Medical Tourism

Travelling abroad, or possibly to Mexico to receive medical treatment at reduced wait times and costs is a growing trend in Canada. The most popular procedures include cosmetic surgery, knee or hip replacements, cardiac surgery and fertility treatments. Is medical tourism the right option for you?

Manulife Financial posted an article recently, which is worth considering in deciding if this is the right decision for you. It pays to do your homework.

Travel Insurance Links

When you consider that a hospital stay in the U.S. could run up to $10,000 a day, you wonder why anyone would knowingly travel there without appropriate insurance coverage! Apparently, many do.

According to industry statistics, Canadian travel insurance companies paid out more that $600 million in claims in 2011, which goes to prove accidents happen, travelers do get ill while on vacation.

My sister had a bike accident while on vacation in Arizona recently, which resulted in a rather speedy return to her home in Calgary for emergency surgery. Her travel insurance company was a big help in this emergency. It's highly recommended the travel insurance company you choose has a 1-800 assistance number. Her's did.

A recent travel article in the Toronto Star pointed to the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association. We're told it pays to be informed, this is a place to start.

The key to having coverage, after you purchased your travel insurance is proper disclosure of health information when you buy. If you're confused about how this works, read the Toronto Star article mentioned earlier. It spells out the important bit about pre-existing conditions, and when you're considered stable.

If you do have trouble with your claims, and you need an ombudsmen service, here's where you find them: OmbudService for Life and Health Insurance.

Here's another article from Manulife Financial, which may interest you: Tips For Travel Health Emergencies.

Innovative Traveller

This image came in my email this morning, and because it has to do with 5th Wheels, trailers and travel I'm posting. That is a Mountie standing at the side of the trailer.

Click on the photo for a larger view, just in case you wonder how this is all hooked together.

Snowbirds may get more time in the U.S.

Since I regularly forget just how many days you can legally stay in the U.S. in any one year, I'm reprinting this short item from today's Toronto Star.

For now, you legally stay for 182 days annually. I'm told every time you cross the border (even if it's just to go shopping), you have used one of your days. So, it's important to keep track.

There is still the issue for Ontario residents of provincial health insurance - OHIP. You may be temporarily outside of Canada for a total of 212 days in any 12 month period and still maintain your OHIP coverage as long as your primary place of residence is still in Ontario.

Jim Byers, Travel Editor Toronto Star has more on this here.

Hospital Charges That Add Up Quickly

If you spend enough time in Arizona, sooner or later you or your traveling partner will need medical attention for something. Especially as you get older.

Our travel medical coverage requires we contact them before seeking treatment. Here's why - "Medicare released data for charges and payments for the 100 most common inpatient procedures in 2011, revealing a dramatic variance among hospitals in metro Phoenix and across Arizona." You can read more about it here.

Consider this: For the most common procedure in Arizona hospitals, joint or lower-limb replacement, the average charge was $108,200 at Payson Regional Medical Center compared with $30,259 at Tucson Medical Center or $15,527 at Tuba City Regional Health Care. Follow the link above for more details.

Western Arizona Regional Medical Center in Bullhead City was the most expensive place for digestive disorders with an average bill of $48,374, more than 10 times the average bill of $4,586 at Fort Defiance Indian Hospital. 

Little wonder travel insurance companies want input. When my sister broke her wrist in Mesa after falling from her bike, her travel insurance company recommended she catch the next flight home to Calgary. She did, and her wrist was successfully repaired at home saving thousands of dollars. If the travel insurance companies were not diligent in this regard, none of us could afford the premiums.

Mesa - Kingston April 2013

Can You Spot What I Forgot to Do?

Five days on the road, and I'm going to get home tonight. Departed Mesa on April 1 (solo), and arrived home around 7 pm, April 5. Here was the route I took, almost 2,400 miles, and just about the shortest way there is to get home from Mesa.

Camped all four nights, weather ranged from hot in Las Cruces (about 85F), to absolutely freezing the next night in Amarillo. Woke up on Tuesday morning to an ice storm.

Spring motor travel is all about dodging weather fronts. The I-10 and I-20 corridors were not an option this time due to weather. Cold fronts merging with warm fronts, tornadoes, hail, heavy rain, the whole bit. Best to avoid it. This time it was take the I-40 route, and for the most part it was pretty good, with the leg between Amarillo and Oklahoma City the most challenging with ice storms and then torrential rains most of the day.

Last gas I purchased before crossing at Detroit on April 5 was $3.81 US gallon. First fueling at Woodstock, ON, was $4.90 US gallon (converted from $1.35 litre). The entire trip at Canadian gas prices would have been about $150 more expensive.

Fuel costs for the trip home came to $700. The Coach averaged about 14.5 mpg US gallon (17.5 Cdn gallon).

Camping fees for four night came to $110, which compares with hotel bills of $426 (five nights) on the way to AZ in the fall.

Ready For The Road - April 1

Bottom line: if you drove a more fuel efficient vehicle, what you spend on gas will easily cover your lodging and meals, but then you miss out on the camping adventure. You don't Roadtrek to save money.

