Day 5 – Oh Dr, Dr Can’t You See I’m Burnin’, Burnin’

Cancún, Mexico – 20th June 2021

Feeling much worse today so I definitely need to see a doctor.

But before that I must go and collect this Honda Shadow I have paid for. I have to be there for 10am so leave at around 9.15, it’s actually only supposed to be 15 minutes away, but who knows with the traffic jams?

Pass this interesting roundabout on the way,

As it happens I do arrive a little early, but no matter because it is shut!! The front is all shuttered up, maybe it’s to stop the heat from the sun so I park up and have a closer look… nope there is no one there… bloody hell I have paid already too. There is a phone number on the hoarding above the shop so I give it a call, not expecting an answer… but wrong, a guy does answer.. he doesn’t really speak English so here we go again with the Spanglish, although I am a wee bit uptight about the situation so am finding it more difficult to try and find some Spanish words. He doesn’t seem to have my booking… oi vey!! Ok so I go through it with him and say it is the Honda Shadow… at this point he gives up and says he will text me. Ok.. I guess he is typing in Spanish and having it translated. This actually works very well, he introduces himself as Jonathan, but the Shadow has a flat tyre… seriously… he offers me a BMW G310, but I’m not sure about the seat height so I tell him maybe best to cancel. In truth I am not really well enough to ride especially on a very unfamiliar bike. He says he can get the bike to me now.. ok well maybe I can sit on it and see how I feel. So this is agreed and he tells me to drive behind the shop as I can park there and his business partner will arrive with the keys. There are 2 security guards on the gate as there is a Go Kart arena around the back and it seems you have to be booked in. Of course the language barrier is up again so in the end I phone Jonathan and pass the phone to the security guard. They then let me through. I park up and about 5 minutes later a message comes from Jonathan,, his business partner has a big problem; ok enough, please cancel. He says he can be with me in an hour… but I am done, so ask for my money back. He is very apologetic and sends me a crying coffee cup emoji… awwww. He then sends a copy of the PayPal refund request and another apology.

Ok so what to do… I have kind of psyched myself up for a ride so am pretty disappointed about this.. of course I could splash out on a Harley, at £120 for a day it’s a big splash! I really don’t want to go back to HZ so look on google to see if there are any other Harley dealers in Cancún… it says there is one at the airport, just 10 minutes away.. ok I’m going for a look. On the way I finally decide that I am both too poorly to ride and too poor too… wow that’s a lot of OO’s. Still I can have a quick look at the dealers anyway, might snap up a bargain. Except… it’s not there… doesn’t exist… all of this is definitely an omen methinks and very much for the best.

Now I really must see a doctor. I google and find good reviews for Farmacia del Ahorro, a chain of pharmacies here.. I find one nearby and start to drive to it… I miss the turn off, bugger, but just then I spot another one literally on the side of the road so swing straight in. I am parked right outside the doctors entrance and using google translate I find that Orientación Médica Gratuita is Free Medical Guidance… oh yes please. There is a little waiting area, but no one in it. A door is partially open so I gently push it and inside is a man at a desk, I say “Habla Inglese por favor?’ ‘Yes’ ‘Oh good… I would like to see a doctor please’ ‘Yes I am a doctor’… well of course he is otherwise why would he be sitting there. He directs me to sit down and we have a chat about my symptoms and he says yes he will prescribe some antibiotics for me. I tell him about my allergies so he makes sure he doesn’t give me anything untoward. He prints off the prescription for me and I can take it next door to have it filled. There is a jar on his desk with 100 pesos in it, I presume this is the standard tip.. I ask him if that is the case, he says it is up to me, they do not get paid they only get the tips… ok so I put 200 in the jar, still only about £7-8; I feel a bit mean, but I don’t want to come across as Ms patronising moneybags gringa. He was really a lovely chap and he tells me to drink plenty of water, once we are over 40 we need to drink a lot more water. I know that UTI’s are generally an old persons downfall, they can lead to confusion and falls and whilst I am not at that stage yet I certainly don’t want to accelerate it and having had two serious episodes in the last 6 months I’m taking them as a warning. He also gives me a second prescription for the same tablets I got from the pharmacy yesterday… he says they will make my pee orange, but not to worry about it. I tell him I already have these, but have not taken them, he explains that the antibiotics are for the infection but the orangeade tabs are for the pain… okey doke, anything to get rid of it.

The antibiotics are 1 every 12 hours for 7 days and the orangeade are 1 every 8 hours for 5 days… ok so its 1pm now and if I take them both now then the next orange one will be at 9pm and the anti-b will be a 1am.. I think I can pull that one forward a bit to 11pm to try and get it in before sleep, which will mean the orange can be at 7 with the anti-b tomorrow and from then on 7am then 7pm for the anti-b and 7, 3 and 11 for the orange… sounds like a plan.

