| Today was my last day at the Ideal Language School. | | | | water-sports and ultra-light airplane excursions. Then |
| My teacher Estela and I had a very interesting | | | | we drove back through the arid countryside to |
| conversation about Mexican culture, the church, and | | | | Cuernavaca through rather poor looking villages. One |
| relationships between men and women. It appears | | | | man was literally taking his horse for a stroll, sitting in |
| Mexico is a culture in flux, where things are changing | | | | his car, holding a leash, and the horse was taking a |
| slowly but surely. The church has lost much of its grip | | | | walk beside him on the embankment. A litte later we |
| on people and many things have become more liberal, | | | | saw a herd of cows being guided across the road. |
| but deep down it is still a religious and conservative | | | | You don't see that every day either. Then, back in |
| country. My instruction finished at 11 am and everyone | | | | Cuernavaca, the three of us had a late lunch in a little |
| went on break. The language school provided a little | | | | Italian pizza place. I had a rather edible French onion |
| snack called "chilaquiles" (tortillas with salsa, cheese | | | | soup and a salad in an effort to keep my caloric intake |
| and sour cream) and a young student from Japan | | | | to a reasonable amount. There is so much tasty food |
| was celebrating her birthday. The school had gotten | | | | on sale here, it is sometimes hard to resist buying |
| her a cake, the staff sang a Mexican birthday song | | | | snacks or food in the street. At 5:00 pm I had my |
| and everyone wished her a happy birthday and kissed | | | | physiotherapy appointment and the office was full with |
| her - a nice touch. Then I had another final chat with | | | | people. |
| Hermilo, the school's director and went off into the city. | | | | Last weekend I had walked too much through Mexico |
| At 12:30 I met my friend Alberto, who is Vanessa's | | | | City and as a result I have been labouring with an |
| cousin. He had a day off and volunteered to take me | | | | inflammed ligament and an equally inflamed tendon in |
| on an excursion. The first place we went to was the | | | | my left ankle and this has necessitated some |
| Salto de San Anton - a fairly high waterfall in one of | | | | physiotherapy. The electric current treatment was |
| the ravines of Cuernavaca. At one point you could | | | | followed by a round of therapeutic ultrasound. Today's |
| walk behind the waterfall, but these walkways are | | | | "torture " (the electrode treatment) was not as painful |
| now closed. With my inflamed ankle I was limping | | | | as yesterday's although my foot seemed to be more |
| around on these stairs, but the view was definitely | | | | painful again. Then I had to wait for quite a while for |
| worth it. | | | | the orthopedic surgeon, a well-known specialist by the |
| We picked up his wife and little daughter and went to | | | | name of Dr. Chinchilla. He had a look at my leg and |
| a local lake, about 45 km outside of Cuernavaca. The | | | | said "Amputate!" - No, he didn't say that, I am just |
| lake is called Lago Tequesquitengo, also referred to as | | | | kidding! All I really need, he said, are orthotics to correct |
| the Mar de Morelos (the "Sea of Morelos") and it is | | | | my badly pronating left foot. Dr. Chinchilla himself is |
| located among a group of medium to high hills. From | | | | very well-known and a very friendly charming individual. |
| far away the lake looked very nice, but when you get | | | | In addition, he had a young doctor assisting him and the |
| closer you see that the villages around the lake are | | | | three of us joked around a bit (I am at a level where I |
| very run down. There is a ton of garbage | | | | can actually joke a bit in Spanish, quite astounding...). All |
| everywhere, and lake access is extremely restricted | | | | the medical staff I have met so far have been very |
| and you basically have to pay anywhere to get | | | | helpful and professional. He gave me a prescription for |
| access to the lake. It would be a perfect place for a | | | | the orthotics, gave me the address of the shop where |
| nice village with some restaurants and shops, but all | | | | they would be made, called the manufacturer and the |
| the villages around the lake appeared very neglected | | | | orthotics will be finished by tomorrow. The cost will be |
| and garbage was strewn all over the place. One of | | | | 300 pesos (about C$36) for the doctor and 250 |
| the big attractions around Lake Tequesquitengo is its | | | | pesos for the orthotics (roughly $30, compared to |
| "disco boat" (the barco discoteque) which goes out on | | | | about $400 or $500 in Canada for a pair of orthotics |
| the lake on weekend evenings where revellers can | | | | here). |
| dance the night away. the lake also offers all sorts of | | | | |