Okay, we could do that, or…: How about you just give me the anaesthetic

May 18, 2015

I couldn’t seek out another dentist on our day off because it was a Sunday, but on the Monday I had a little bit of time to spare on our way through Medan and I found my way to a dental clinic situated for some reason in a shopping mall. This time the dentist seemed a little more confident and reassuring, and, although his suggested treatment of rebuilding the tooth over multiple sessions was impossible, he did a good job of filling the gap between the tooth and the restoration, a satisfactory temporary solution. He did such a good job that I asked him to check the rest of my teeth, and in so doing he found another cavity that needed filling.

The dentist went to begin drilling my tooth in order to remove the cavity, saying that if I felt any pain I should let him know, and they would administer a local anaesthetic.

“Could you just give me the anaesthetic anyway?” I asked.

“No, just let me know if you feel pain when I’m drilling, and we’ll stop and give you an anaesthetic.”

“Okay, we could do that, or… how about you just give me the anaesthetic first, and then start drilling?”

“No, no, there’s no need. I’ll give you an anaesthetic if you feel pain.”

The dentist began drilling my tooth.

“Stop! Stop! I feel pain!!!”

Whilst I was having my teeth drilled without anaesthetic, Tom had gone off to the other side of town to find a bike shop that he was sure had the right size of tyre in stock. That meant that we each made our separate way for the final thirty kilometres to the port town of Belawan from which our boat would leave the next day. The road out to it was a busy and chaotic one, but I was happy because I knew that this was the last time I would have to cycle on such a road. The crazy Asian roads were about to be put behind me.

This gives me an idea for a book title...

A fitting example of a typical Asian road to wrap things up in Belawan. You'll probably have already noted the car door being opened in front of me, well done. Those familiar with Asian roads may very well have also spotted the men pushing a bunch of chairs down the middle of the road on the right of shot. But special bonus points go to anyone who has already clocked that the man in the centre left of the photo is riding with a monkey on his back

Belawan was really a dire hole of a place and finding any kind of accommodation was extremely difficult. I was sent back and forth, this way and that, looking for hotels which didn’t seem to exist. I even cycled through the container port at one point. The sun was about to set and there was no chance of finding any safe place to camp, nor was there any sign of my comrade Tom, when I finally stumbled upon the Danau Toba Cottages. The price for a room was exorbitantly expensive, and yet I had really no choice. There was nowhere else to go in this deadbeat port town, and certainly no hope of wild camping safely, and so I checked in.

Turned out that there was a nightclub attached to the reception area and, even though I was miles away across a complex of bungalows, the base reverberated through my room and kept me awake half the night. I even marched across to the reception area to complain at two in the morning, which was a predictably hopeless exercise. Still, I suppose the noise distressing me was somehow a fitting finale for a country as noisy and intense as Indonesia.

Today's ride: 37 km (23 miles)
Total: 40,835 km (25,359 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	5
Comment on this entry	Comment	0