4 August 2007

I decided to investigate having a full mouth restoration done in Costa Rica due to the high prices for the same procedure in the US. I found a few references to Dr. Mario Garcita in Escazu, near San Jose. A few months back I flew down for a quick trip and had an evaluation done. Looks good and the price is right, so I scheduled a return trip to have implants done in preparation for the restoration.

Last month, Sue and I went for a week to stay at Casa Laurin and have the implants done. Dr Mario took only 1.5 hours to do the implants. I had the rest of the week to recover and have the stitches removed.

Casa Laurin, a B&B run by a delightful Canadian lady from Montreal was a real treat. We felt like we were just part of a big family. All the guests (except one couple) were very outgoing and delightful. It was a thoroughly enjoyable stay. The one couple stayed to themselves and I think we only saw them come in and leave.

One of the highlights of this trip was a visit to the home of a local family. Sue and I both sponsor children via the Children, Inc. http://www.children-inc.org/ organization. My child is a young boy with Down's syndrome that lives near San Jose. His family lives in abject poverty which is aggravated by the fact his Mom can't work in order to take care of this great kid. I knew I was going to have some time on my hands so I contacted the director of the Latin program with Children, Inc. to see if I could visit my child. What a coincidence, she was going to be in Escazu at the same time. We met up with her in Escazu and visited the school that represents Children, Inc. (La Milagrosa). The children put on a show for us, dancing and singing and reciting poetry. Then we were served Guanabana juice which came from trees grown at the school. It was the first time I'd had it and it was very tasty. After that we went to visit my child and his family. One of the pictures shown below is of his mother, his two brothers, Sue and I. I forgot to bring spare batteries so I was only able to get a few pictures of the school and their home before the camera gave out.

The rest of the pictures are shots of scenery and friends at Casa Laurin.

We'll be going back in a few weeks so look for more pictures later on.

Jim.

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