When I got back to my apartment not only did Chaucer and Catya greet me, but there on my desk was a stack of mail about 7 inches high. There were of course the bills that had not gotten paid on line and the donation requests that accompany this time of the year. There were also the letters and voice mails from people who themselves had cancer or were inquiring for a spouse or parent. They were scared and desperate and just wanted to hear for themselves if people like Lennie were really being cured in Mexico. I have looked at the two suitcases on the floor for 3 days now. They sit there opened, but still unpacked as I return all of these phone calls and e-mails because I know that it is the right thing to do.
All of the cancer clinics in Tijuana are having varying degrees of success, but I can really only speak about the one that I know first hand and that is Stella Maris www.stellamarisclinic.com. I learned in Mexico that Dr Alvarez who is the doctor/director of Stella Maris is considered to be one of the top 4 doctors amongst these 30 or more clinics. He is known as the ‘Marcus Welby of Mexico’. Just that alone should tell you the type of man that he is: soft spoken with a Spanish accent and a voice like Riccardo Montalban (remember ‘Fantasy Island’?). At Stella Maris (Star of the Ocean) Dr Alvarez only accepts a maximum of 8 patients at one time so that he can give each personal attention; often there are less. He has been treating cancer patients for about 30 years and is also licenced in the State of California, but cannot administer substances such as DMSO and Laetrile in the US. This FDA restriction is the sole reason for the abundance of cancer clinics just across the US/Mexican border in Tijuana. Prior to opening his own clinic he was the director of the famous Manner Clinic for 10 years. He has the most success with Colon, Prostate, Breast and Brain cancers.
Stella Maris Clinic is located in the heart of the financial district in the cosmopolitan city of Tijuana – a city 15 miles long with 3.4 million people. The streets are filled with business suit clad men and extremely stylish and beautiful women who to my amazement wear very high heels. I am constantly in awe of how they manage not to fall and break something on the sidewalks of Tijuana which must hold some kind of record for being in the worst condition. There are uncovered holes that your foot would fit perfectly into, chunks of concrete heaved up 4 inches above the rest and too many cracks to count. You have to look down while you walk or you will fall. The roads however are in exceptionally good shape by comparison.
Ferro-vitrious structures line the streets mixing new high-rise buildings with the beautiful Spanish architecture and colorful buildings of old Mexico. Looking out over the city you would think you were in any large southern US city. For those of you who have been reading my blog you will remember about the horrific waits at the border, crossing back to the US side every day. Do not do this. Stay in Tijuana. 5 minutes from Stella Maris is the Hotel Lucerna, yes the name is from Switzerland. The owner who has 5 hotels loved the city of Lucerne and named the hotels thus. At the Hotel Lucerna patients of Stella Maris get a substantial discount. I believe that the price worked out to about $75 per night American. If you choose you never have to leave the hotel other than to go to the clinic. 168 rooms and suites, the hotel is built on 4 sides around a courtyard with a double pool in the centre. A small concrete bridge arches over the pool, which is lit at night. You can look over your balcony and watch the water rippling back and forth. Off to the side and between two of the restaurants is another pool with an ancient looking arch or bricks that appears to be part of a ruin. Cascading over this arch is a waterfall, also lit up at night. They have 3 restaurants where you can dine in, eat al fresco at the gorgeous patio cafe, surrounded by palms and meticulously trimmed gardens, order pool-side or have room service. As Lennie was in such bad shape when we arrived, we ordered room service a lot. The prices were maybe a dollar higher than on the restaurant menu. The food was a real bargain. It was not expensive and the portions were large. My only problem was that in Mexican cooking there is a lot of meat dishes with an abundance of cheese used. What we did discover was Panela- a soft fresh Mexican cheese which does not melt when heated. Guacamole and those wonderful small limes are everywhere. There were two other hotels close by, but did not have a pool as it is not often warm enough here to take advantage of it and were extremely large, very modern with marble everywhere and looked like they were more conducive to conventions. I went through the Camino Real and the rooms were also lovely, decorated in the bright, hot colors of Mexico, but had no outside area. They did have an enormous lobby and a youngish corporate crowd. Trust me on this one. Stay at the Hotel Lucerna. http://www.hoteleslucerna.com/tijuana/welcome.php
Looking outside the hotel from our room we realized that this section of Tijuana sits in a bowl with the mountains on both sides which at night time was just beautiful; the flickering lights of the hillside homes competing with the twinkling stars of the sky the seemed to meld together where the hilltops met the sky. This is the safest area of Tijuana. We were never worried and towards the end of Len’s treatment frequently went out at night as we were getting guacamole overload. Across the street is one of the well-known seafood restaurants – ‘La Marina’ which offered the same menu in Spanish and English. If you choose to take your life in your hands and cross the round-a-bout there is the most beautiful Starbucks with a replica of an old fountain and and courtyard for sipping your expensive coffees. Two blocks from the hotel was a bevy of restaurants from around the world with a distinct Mexican flavor. Imagine sushi with Panela cheese mixed in. There were some chain restaurants such as TGIF Fridays that we never ate in and others such as the Brazilian Buffet that we wanted to go to, but just never made it. The Japanese restaurant became one of our favorites with its nutritional value. Again, these restaurants were closer to half the price that you would pay here.
