We have spent a lot of time getting Leela in good shape and now we are working on the crew. We both had incipient dental problems that we did not fancy dealing with in the Pacific so we decided to spend some time in Medellin getting fixed up. It turned out to be an awesome choice for a number of reasons. Firstly our dental problems were more serious than we had realized, particularly Janaki's loose crown. Secondly we found a great dentist who speaks English, is willing to work with tight schedules and communicates quickly and directly using text messages. Thirdly the costs are MUCH less than the US. The following is a rough breakdown (all in USD):
Panoramic x-ray, US $200, Col $14
Deep cleaning, US $250, Col $46
Molar root canal (Graham), US $1200, Col $220
Molar Dental implant (poor Janaki), US $2500, Col $846
Total, US $4150, Col $1126

All this in ultra modern facilities with super-friendly staff and a complete absence of delays and BS.

A pretty fancy apartment is costing us $59 a night and the climate is perpetually delightful. Based on this experience we would not hesitate to come here for dental, and probably medical treatment.

Anyway, we have another ten days in Colombia with a trip to coffee country and some dental follow ups then it's back to Leela and getting ready for the canal transit. We still have a bit to do on the boat but we are getting itchy to be on our way.