Wednesday March 20:, 2019
PORT 7: PUERTO PRINCESA, PHILIPPINES
A very interesting day. I was told by a retired periodontist on the ship that I needed to have the inlay (really an overlay) replaced as soon as possible because otherwise my tooth could fracture. He advised that the concierge could arrange an appointment with a dentist near the dock. He also said that it was an easy task that a first year dentist with ten hands could do. What I thought would be a simple matter that could be attended to easily became somewhat of an epic, but with a happy ending.
I with a simple email to the concierge asking him to please make an appointment with a dentist for me. I then get a called from the ship’s medical office that I need to come down and fill out a number of forms, and sign consents. Then, they would set up an appointment. I could hardly understand the lady who called me because, although she spoke English, she did so with a such a heavy guttural accent that I could understand every third world. Her attitude was not much better.
The forms I had to fill out to have my inlay replaced were ridiculous. Then, they wanted to take my blood pressure, which I refused to do. I made it clear that this who process seemed ridiculous, but at this point, I had passed the point of no return. About half an hour later, I received a call to be back at the medical office at noon, and that I would be accompanied to a dentist. There were four other people waiting to get help, two for doctors and another passenger with a dental issue whom we knew. He had lost a tooth on his bridge and wanted to get it replaced.
We were told to disembark and we would be met by a port agent who would accompany us to the dentist. It took us almost an hour to find the right person. Eventually, we connected, and the two dental patients with our wives were then driven to a 7th Day Adventist Hospital that had a dental clinic. Because of the delay, we did not arrive until their lunch break so we waited around until after 1:30.
That is the “bad news”. The “good news” is that there was a male and a female dentist. The man took care of the other man’s bridge problem in about an hour, very competently, and at a cost of about $25. The man was prepared to pay several hundred. The lady took care of me extremely well. It took almost an hour to clean and refit the inlay, but it was done very well and I was charged $19. (I learned from my dentist that there was no divorce in the Philippines)
It was now after 3 p.m.. but we were able to hire the driver who took us to the hospital for the rest of the day for $20. He took us to a great lunch at a place we highly recommend Badjao Seafront Restaurant. It was a beautiful place overlooking the water. The food was great (see exhibit) and the price was about 20% of what it would be in most restaurants serving fresh fish.
We then had a chance to see the military museum and the most famous chapel. Of course, I knew that The Philippines was a very important place in terms of WW 11, but I had no idea what to expect. There are over a million people in this port which I had never heard of. There is lots of traffic but we did very well getting around because we had a very comfortable vehicle and a great driver.
HOT TIP: IF ONE HAS A MINOR MEDICAL/DENTAL ISSUE, TRY GETTING IT RESOLVED WITHOUT THE SHIP’S ASSISTANCE, BECAUSE THE RED TAPE IS RIDICULOUS. IF IT A MAJOR PROBLEM, TRY GETTINGIT RESOLVED WITHOUT THE SHIP’S ASSISTANCE, BECAUSE, IN ADDITION TO THE RIDICULOUS RED TAPE, I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO CONFIDENCE THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING.
The natives all speak English and Philippino. Some places accept U.;S. dollars but it is best to change money into pesos. The signs are in English. It is a mix between East and West. A very interesting place to visit. Had we not had to spend so much time on my dental issue, we could have done a lot more. Notwithstanding we did not do a much as we would have liked. BGM was satisfied.
I exercised before we left the ship so went to hear music upon our return. BGM did not so, although she heard a few songs, she needed to exercise. That was fine because it was now dinner time and the gym was empty. I just went to The Terrace and had some fruit because we had had a great lunch that was not finished until after 4.
Given all our experiences, it is difficult to assign a grade. How does one give a high grade when most of the day is spent addressing a dental problem. Nonetheless, everything worked out so we give it a B *
Daniel Reyes, Photographer (Unsplash)