Continued from Part I......By the time it sank in that cleaning up the cursed root canal was more important than my holiday, I was resigned to cancelling the whole junket. The most important reason being that I didn't know how to pay for the dental surgery, other than cancelling the trip. I hate doctors and the whole hospital environment, and I steer clear of them, unless I'm forced into dealing with them. Which also means that I spent the absolute minimum on insurance. Which now meant that I had to cough up an additional $1500, for the root canal clean-up, removing the infected molar and implanting a crown. The entire budget for my Indian vacation was around $2,800. There had to be a way to salvage my vacation, while getting my teeth fixed. To choose only one of them would mean living with regret for the rest of my life, whichever way it worked out. There had to be another way. Like I said, I fired up Google, which I believe has the solution to every problem known to mankind.

Google coughed up an impressive array of links, covering the medical and financial aspects of root canal treatment, fillings, impacted teeth, replacement of missing teeth with bridges and crowns and implants. The pictures of infected molars and wired jaws did nothing to settle my queasy stomach. But going through the financial aspects, I bumped into something which set off a burst of adrenalin, and I knew in my heart that this was something important. The total cost of root canal treatment at a hospital in Kerala, India was uh...$35 ??? Can't be. Has to be a catch.

So I pulled out the phone numbers and email addresses of a few major healthcare providers in India. Without much ado, I called them up and asked them staright out how much my treatment would cost. The answer typically was in the range of $75 to $200, depending on the location and size of the providers. A major hospital in Mumbai was 25% costlier than a hospital of the same size and quality in New Delhi. Kerala was much cheaper than both Mumbai and New Delhi. Anyway, point here is that I know enough about the internet to recognise a professional setup when I see a website. And these guys knew their jobs.

The receptionist for the Apollo Hospitals Group assured me that they handle dozens of patients every single day from the USA and the EU. Either she was pre-cognitive or she faced the same questions day in and day out. Either way, she had perfect answers ready even before I had finished my questions. That just about sealed the deal. I was going to India and I was going to have my root canal mopped up - In India. Maybe this sounds a bit nutty to you, but the trip was really, really important to me. I would have given my front teeth ( Yes - That's a joke ) to fulfill my dream holiday. After a bit of a mental struggle with my wallet, I reversed my schedule and decided to start with Kerala and wind my way up to New Delhi. Called up the travel agent, and after a bit of screaming ( on his part ) and pleading ( on mine ), managed to con him into re-arranging the flights and dates. I was on my way to the land of Maharajas and software programmers ( guess which ones are wealthier? ).

I arrived at Meenambakkam Airport in Chennai, India and after a short trip of a few hours was ensconced in my hotel room in Trivandrum, Kerala. Have to admit that I was feeling a bit nervous. Given that it was just a question of my teeth, the panic attacks were reasonably uder control. Bright and early in the morning on the 14th of August, there was this guy called Muthu, with a great smile and magnificient teeth, standing in my doorway. He explained that the clinic had sent him to accompany and guide me to the clinic. Just the sight of those bright and shining teeth was enough to settle my queasy stomach. I mean, if this guy worked for them, they would be taking care of his teeth, and I liked what I saw. His accent was bad enough to make me weep, but we managed to conduct a meaningful conversation, with Muthu doing most of the talking and me doing the nodding part.

In short order, we ended up at this neat clinic, ringed and lined with tall palm trees. To make a long story short, the dentist was just about the same - I told you I hate doctors. I did love the nurses. They were really cute and giggled a lot. Specially the one who wiped the sweat off my forehead. After some waiting, X-rays, and then some more waiting, my treatment began with a doctor who seemed cool and professional, though not overtly friendly. Maybe it was the local anesthetic or the nurse wiping my forehead, but it was over fairly quick and relatively less painful than I anticipated. Since I haven't yet had a similar experience here at home, I can't give you a comparison, but I was grateful to be driving out of that clinic feeling pretty normal, to say the least. I spent the entire evening sleeping and then slept through the night, probably induced by the painkillers.

Morning found Muthu banging my door down and within a couple of hours I found myself on the outskirts of Kanyakumari, wondering if my jaw hurt more from the surgery or my ears from Muthu's non-stop chatter. Either way, the entire right side of my face was kindof numb, with a dull ache. The only words I seem to remember are beautiful and God. A short time later, I found out why, when I was confronted with the most beautiful tableau I have ever seen in my life. We were standing on the Vivekananda memorial, with the waves crashing against the rocks, water on all sides, land at a distance. There was an incredible peace on this piece of rock, and it crept into my soul. It is the closest I have ever come to sensing the presence of a higher authority.

Anyway, time stood still, but Muthu could not, and he was jumping up and down, demanding that we return at once, because I was supposed to be back in Trivandrum for a checkup. The checkup involved some more waiting, and some more giggling, before I was pronounced fit for discharge and sent packing with a thick file which included my X-rays and case notes. And that's that. Oh yeah, I met Muthu's wife before I left for Mumbai. The woman seemed to have an even lower opinion of her husband's communication skills than me, but it was kindof difficult to make out, considering that Muthu was the translator.

At this point, I have to add that while the surreal trip to an obscure dental clinic in India is just a memory, my newly paved root canal is doing just fine, the crown still has it's pride of place, I'm fully covered under my new insurance plan for every potential dental disaster and there has been absolutely nothing wrong with my teeth or gums or root canal since then - Go figure...