Fernando and Paulo became our regular drivers who would take us to an from the clinic each day courtesy of the hotel. It is important to note here that about 1/3 of the population speak some English and they at least try. I took a Spanish phrase book with me which became invaluable. Len’s treatment would typically start at about 9:15 and he would be finished usually by about 1:00 P.M. I took a scrabble game with me and it was well used. We would set it up pool-side or on our King size bed and entertain ourselves for a couple of hours. Lennie discovered the Oprah show and would watch it every afternoon as most of the channels were in English as are the movies, both on TV and at the mall cinemas, but with Spanish sub-titles. If you needed anything or brought clothes that were not warm enough (this area of Mexico gets very cool in the evening and some days also) you could get almost anything at the large mall complete with Sears, across the street from Stella Maris. Banks and ATMs are everywhere, sometimes 3 on 1 block – there was a Scotiabank in the mall which only offered pesos (some machines give pesos or US dollars). There are always money exchange marts to be found. The only competition the banks have for room on the block is from the ‘Pharmacias’. Never have I seen so many pharmacies. More potent versions of pills, creams and lotions at a substantially lower price.
It seemed as if for $5 American you could get a taxi ride anywhere. That was always our price. Competition in the taxi cab industry is fierce. Walk 1 block and you will have at least 2 or 3 taxis pull up beside you offering their services.
Visit Revolution Street at least once before you leave Tijuana. This is the tourist mecca. Donkeys painted like Zebras, leather, souvenirs and jewellery made of silver, turquoise, fire and cherry opals. Again, buyer beware. Shop in the stores, not from the street vendors if you want sterling. This is also the street that the old Caesar hotel is on; famous for the invention of the Caesar Salad. The story goes… Caesar Cardini was the owner of the Caesar Hotel. The salad was created on July 4th 1924 – a very busy weekend at the hotel’s restaurant. It is said that Caesar was short of supplies and didn’t want to disappoint the customers so he concocted this salad with what was on hand. To add a flair to this he prepared it at the table. The salad soon became a hit and people came to the restaurant just to get the salad. In particular the Hollywood crowd loved Caesars, as did we. Of course we had the Caesar Salad. The Real crux of the Original Recipe for Caesar Salad is in using whole Romaine leaves, not cutting or tearing them and the technique of rolling the leaves around the dressing in the salad bowl instead of tossing of it. The salad leaves are still placed on the plate with the bottom ends facing out so that you can pick them up. Here is the recipe:
(Serves 4)
1 head of Romaine lettuce (separate leaves only, leaving them whole)
1 /2 cup olive oil
- Caesar’s Salad
4 cloves garlic
12 drops Worcestershire
Juice from 2 lemons or limes or combination
2 eggs (boiled exactly 1 minute)
Salt
Pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese added at end.
For Croutons:
1 baguette (sliced thin)
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup garlic oil
Mash the garlic in 2 separate bowls. Mix them both withthe oils and brush both sides of the croutons with one of the mixtures and then fry them in a pan. Mix all the ingredients for the dressing together and then gently toss with the whole lettuce leaves. Arrange on a plate with the bottom tips at the outside. Arrange fried croutons on top and then add freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Bon Appetit!
Okay so I got a little off topic. I also made myself so hungry that I actually went into the kitchen and made myself a Caesar Salad – not exactly like this one, but still good.
It is desperately frightening to be diagnosed with cancer – I myself had a rare form of lymph cancer (Micosis Fungoides) 10 years ago. Being in these lovely surroundings and at a clinic where we knew, we KNEW Lennie was being cured made our journey easier to bear. If you are planning on going and want more information about the treatments either log on to the link for Stella Maris in this post or look back for the treatments I listed in a previous post. If I can help at all with any additional information my number is 905-528-4197.
I hope for you the wisdom to be led in the right direction
for you.
Carpe diem,
Kathryn