Trip to Sri Kalahasti and Kanipakam

We thought of a visit to Sri Kalahasti and Kanipakam, one of the pilgrim places in Andhra Pradesh. To start out for this we chose to leave Bangalore on Friday evening and come back by Sunday night.  

I first booked a bus from B'lore to Kalahasti through APSRTC online service and also a return from Kanipakam to B'lore.  Our plan was to reach Kalahasti on Saturday morning (from B'lore its hardly 6-7 hours of journey) and then visit the temple there and start the same day to Kanipakam, do a night halt there and visit the temple the next day, Sunday morning, and get back to B'lore by afternoon bus.  Once we reached Kalahasti on Saturday morning, it was very difficult for us to get the hotel, as we were looking for a simple hotel room, with less cost, and the Devasthanam (Temple) rooms were fully booked (This is what the employ told us).  Then, we started to search for a economy hotel room and finally we found a hotel which charged us Rs.350/- for 8 hours.  It was a hell in that room and there was a regular power cut in Kalahasti. We had a very terrible stay, and finally we got fresh and went for the temple. Then in the evening we caught a bus to Tirupati and from there we went to Kanipakam.  Luckily we got a very good lodge (temple lodge) at Rs.100/- per day, which is very clean, hygenic and good nearby the temple only. We had a night halt and next day we went to the temple and then started for Bangalore.

Coming to b'lore was a big adventure.  We thought that from Kanipakam to Chittoor is very near distance, and we're delayed so much, but at the last time, it was so hurry for us and we booked a auto and rushed to Chittoor. There our bus to b'lore was cancelled.  Remember that this is APSRTC, and buses can be cancelled at any time without any prior notification, then we were dumped into another bus with full of back seats and finally exhausting we came to b'lore. Moral of this story is:-

• When going from Bangalore, its best to go to Kanipakam first, since boarding and lodging is very good here. Take a room here dump the luggage and then catch a bus to Kalahasti, via Tirupati.
• There is one good hotel in Kalahasti for meals which is just adjacent to the temple on the left hand side (Recent storms in AP collapsed this hotel)
• From Kanipakam there are no buses for any major places except Tirupati and few others.  So, plan your travel well in advance when you want to move from Kanipakam.

Happy Journey...!!!

Tooth Care - Dentist

It was almost 5 months from now, when Left upper teeth started paining.  I am a food lover, so it was pinching me as I was unable to eat properly. Finally after few days I decided that I'll go and meet a dentist.

I had never been to a dentist (I hate them as I see so many weird tools in their labs) so with a lot of courage (and fear) I finally met one near by my house.  After some examination he told me that there's a lot of fungus on my teeth and the bacteria has built colonies (medical term) in my mouth. Oh God! I had so much of fear for that and finally he told that he need to clean my teeth.  Then he took some weird tools and started cleaning, and I swear God, I thought as if he's removing my teeth.  A lot of white hard stuff and little of blood came from inside and after 1 hour he told me to come back again on next week, coz, he can't do the whole that day.  He also told me how to brush my teeth.  

Believe me, one should really know from dentist how to brush the teeth.  He was surprised to see that I was not laughing when he told me that.  I listened carefully to the procedure he told to brush my teeth. After one week I went again and then he cleaned the rest of the teeth.  But still even after this I was having pain and it was really uncontrollable.  He told me that he want to take me to a medical college where his professors can examine me.  He wants to make me a piece for examination.  That idea itself made me crazy and then I went to another dentist.  This time I was told to take an xray of the teeth.  Now, this is really funny the way the XRay machine for the teeth. 

Then I found a strange thing that my 3rd Molar (Wisdom teeth) has grown with a wrong inclination and hence it was hitting the side teeth, which is in bottom, but strangely I was encountering pain on top.  Dentist told me that all the teeth are interconnected and so pain happens like this. Strange ah....!!!!! Then after some days I went to remove the teeth to one of my relatives who's a dentist.

God is the witness! It was so terrifying for me even to imagine as to how dentist's remove the teeth.  I was full of fear and was praying God.  First I was given an local anesthesia and then two more injections on the gums.  Finally after some time I could feel any sensation there and the dentist started removing (plucking) my bottom left 3rd molar.  First smoke started coming from my mouth as he was making hole, and then he was using all the weird tools and with full force he finally plucked the teeth. Oh God! Its one of the worst things in my life. 

Few points that I came to know in this whole course are:-

• Calculus, a kind of bacteria exists in the mouth which hampers the strongness of the teeth.  Whenever we eat/drink after some time this bacteria starts feeding on this and then the teeth gets Yellow in colour.
• As soon as we eat/drink something, just gargle and clean the teeth. This helps to prevent the bacteria to grow rapidly.
• Visit the dentist regularly atleast twice an year.  Get your teeth cleaned by the dentist which helps to remove the bacteria between the teeth or gums which can't be done using our regular brushing.
• Wisdom teeth (4) on top and bottom, can be removed.  They really don't help us in chewing the food and are of no use.  Most of the people face the problem with this teeth, and the scientific reason behind this is that in the olden days people physic was huge when compared to that of now.  So at that time the wisdom teeth were useful but when compared to the posture of the people now, its not at all required.
• Once the teeth is removed, usually the blood should clot within 30 minutes.  In India, dentists will give you the cotton to keep it in the mouth and press against the empty area from where the teeth is removed, which helps in getting the blood clot.
• Try to chew soft food from the other side of the mouth where teeth is removed, which helps in early soothing of the area.
• It hardly pains for a day or twice but after that there shouldn't be any pain.
• Sometimes when the molars are removed, dentist sometimes will give stitches, which is very important. After 2-3 weeks stiches can be removed, which when getting removed, will pain slightly, but later on everything will be fine.
• Sometimes when there is a hole in the teeth, usually due to decay, if its not that serious a normal filling is sufficient. But, if its serious then, we need to go for RCT (Root Canal Treatment) which costs more than the usual filling.
• Try to consult more than one dentist and get their opinion before jumping into any kind of action.

Happy Brushing...!!!