Speaking of plans.. what next?? I spotted a Starbucks earlier – another one – so make my way there for one last coffee as I am going to have to forgo those for the time being… I have a fresh orange juice too just to try and be healthy. I have a look at google maps and really there is nothing much else to see here in Cancún except the spit of land that goes up past where they are building the new humungous Planet Hollywood resort, which according to google maps looks pretty deserted… mmm maybe I’ll find a nice quiet public beach to have a rest on.

Not long past the Hollywood planet and the couple of other super duper resorts out this way the road suddenly turns to gravel and potholes… omg I am going to so damage this car; thank the goddess I paid the damage waiver.

Still I am on a quest, to find at least one stretch of this coast not owned by someone and if it takes a few potholes to reconoitre then so be it. It certainly isn’t as bad as the Cenote road but it does go on for 19kms though.

19 kms of Privado, Non Paso, Securite signs and barbed wire fencing.

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I also see this… must send it to Glo

Not one inch of this whole coast is free and open to the public… omg I wonder how the locals feel about that. Maybe some of these are owned by middle class Mexicans, but I bet the people who are cleaning the toilets, changing the beds and generally bowing and scraping in the resorts are not buying beach front properties.

I eventually get all the way to the end, having navigated soft sand for the last kilometre or so, only to find a guy on a barrier who tells me it is Privado… I can see lots of locals sitting around at tables having lunch, I guess gringos are not wanted here, (and who would blame them), so I ask him ‘Playa publico aqui?’… whilst waving my hand around in a general circular motion. He hesitates and then says 100 pesos… I ask if he means here.. he nods and just then a 4×4 arrives so he goes and speaks to them. When he is done he doesn’t come back, just waves me on to exit the area.. ok so not allowed here then at all.

On the way up I passed a sign that seemed to be for a restaurant… it looked pretty dilapidated but on the way back I decide to stop for a look.

There are a couple of older men sitting at a table with a young man who leaps up as I walk in… there is a small shop up a set of rickety steps, I decide to buy some water and attempt to ask if they have a toilet… this does not go well. In Spain toilets are either Servicios or Aseos… I try both.. he looks blank.. oh dear I have already run out of ideas.. I try erm Senoritas Y Hombre… no response… I try mimicing squatting whilst making a peeing sound, he thinks this is hilarious. Ok I give up and we both just smile at one another. I ask if its ok to look around? Si, Si. Just past the shop hut is this

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I didn’t know Mary was partial to a Cerveza, kept that quiet.

A little further on there is a larger building, still fairly ramshackle, but next to it are some toilets… yippee! The ladies has two pans, no cubicles, just two pans so I choose one and am amazed to see that my pee is already bright orange! I then find that the loo doesn’t flush at all…. what to do?? I pour my bottle of water down the pan to try and flush it at least a little bit. Someone is in for a surprise I can tell you… sorry.

Further down is a dock and some boats.

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There are just a few people around, mostly sitting in the shade or asleep in hammocks, what a great idea as, of course, it is Siesta time. Suddenly a dog leaps up and bounds into the water.. I mean he/she is leaping a good 2 feet out of the water, they then arrive on a submerged sandbank and stand stock still surveying the water. I can’t wait for them to do it again so get my camera out ready to film it. Then they do it again, they are actually trying to catch a fish; oh I hope I got that ok. I have never seen a dog fishing before.

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Back to the car and down the long and winding bumpy road… am delighted to see black top again.

I’m now pretty hungry so decide to make my way back to the accommodation and sort out my stuff before going to find something to eat. I also arrange a quick zoom call with AnneMarie, it was certainly good to catch up with her.

I feel like a steak, but I don’t want to go too far… on the way I take a wrong turn and decide not to bother with a steak, there is a KFC nearby so I drive to there. It is inside a Walgreens, another one, and just across from there is a Mexican place called VIP… mmmm wonder what they have. I take a look at their menu and they have a steak or two… there is also an Applebees across the road, (it is so American here), I haven’t been in one of those before but I think they are a steakhouse. I google the menu and it is, but it’s not open today and I also note that it doesn’t get very good reviews, give that a miss anyway then.

I decide to go into VIP and order a steak and some water. The waitress brings a glass of water and as I am just about to sip I think to myself, I bet this is tap water… given the state of my waterworks and the bout of dodgy tummy recently I decide not to chance it. I order a Cerveza, ‘which one…? oh I have no idea.. any one will do. I end up with a full strength dark beer, which is not too bad, but I am driving so only have a half of it. The steak comes, it is very thin like a sandwich steak, with a grilled kind of Haloumi cheese slice, green pepper, small new potatoes, some tiny crispy tacos with cheese in and a stack of flour tortillas… it was indeed very nice and I would not hesitate to eat there again, but maybe I’ll ask for the light beer next time.

Also across the road is a Dairy Queen… oh yum, I just fancy an ice cream. I order a pineapple sundae to take back to the car. By the time I get back the ice cream has started to melt and overflow the tub, I have to eat it pretty sharpish I can tell you, before it disappears in the heat.

Back to the room and catching up my blog while waiting for 11pm to roll around so I can take my anti-b then I’m off to sleep. Night night everyone