I travelled in a van from the hospital to Dulegauda Health Post this morning. It took about an hour, not due to distance but a terrible road and traffic congestion. I had a headache from all the smog and horn blowing of the cars. Many of the women presented for antenatal checks. Others came with chronic disease problems such as hypertension which appears to be a problem here, along with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GORD). In Australia we would tell people to stop smoking, drinking alcohol or caffeine. Here the mantra is 'less hurry, curry and worry.' There was no gel to act as an adhesive for the ECG pads so the man who presented with chest pain had to go without. I have to work on my presention for some of the junior Doctors tomorrow so ... read more

Today I headed out to Dun-sel, a Tibetan clinic in Tushi Palkhiel settlement. As soon as we arrived we were greeted warmly with tea. Again, there was a range of reasons why some people presented, although mostly they wanted their weekly medications. All the children I have seen have been so cute with their big brown eyes and their tikka dots on the foreheads. One little girl was fascinated with all the people that had come to visit her town. When we had finished at the clinic we visited a Tibetan refugee monastery. It was so peaceful with images of Buddha and the burning of incense. I finally purchased a Nepalese SIM card. I'm pretty sure my identity is going to be stolen as I had to provide a copy of my passport, photos and FINGER ... read more

Pokhara is a bit like Phuket, except the Bob Marley music is replaced with 60s rock. Either way, its very relaxing. The main drag is "Lakeside" which is fairly self-explanatory. I am staying in a cute hotel known as Hotel ABC. I was picked up from the airport and was a pillion on the back of a motor bike with my pack on, not the best counter weight! The room I am in is very cheap at $10US/night as I am a medical student. It's clean, cheap and I have a balcony to relax and read my Lonely Planet on (such a cliche) I spent last night relaxing near the lake having a cheap beer and beautiful Nepalese food. I also caught some local performances on the way back home, I had no idea what was ... read more

Prophylactic medication vomit... read more