The last leg of this trip (670 miles) was definitely the most challenging for this trip due to the distance, and the major cities you pass through (Detroit and Toronto). Fortunately, the weather was good. Cold, but clear and sunny.

The Roadtrek is a truck, so you do feel the road. Roughest roads were between St. Louis and Indianapolis, and then between Napanee, Ontario and home. City with the most traffic and congestion was definitely Toronto.

Answer to the quiz above: lower the antenna. Fortunately, I noticed it. The 5th Wheel lives in AZ, and after I leave someone else has the pleasure of bringing it to covered storage for the summer.

Splash and Dash

Things are starting to come to an end for this season at Valle del Oro. One of the final parties involved a pig roast, which was held March 27.

Everyone brought along something to add to the food (salad, etc.), and the park provided the roasted pork, wine and beer, along with live entertainment and decorations. It was a beautiful warm March evening, and a perfect way to end the season.

My friend David Park kindly provided the photos.

Wild Horse Pass Casino Resort

Wild Horse Pass Casino Resort - Chandler, AZ

Judy and Colleen signed up for a Cal-Am* golf tournament at the Whirlwind Golf Club, at the Wild Horse Pass Casino Resort, so we all decided to take advantage of some packaging pricing and go the night before. It was definitely worth it.

Rooms that normally book in the $250 range cost us $140. Golf, which is normally around $100 a round for this package was $75.

Lee and Cam went for food and to see the facilities. The hotel is no more than 30 minutes from our place in Mesa. This was also both of our 49th Wedding Anniversaries, so this was a way to celebrate.

We gave the hotel and the two restaurants we ate in a solid ten, which means we liked it. Ling and Louie's in the casino is where we ate dinner on the patio, and with wine the meal ran about $50 a couple.

There was a little gambling after dinner, and both Lee and Judy cashed in for a few bucks.

Wild Horse Pass Hotel Lobby

The girls were off early Monday morning for their golf tournament. They played the Devil's Claw course, and as a team scored a 79. This made them very happy, and they're already making plans to play again next winter.

* Cal-Am are the resort operators who own and manage Valle del Oro where we live. In total they have 11 resorts in SW Arizona.

Why I Go Back to Coolidge

Given so few Adam A500 aircraft were ever produced (7), seeing one is indeed rare.

This plane has two engines providing a push-pull configuration. What I found interesting, with a full fuel load, the airplane apparently does not have the load capacity for even the pilot.

The airframe is largely built of Carbon epoxy. The cabin is pressurized and there is room for five passengers.

Then there is this gyroplane with its 80 HP engine. I think it is called a Rhoads Mark E Woodstock ll.

There was general agreement among those at Coolidge last weekend that it would take a special kind of courage to head into the clear blue sky on one of these.

 Dale Ison's, Heroes Monster Truck was also on display, at Coolidge last weekend. It took five years to build Heroes, at a cost of $650,000.

Heroes has toured the U.S. in support of veteran causes over the last decade. It was purchased at Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale in January 2013 along with the trailer that hauls it for $357,500 to Kent Lundine of Casper, WY. Herores full body paint was done by famed airbrush artist Mickey Harris of Cosby, TN.

Heroes travels in this Kenworth Semi, which also has Mikey Harris airbrush work. Named, Dragon Master, there is said to be over 3,800 man-hours of airbrush work, which apparently cost in excess of $130,000.

Lundine plans to keep both vehicles in public view in support of veteran causes.

Arizona Winter Golf

So here we are on March 9, and Judy is playing in a charity golf tournament with our friends Dan and Sandy.

Those really are winter mitts that Sandy is wearing, and it really is 46 degrees. Cool weather follows a day of heavy rain in the Phoenix area, and winter storms in the high country.

The good news, temperatures will be back in the 70s tomorrow.

Elvis is Alive

Contrary to what you've heard - Elvis is definitely alive and well.

Valle del Oro is no stranger to outstanding stage shows and entertainment, but last night's dinner and dance was totally over the top. We even stayed up late, and never missed a dance.

This was the Don Rose Show, and there's an outside chance that Elvis was really Don. Not sure.

VDO We've Got Talent

Photo by David Park

Our friends Ed Young and Ruth Gray (centre), appeared last night in the Talent Show at VDO. The second singer is Carol Hansen, and she is from Saskatoon.

This is a very popular event each year attracting an audience of several hundred. Ruth and Carol sang: 'My Nova Scotia Home.'

Ed and Ruth live in Eastern Passage, near Halifax, N.S.

We've been wintering together for many years, including four years in Tucson, and one year in Texas. This is their first year in Mesa, and this was their first appearance in the VDO Talent Show.

