.  I understand she will make house calls if necessary.