Government hospital
Posted in India | By tim |
Screaming camel with the hump
Jaisalmer is in the desert. The early morning air is clear and cold and there is sand everywhere. A comic sight greets us at the station. Lined up outside are a set of jeeps and solemn porters standing in front of them, each holds a flag as a representative from each hotel in Jaisalmer. They offer free transport to their hotels in a bid to “win” the most tourists. Naturally, presented with such choice, all of us travellers stand cautiously before them, studying our guidebooks to see which offers the best deal. We plump for the Hotel Renuka which sounds good and get in the jeep.
It’s a great choice. It is square and white like all the buildings here but is clean and friendly. Soon we are showered and ready to face the heat of the day. It is hot. The first port of call is, unfortunately, the doctors. I have already had a second rabies jab (in Jaipur) and today is time for my third. Unfortunately there is no private doctor in Jaisalmer – only a government run hospital. In India, “government” means “hopelessly under-funded and very crowded”. But we go there in high spirits.
At the hospital, I join the end of a rather long queue of hopeful, sick people as if the doctor only turns up once a week. There is quite some confusion over where to actually go but eventually I get to see Dr Dobe (DooBee). Once again, the doctor’s room is a free for all with everyone piling in to see what I’m to get done to me. The Doc tells me to go and get my injection from the sister. So we locate a nurse in a white sari and explain the deal. She doesn’t seem to get it.
Jaisalmer fort
We are standing in what can only be described as a concrete cow shed. The walls are plain breeze block. There is a queue for injections which we’ve just jumped. The scene is this – on the floor, a bucket of water with syringes soaking (not boiling) in it and on the window sill a piece of newspaper with a load of needles (maybe used) on it. She first goes to get one of those from the bucket – thank God I have my own clean ones. For a minute, the three nurses present don’t seem to know what is happening or what to do. The vaccine is inactivated: you have to mix some powder into a salt water ampoule (provided) using the syringe and then shake it. There are moments of confusion when I think she’s made a mistake and wasted the vaccine but then she manages to mix up a small amount. I’m scared. This is not an ideal injection – just one look at the state the needles are in is enough to get anyone concerned. Anyway, she does the business and I get out – glad to be alive. My syringe goes back on the pile. I am very glad not to have to have any kind of surgery here – standards seem atrociously low.
Our next stop is much easier – a drink and then money changing. Then we do a bit of market research on arranging a camel safari in the desert. We’ve been looking forward to this as a highlight of our trip since neither of us has really seen a desert or ridden a camel before. There are many safaris to choose from although most are quite similar. The cheapest ones are not worth it since basically you begin to compromise on how much food and water you actually get to take with you which isn’t good. We opt for a two day, one night safari arranged through the hotel.
Cycle rickshaws around town
They are very good about it and will keep our bags for us. It is just the two of us (very romantic were it not for the sand) and a driver and we will sleep out under the stars. A jeep will take us out to the real desert and we will trek the camels from there. I can’t wait. 950 Rs each.
We go to the fort which is alive unlike the others we’ve seen and straight out of Arabian nights. We sit out on the roof and watch the sun set on this the truly “Golden City”. The fort is majestic and when the sun has gone, the walls are lit up yellow. Beautiful.
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