Perfect Soft Boiled Eggs

For years I've been in search of the perfect soft boiled egg. This year, I've studied the matter and come up with this:

1. boil some water in a pot, enough to cover the eggs. Don't add the eggs until the water is boiling;
2. warm the eggs first, a glass with warm water will work fine. This keeps them from breaking open;
3. add the eggs to the boiling water, leave the pot uncovered, boil for approximately five minutes. Use a timer;
4. when time is up, immediately cool eggs under running cold water from your kitchen tap for five to ten seconds (this stops them from cooking);
5. break open and add to serving bowl. Hopefully, they're perfect. If not try again and vary the time.

Snow in Scottsdale?

February 12, 2013

On Monday, there was snow in Scottsdale. There were cool temperatures everywhere in Arizona. Freezing in most places.

January recorded three records in respect to weather. Warmest day. Coldest day. Most rain. 

February may not set records (not sure that it didn't), but the weather wasn't much different from  January. This is not the norm for Arizona, and we're at least ten degrees below norms so far this winter. Climate change?

We're just finishing up a straight seven days of cooler temperatures with a few rain events thrown in. The locals like the rain. Short-term tourists are disappointed, but how does all of this really affect life? It doesn't.

Golfers have frost delayed starts. Tennis and Pickle Ball players dress in layers. Hikers do the same. The sun shines, you still need sunscreen, life goes on. During cooler periods I use or fireplace more, my fuel bills are higher, I'm inside more, but it's no big deal.

My friend and I walked 32 miles last week, over 54,000 steps and never missed a day. We spent nine early morning hours out in the weather with light jackets and long pants. On one occasion I wore gloves.

The Arizona air is dry, the sun warms the body, the cool air feels good. The snow in Scottsdale was melted an hour after it landed. Soon enough the temperatures will warm, and that's another story.

Winter Air Travel Trying at Times

February 2013 Was Not Always Travel Friendly

There has been lots to talk about this winter when it comes to weather. Huge storms have moved across the country on numerous occasions creating travel headaches for many, including our Judy.

Departing Phoenix in early February on a beautiful sunny morning she found her flight departure delayed an hour, with no explanation why. It was almost certainly due to weather, not in Phoenix, but somewhere else. Huge storms were moving across the southern states, it was going to be a challenging travel day for everyone.

When she did arrive in Chicago she found her connecting flight to Syracuse had been cancelled, again due to weather somewhere besides Chicago. The option she was offered was a later flight to Newark, and then a flight to Syracuse the next morning. So it meant a stopover.

This couple had been two days waiting for a flight

Problem with this scenario was the forecast weather for Syracuse the next day - big snow was on the way, which could mean more flight delays and possibly another overnight if she wasn't able to drive home.

She made an appeal to a sympathetic customer care agent (not ticket agent) at the airport, who was able to find her a seat later in the day to Syracuse on another airline. It was a very rough ride due to weather, but she got there. She still had the drive home, another two hours, late in the day, and you're tired.

As I write this today, the eastern part of the U.S., extending into Canada is still in recovery from a record breaking snow event this weekend. The usual stuff, thousands without power, property damage, and lives upset. On February 9 alone, almost 6,000 flight were cancelled. You see the problem.

Lesson in all of this: plan for delays, and be happy when it doesn't happen. Go prepared.

Organ Stop Pizza

Photo - Wurlitzer Theater Organ - Marilyn Relf

My sister grabbed a pretty good photo of the world's largest Wurlitzer theater organ, and I thought it deserved a spot here in the blog. Organ Stop Pizza is a pizza joint with a very big organ.

You go here for pizza, beer, and loud organ music. The organ has more than 5,500 pipes.

There are other menu options, but it's pizza we ate, and it was good and reasonably priced. Bring cash or a cheque, no cards accepted. No reservations either, just show up. Don't worry about lineups, they know how to keep it moving.

The ceiling in Organ Stop is 40' high, and the acoustics are amazing. So is the highly skilled musician who puts the organ through its paces.

Find Organ Stop Pizza at 1149 East Southern Ave. (at Stapley) in Mesa, AZ. Hours, 5-9 pm.

Family Visit

Top: (L-R) Diane, Tom, Marilyn, Beth, Judy, Tim, Cam

Travel often brings family together, and this happened yesterday with a family visit here at VDO.

Diane is from Ottawa, Tom and Beth from Delta, Marilyn and Tim, Calgary, Judy and Cam from Kingston.

Separate by an entire continent during most of the year, in the winter we're all South. So yesterday we pulled a visit together here in Mesa.

In an earlier post there is a mention of cold weather, you see how we're dressed - it's cold here.

AZ Weather Report

There isn't too much more to say about the weather so far this season in Mesa, coldest morning in six years. And, the coldest stretch in 34 years.

What's different from home? The sun is shinning. So you dress for the weather and folks still get out and do things. Play tennis, pickle ball, golf, whatever.

The good news, it doesn't last.

New Years Eve Valle del Oro

Thanks to our friend David Park, we have some images of the NYs party at VDO to share. Given the evening, things go upscale for this event. Tickets were $38, which included the dinner and dancing. It was a BYOB event. The theme for the evening was Shanghai Moon. Over 500 people attended.